The second storage unit was also full of boxes, but those boxes were mostly filled with useless waste. It was estimated that the government used the boxes to dispose of waste materials such as paper and similar types of office waste.
Li Du shook his head. No treasure collectors from Flagstaff bid, and the storage unit was sold to Princeps at the low price of $1,800.
The third storage unit was similar to the second, and many of the boxes were damaged, exposing the contents. The treasure collectors saw that they were full of waste, so there were hardly any bids.
The Tucson gang was good at the tactic of spreading a wide net, so Princeps bid on this storage unit. The price was even lower, at only $800. Taking two storage units in a row, Princeps’ side was a little elated. They met with Li Du, and Princeps said, “Do you go to the movies? Would you like some popcorn?”
The Tucson gang’s treasure collectors laughed.
“We aren’t here to watch movies, but we don’t pick up trash, either. I’m not a garbage collector,” said Li Du calmly.
Princeps replied, “Yes, yes, you have x-ray vision. You can find the treasures, but you have to buy the storage units first, then you can mock me…”
“I’m not being sarcastic. Why would I mock a dog?” Li Du was still calm.
“What did you say?” The Tucson gang was furious.
Li Du glanced at Conrad Anthony and said, “Princeps is treating you like a dog and taking you to be his dog.”
Several treasure hunters got angry.
“Bullsh*t!”
“Are you looking for a way to die?”
“Beat the d*mn bastard up!”
Li Du said, “Whatever. This can’t change the fact that you treat him like a dog.”
Hans gave a thumbs-up to the gang with the back of his hand and said, “What a group of loyal dogs, protecting their master.”
It was the same gesture as the middle finger, but it was used in Australia. It was not used in the United States as an insult, so the people in the Tucson gang did not know they had been insulted by it.
The treasure hunters of Flagstaff also spoke up one after another. “Although you Tucson gang bastards were always nasty, at least before you were tough guys. How about now? Ha, you’re a dog for others.”
“The owner is still a traitor who defected from Arizona’s trash.”
“Garbage dog, haha, you all have ruined the Tucson gang’s reputation.”
The treasure hunters of the Tucson gang were so angry that they couldn’t argue. In fact, Princeps did treat them like dogs for Conrad Anthony, perhaps a little too much, but the fact that they were on their knees licking his boots was indisputable.
The treasure hunters of Tucson were not good people, but they had their pride. They could accept their leader taking them to violently loot storage units, but they would not stand being a young man’s dog.
In particular, it was true that Conrad Anthony’s father, though powerful, well-connected, and wealthy, was a traitor in Arizona and despised by local treasure hunters. Conrad, who grew up in New York, never considered himself an Arizonan, so it was a good game for him to get into a fight with Flagstaff’s treasure hunters.
Someone had talked trash about his father, and he couldn’t stand it. “Hey, what did you say? Poor people, do you want to die?”
Olly puffed out his chest and said, “We may be poor, but we’re tough, better than the New Yorker’s dogs kneeling and wagging their tails and licking your face!”
The treasure hunters of the Tucson gang were still angry but were now also speechless.
Conrad said, “D*mn you. I mean, who said my father was a traitor just now?”
Hans laughed and said, “Who said that? Fool, no one said that you’re guilty, of course, but it’s true. Your father is a traitor, a Judas! And a d*mn dog!”
Conrad went up to him and snapped, “Keep your foul mouth shut…”
Hans interrupted, “If you want me to change my mind, just do it. Come on, you can beat me up now, and I won’t fight back. But he will always be a traitor!”
Many of the Flagstaff treasure hunters clenched their fists, ready to fight. They were united in the camaraderie that came with being from the same city, and their spirits were high.
The Tucson gang was watching coldly, but only Princeps stood by Conrad. They were not going to fight for George Anthony’s reputation, but if the news were spread, the Tucson gang would become the butt of many jokes.
It was two against a few dozen, and Conrad would have been a warrior if he had dared to attack them. However, warriors could easily become martyrs. Treasure hunters were all tough with broad shoulders. If dozens of people were to beat Conrad up, he could easily be beaten to death.
The policemen noticed the law and order problem brewing in the area and moved to evict both sides.
Princeps seized Conrad and said, “They want us to take action so they can throw us out of the auction.”
A policeman said impatiently, “Shut up. Leave if you don’t want to go to the auction. Don’t mess around here.”
Rather than walk away early, Li Du waved to the treasure hunters behind him and said, “Get ready for the next storage unit.”
The Flagstaff treasure hunters that were originally fierce changed their attitude. They now talked, laughed, and left. They walked together and seemed very united. Seeing this, Conrad’s eyes narrowed for a moment, and he said, “What’s the matter, is the Chinaman so influential in Flagstaff?”
Princeps sneered. “Don’t be fooled by appearances. They’re just acting. The Chinese isn’t Barton or MacArthur. How could he gather people like that?”
Conrad shook his head slowly and said, “No, he’s something.”
Princeps was also very depressed. He did not think that Li Du had a high status with the Flagstaff treasure hunters. However, he absolutely could be said to be the treasure king or at least someone well respected.
He and Li Du were always not on the same side, indeed. Even before Li Du began helping the treasure hunters make money, those who collected treasure were very convinced by his abilities.
However, as far as he knew, Li Du had been away from Flagstaff for more than half a year. The Flagstaff treasure hunters were scattered. They had not expected that Li Du would come back, but when he did, those people gathered around him again.
As the auction progressed, storage unit after storage unit was quickly bid on, and soon they came to the number ten storage unit. The storage unit mainly contained book paper. There were also a lot of documents, some in bags and some in cardboard boxes that filled the miniature storage unit to the brim.
Treasure hunters were not interested in such storage units. The documents needed to be discarded by the government and were of little value. Li Du wasn’t interested either, but he noticed that some of the cardboard boxes had a badge on them that indicated the documents must have come from the police.
He wondered if there were any illegal items confiscated by the police in that storage unit. If there were, he would look at them carefully, since many of those types of items were good.
