Chapter 20: When Enemies Meet

"Sean, this is my husband, Garcia. He’s a professional treasure hunter."

"He had something come up during the last abandoned luggage auction, otherwise you two would have met long ago," Silvia said while introducing her husband.

He was a bald Mexican man with a face full of thick flesh and a jagged scar, making him look more like a drug dealer than a professional treasure hunter. Accompanying them, besides Garcia, were two employees from a second-hand store. These two guys, also Mexicans in their twenties, were clearly the ones responsible for the heavy lifting of clearing out warehouses.

"Good morning, Garcia. It's a pleasure to meet you." Sean greeted him, preparing for a fist bump.

Garcia, however, stepped forward and gave him a hug.

"Nice to meet you, Sean. Thanks for the designer women's clothing you sold to Silvia last time; we made quite a profit from that."

"Anyone who helps us make money is a friend of ours!"

Sean smiled and nodded, though he didn't take the words to heart. Being friends with a thug-looking Mexican man wasn't exactly something he felt comfortable with. In California, and indeed throughout the United States, the impression of Mexicans is starkly divided. They are either honest, hardworking farmers toiling on farms across the country to make an honest living, or they are gang members and drug dealers involved in the most insane criminal activities, risking death at any moment. In the eyes of many Chinese people, Mexicans operating in American society are often equated directly with gangsters and drug dealers.

Seeing the appearance of Garcia and his two lackeys, the live stream chat exploded.

"Damn! These Mexicans aren't drug dealers, are they? They don't look like good people at all!"

"Probably not up to any good. What kind of decent person has a scar on their face? The participants in this auction are truly a mixed bag of all sorts of characters!"

Hearing the exclamations, Sean just smiled and didn't join the discussion. Next, he introduced Elaine to Silvia and the others. However, he kept his guard up and didn't mention that he and Elaine were from UCLA or that they lived nearby. On the way here, he had already warned Elaine not to reveal that information. Like everyone else, Silvia and her group were stunned by Elaine's beauty.

As soon as the introduction finished, Silvia remarked with a sigh:

"Elaine, that name sounds like a French girl, and you are so beautiful."

"You're a lucky guy, Sean, to have such a beautiful girlfriend."

Sean shook his head with a joke:

"I wish I had such a beautiful and sexy girlfriend, but Elaine is not my girlfriend."

Before the words had even faded, the eyes of the men present lit up in unison, as if they had suddenly seen hope. Elaine just smiled, offering no explanation, but the look she gave Sean was filled with appreciation. She likely felt a surge of goodwill toward him because of his heroic rescue earlier.

As they were talking, a few more guys walked in from outside. Among them were two familiar figures—the very two who had tried to rob Sean at the airport. Seeing them, a flash of murderous intent flickered in Sean's eyes. The expressions of those two men changed briefly, but they quickly recovered.

Soon after, Garcia and the others raised their hands to greet those men. Through their conversation, Sean learned that they were both professional treasure hunters, though merely small-time crooks named Parsons and Justin.

Their appearance immediately caused a stir in the live stream. Sean, however, had no time to pay attention, as the auctioneer and his female assistant had emerged from the office building. The warehouse auction was about to begin. Seeing the auctioneer, everyone moved toward the entrance of the office building.

The auctioneer immediately began reciting the rules at a rapid-fire pace.

"Ladies and gentlemen, there are eight warehouses up for auction today. We will open them one by one for you to inspect before the bidding begins."

"Once you win a warehouse, you have only 24 hours to clear it out. If you exceed the time limit, Richard Storage Company will reclaim the unit."

"All warehouses must be paid for in cash. No credit cards, no wire transfers. Make sure you have the money in your pocket before you bid..."

The auctioneer rattled off the rules like a machine gun, not caring whether people understood or not. Immediately after, he announced loudly:

"The auction begins. Please follow me."

With that, the auctioneer, his female assistant, and a security guard carrying bolt cutters led everyone toward the warehouse area. The live stream became even more animated.

"Was that even English the auctioneer was speaking? Did anyone catch what he said?"

"Who could possibly understand that? Even a Gatling gun doesn't fire that fast!"

A few minutes later, everyone arrived at the first unit: Warehouse 115. It was in the first row of the storage area, where the environment was decent and the air conditioning was strong. Coming from the scorching heat outside, everyone felt quite comfortable. However, because there were so many participants, the area was crowded, almost blocking the entire corridor.

