Chapter 46: Critical Blow
Translator: Vicky_ Editor: Vicky_
When the bid was called, surprised shouts surfaced simultaneously from the crowd. Many of them wanted to look at what was in the unit again, but, unfortunately, it was already closed.
Looking at Andrew, Li Du creased his forehead. He fervently tried to recall whether he had missed anything of value.
As a rule of thumb, the ratio of investment to profit was one to two. Andrew bid 5,000 dollars, so this unit had to be worth at least 10,000 dollars for him to make a decent profit.
The unit had many instruments, speakers and different kinds of recording equipment that were all in good condition. However, he did not feel that these things were worth 10,000 dollars.
He had looked up on the internet the worth of these instruments. From what he could find, they were worth at most 5,000 to 6,000 dollars.
That was also what he was lacking in. He could see what the unit contained, but couldn't evaluate many of the things just by looking at them. It was also difficult to find information about these old items online.
Hans looked at him, and Li Du hesitated. Eventually, he shook his head.
Just like how Hans played a trick on the past two storages, he was worried that Andrew was doing the same. In this case, if they were to take part in the bid now and Andrew gave up, the two of them would have to take the baton and buy the unit.
A 5,000 dollar baton. If this was a foul pass, and they took it, then they would have to pay a huge price.
The others also had the same concern. They simply could not make out what was so valuable about the unit. One by one, they shook their heads.
The auctioneer pointed at Andrew with a beaming smile. "Five thousand, five thousand, going once, going twice, OKAY! Sold! Congratulations buddy, you have got yourself a precious one!"
Andrew smirked, and then looked at Li Du and Hans. The two looked at him indifferently.
Li Du lightly rubbed his chin. Perhaps Andrew did not make a false bid. Maybe there really was something valuable in there that he was unable to appraise.
The fourth unit was 47. Within it were old models of household appliances. Selling them for their parts could earn them some money, but they would not be able to earn a large profit.
He gave Hans a look, and Hans understood what he meant. He started bidding.
This time, he only called once. If anyone tried to make an offer, he would give up.
He knew what Li Du was thinking: This unit had no value.
After he kept giving false bids for past units, the crowd was growing tired of Hans. They were also wary of him. Unless they were sure of a profit, they would not bid against him.
The fifth was sold off. Coming to the sixth unit, which was 114, Li Du was desperate to buy it.
The auctioneer raised his hands and swiftly shouted, "We've come to a brand new unit which means a brand new price. This unit starts from four hundred dollars! Four hundred… four hundred…"
Someone quickly accepted the offer.
"Alright."
"Four hundred is now in the past, it is now five hundred! Five hundred… five hundred…"
"Me!"
"Alright, things are getting interesting. Five hundred is also in the past now, eight hundred? How about eight hundred… eight hundred…"
In just the blink of an eye, the bid was raised by 300 dollars. The number of people participating instantly shrunk. It was only after some time that someone nodded to take the bid.
"Eight hundred, someone accepted! There might be something special in there, how about a thousand! I think someone would go for a thousand, and who would that be?"
Hans decided to make a move. "Me!"
Seeing him making an offer, Andrew creased his forehead and glanced at Li Du with a hesitant look in his eyes.
Li Du also looked suspicious, seemingly unsure why Hans decided to make such a high offer.
His look and expression were very convincing, even the seasoned Andrew bit on the hook. Instead of paying attention to Li Du, he looked at Hans.
With the few false bids from before, no one dared to compete. Most of them just looked on for the fun of it. Only a young black man decided to compete.
Hans quickly followed, and the offer went to one thousand five hundred dollars. The young man wanted to continue, but his friend held him back. "Hey man, forget it, don't risk it!"
Seeing that the unit was about to be sold, a voice came from the side. "One thousand six hundred."
Li Du turned his head in surprise, and saw the dog-tailed Reginald smirking. He was the one who bid. He had been around the whole time, and Li Du couldn't believe he hadn't noticed him.
From the way he was gloating over the situation, that guy wasn't as crude and stupid as he looked, but actually someone who was meticulous and cunning. It seemed that he noticed the looks that Li Du and Hans had been sharing. He guessed that there was something to fight for in this unit.
As expected, Hans raised the bid to two thousand dollars. Reginald immediately raised it to two thousand one hundred.
Hans, who had been standing firm, started showing a slight shift in his expression.
From the start, he first showed his wealth, then made false bids. This would prevent anyone from intentionally raising his bid too high. He brought a lot of money, but the others didn't. Once the bid reached a high value, he could still afford it, but the others couldn't.
However, there were still many people who wanted to make Hans overbid. Once people realized his true desire to get a unit, many people would decide to participate.
Since there was a show, who wouldn't want it to heat up?
Hans tried his best to keep himself calm. "Two thousand two hundred."
Reginald was about to speak, until Li Du cut him off with a dry laugh. "I understand now, damn it. It was all a trap!"
Reginald's eyebrow twitched slightly. "What nonsense are you talking about?"
"At the party, you provoked Andrew and us, and then publicized our bet to attract a large crowd, increasing the amount of attention on this auction. Your aim is to get a valuable unit yourself to crush everyone!"
"Your reason for doing this was because you've disappeared for some time want to make an impactful comeback. So you set this show to play all of us!"
Hearing these words, Andrew started recalling the incidents and the flattery from Reginald. His expressions slowly changed, and the way he looked at Reginald turned dark.
Reginald's eyebrow twitched even more fiercely. He looked at Li Du furiously. "Bullshit, I just wanted to have some fun."
He looked at the crowd, and then continued. "Alright, fun's over. Big Fox, take your unit. Haha, don't you like making false bids? How was it? Does it feel good?"
Hans glared at him. "You played me?!"
The crowd resonated with laughter in light of Han's plight. Amongst the laughter, the auctioneer repeatedly shouted, "A thousand two hundred" three times. With no one bidding, Hans successfully took the unit.
Li Du gave a sigh of relief. His back was slightly damp.
He wasn't blindly guessing. Reginald definitely had those intentions. However, he cared more about his relationship with Andrew than he did about beating Li Du.
That guy wouldn't risk his relationship with Andrew just to snatch a unit that Li Du had his eyes on. Because of this, Hans had narrowly taken unit 114.
With the remaining three units that had no value, Andrew and Li Du did not make any more moves.
With that, the auction ended, but no one left yet. Everyone crowded nearby the two units, waiting for the two parties to reveal their final winnings.