Chapter 89: Ferrari
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The news of the treasure hunters joining in an auction for the welfare home was aired that night.
Hans and Li Du drank beer while watching TV. Both of them had been shown on the television; Li Du had even been interviewed twice.
"I don’t think I performed very well there. I was too nervous," Hans smacked his lips.
Li Du threw him a sideways glance. "Do you think that’s a valid reason for staring at her chest? If not for the camera, I bet that she would have given you one hard slap."
At this, Hans grew excited. "F*ck, that girl’s chest was really large…"
Li Du beckoned to Ah Meow. Petting its fur, he said, "Drop it. You can’t touch them, no matter how large they are. Come on, let’s talk business. Are there any units up for auction?"
Hans wasn’t satisfied. "Are you a workaholic? We just got a big catch. You really are hardworking."
"Working hard is a Chinese virtue."
Ah Meow turned comfortably in Li Du’s lap, nuzzling into his soft belly. Ah Meow gurgled, its large eyes half-closed. It was really enjoying itself.
Hans said, "If we didn’t make this a charity, we could have made a lot! Twenty-three thousand dollars! You could have used it to meet the requirement for joining the Hundred Thousand Club!"
Li Du, too, had considered this when donating the twenty-odd thousand dollars. But he knew that if he had taken the money for himself, the other treasure hunters would have killed him.
Speaking of this, he asked, "Won’t the association investigate this? A scam of people stuffing counterfeits into the storage units and auctioning them off?"
Hans explained, "No, they won’t, because they can’t. Someone who bought a storage unit like that can only blame their luck. Treasure hunting has always been about observational skills. If you’re not sharp enough, then woe on you!"
Li Du stopped and pondered this. "What a tough, cruel job to be in."
Ah Meow patted Li Du’s hand with its furry little paw in dissatisfaction: Go on. I was enjoying myself back there. Scratch this place, too. It’s itchy.
Hans nodded in agreement. "It is cruel, but I think that you’ve adapted to it quite well…"
At this, he stopped talking and frowned in contemplation.
"What is it?"
Hans took a swig of his beer. "It’s nothing. I was just thinking of the way we split our profits. Frankly, I don’t contribute much. The main reason we’re earning so much is you. Maybe I shouldn’t be taking forty percent."
After a moment of silence, he went on. "How about we change our arrangement? I’ll just take twenty percent. How about that?"
Li Du looked closely at him. "Are you for real?"
"Yes. I’m serious." Hans wasn’t smiling anymore.
Li Du understood. His scamming the other treasure hunters had frightened Hans after all. Akkalou Benidito had said that he was a frightening fellow. Perhaps Hans thought so too.
He thought about this for a moment. Slowly, he said, "No, Big Fox. Our old arrangement is just fine. The information you provide is very important. So are your contacts to sell everything."
"You could find contacts on your own. Let’s drop the forty-sixty profit splitting arrangement. Honestly, I don’t feel at peace taking the money. In the long run, you won’t be happy about it either."
Li Du said, "How about this: I have a suggestion. Under normal circumstances, I’ll get half of the profits. But if there’s anything in the storage units that I like in particular, I can take it after discussing it with you."
Hans was right. Even without him, Li Du would make at least just as much as he had been. Li Du had been thinking this for a long time, but had held his tongue, as he didn’t think that it was fair to point out—and Li Du didn’t want to do that. The idea made him feel like a sleaze. He had his own moral standards to uphold.
Hans finished his iced beer in one large swig. Heartily, he said, "No problem."
Li Du sealed the deal cleanly. "Then we’ll do that from now on."
The new arrangement wasn’t as profitable for Hans, but he didn’t mind. He thought that splitting the profits according to each person's workload was the only way that their partnership could last a long time. Indeed, he felt much more fired up with the new arrangement.
That night, Hans started to look for new information on storage auctions. The next day, Li Du got a message from him saying that in five days a company in Phoenix would be holding an auction. There would be a total of seven storage units up for sale.
The two of them set out for Phoenix.
On the way, Li Du asked, "What’s up with the storage units this time?"
Hans said, "The storage company is called ‘Memorial.’ They have about 300 storage units. The seven storage units up for auction belong to four households.
"I asked around a bit. One of the units contains Ferrari spare parts: a seat and a steering wheel. They’re worth quite a lot, maybe a few tens of thousands."
Li Du nodded. "So we’re here for the Ferrari spare parts this time, right?"
Hans slapped the truck’s steering wheel. "That’s right!"
With that slap, the car started malfunctioning again. Maybe the wiring in the steering wheel had a problem. The wipers started moving back and forth across the windshield, and all the lights lit up, stubbornly refusing to switch off.
"This d*mn, rotten car!" Hans raged.
Li Du glared at him. "Shut up. Even a tank of gas could become rotten in your hands. Can’t you treat it better?"
Hans replied sulkily, "I was already being very gentle to it. Never mind. This must be God telling us that we should get a new truck. Time to start saving for one."
Their first destination was the steampunk hotel. Bedes, still dressed as a European gentleman of olden times, smiled at them. "Hey, man. Looks like some good storage units are going to appear in Phoenix again."
Hans hugged him. "Nope. We’re here to play, and see you."
Letting go of him, Bedes hugged Li Du. Hans stretched his hands out toward the young man with delicate features behind the bar. "Come, Nick, let older brother give you a hug of love."
The young man didn’t hesitate to pull a short-barrelled shotgun out from under the counter. "What did you say? Big Fox, I don’t think I heard you clearly."
"I said, please make me a cocktail," Hans said wretchedly.
The young man teased, "I really want to hear you what you said earlier. Did you say a hug of love?"
"Uh, the cocktail I want is called the ‘Hug of Love.’"
"We don’t have it. We do have something called ‘A Gun’s Embrace.’ Do you want one?"
"No, nevermind," Hans said, put in his place.
After depositing their luggage at the hotel, the two of them set out for Memorial Storage Co.
The storage company was located in the Mesa district of Phoenix. After making their way in, Li Du let out his flying bug to take at look at the goods in the storage units.
The first two units were full of normal household items. The most valuable things in there were some planks and a lawnmower.
He found what they were looking for in the third storage unit. It had been converted into a racecar unit. There were pictures of racecars pasted on its walls. A helmet sat on a table, and racecar parts and automotive equipment were scattered all around the floor.
In a wooden cabinet, he found a well-kept seat and a small steering wheel. There was a small, galloping horse emblazoned in the middle of the steering wheel. Obviously, these were the Ferrari seat and steering wheel Hans had been talking about.
Li Du wasn’t happy at finding them, however. The storage unit looked very valuable. It wouldn’t be easy for them to get their hands on it.
He looked further. The fourth storage unit gave him some consolation. It contained more automotive equipment. Evidently, it had belonged to the same owner as the third unit. This would divert the attention of the treasure hunters.
The fifth storage unit contained a lot of oddly curved wooden logs. As the bug flew over them, Li Du’s eyes lit up.
He made a big discovery!