"Click!"

The security guard used the hydraulic bolt cutters to snap the lock on the warehouse door, opening the long-abandoned unit. The auctioneer stepped forward, stood to the side, and said in his rapid-fire style:

"Ladies and gentlemen, you may line up to inspect the unit."

"I repeat: look and move on. Do not linger in front of the door, do not enter the warehouse, and do not touch any items inside. Anyone who violates these rules will be disqualified and asked to leave."

As he spoke, numerous treasure hunters were already lining up to get a look at what was inside, hoping to discover some hidden treasure. The difference was that the professional treasure hunters were better prepared. They usually worked in groups of two or three, using high-intensity flashlights to scan the depths of the warehouse. They observed the interior while whispering to each other, assessing the value, deciding if it was worth bidding on, and secretly formulating their base prices and strategies.

The casual onlookers who were just there for the fun were much more relaxed. They had no equipment and lacked professional judgment, relying solely on their naked eyes within the few seconds they were allowed. In reality, they could only see the general state of things and couldn't determine the true value of the warehouse. To them, it was entirely a game of luck. If they were lucky, they made a little money; if not, they took the loss. Naturally, very few people were lucky, and the vast majority were losers who ended up paying for junk. Yet, what the storage companies advertised were always the rare exceptions who struck gold.

Like the other professional treasure hunters, Sean took a high-intensity flashlight from his backpack and handed a spare pair of sunglasses to Elaine.

"Elaine, wear these. That way, no one can see where you're looking. I hope you can help me spot one or two valuable antiques or pieces of art—that would be great!"

Elaine took the sunglasses and put them on with excitement.

"I didn't expect you to be so well-prepared, Sean. It seems you're playing for real!"

Meanwhile, Silvia and Garcia had already reached the warehouse door, inspecting the interior. They looked very carefully and whispered to each other, but their expressions remained calm; it was impossible to tell if they liked it or not.

In the blink of an eye, they were done. Sean and Elaine stepped up to inspect the contents. It was a household storage unit, filled with old furniture and some appliances—refrigerators, washing machines, barbecue grills, and the like. There were also items covered by a large black tarp, making it impossible to see what was hidden beneath. The exposed furniture and appliances were in decent condition and were all well-known brands that should sell easily in the second-hand market.

Looking at the scene, Elaine said excitedly:

"This unit doesn't look bad. The furniture and appliances are in good condition and are good brands; they should be worth something! Are you planning to bid on this, Sean?"

As a first-time participant, she was even more excited than the primary bidder. She treated this as a game rather than a business. The people in the live stream felt the same way.

"Sean, that furniture set looks like it's made of oak. It's in great condition; you won't lose money on this!"

"See that washing machine? It looks like a Miele, a high-end German brand. It's worth grabbing!"

Sean shook his head slightly and whispered:

"The items in this warehouse are indeed good, and they would be easy to sell, but this isn't my target. The main reason is, if I win these, where would I put them? Without an immediate buyer, this warehouse would just be a burden!"

Hearing this, everyone thought for a moment and nodded. However, they had no idea what the real reason was. From the very first moment he stood at the warehouse door, Sean knew this wasn't the unit he wanted. The reason was simple: the warehouse didn't contain any treasures emitting a brilliant glow. While the items under that black tarp were worth a decent amount, they weren't enough to catch his eye. He had only brought five thousand dollars today, and he didn't dare to spend it recklessly before seeing a warehouse that truly struck his fancy. If he blew his budget, he might miss out on the real treasure, which would be a huge shame.

After just four or five seconds, he and Elaine finished their inspection and stepped away. The buyers behind them moved up one by one to take a look. During the process, some nodded, some shook their heads, each having their own opinion. The two idiots who had tried to rob Sean earlier seemed interested in this unit and stood in front of the door whispering for a while. They only left when the auction assistant urged them to move along. Seeing this, a cold sneer flickered at the corner of Sean's mouth.

In a flash, the inspection phase was over. The auction began.

"Ladies and gentlemen, as you have all seen, this is a high-quality warehouse. The goods inside are easy to handle and can yield a large profit! The starting bid for this warehouse is 500 dollars. 500 dollars, which gentleman or lady will start the bidding?..."

With the auctioneer's machine-gun-like bidding, the competition officially began.