America: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 144 Container Auction

Sig: The cookies and evidence have been delivered to Officer Mig, and he's very satisfied. He's promised to take care of those gangsters as soon as possible. He also seems to have a new girlfriend and is dating a female operator at the dispatch center. I guess he's spending a lot of money during their relationship, and the cookies we sent him came at just the right time.

Zhang Ailun: Did he say how to deal with those black gangs?

Sig: It will take some time. That gang has some connections in the police department, but not as strong as ours. Guess what? After Officer Mig was promoted and received a raise, the third-level officer who lost to him in the competition happened to be the one who had taken bribes from the black gang.

Zhang Ailun: He's just a third-level constable, how could he possibly protect an entire black gang? Miguel has the added advantage of being a precinct commander in the Fifth District, and he also has his old superior, Sergeant Mance, which is why he's able to maintain his position. What were they thinking, bribing a regular officer? Wouldn't it be better to spend the same amount of money bribing a detective or the sheriff?

Sig: That Level 3 officer was Black.

Zhang Ailun: Oh, that's not surprising. No wonder he's so close to the gang. So Miguel has to worry about that black police officer's feelings when he wants to apply for an operation? What did Officer Mans say? He took the benefits from the intelligence we provided last time, and didn't say anything in return?

Sig: That's what I was about to say. Actually, it's not that complicated. The two of them don't get along very well to begin with. After all, Officer Mig doesn't have a good impression of black people. The black officer is in charge of the Seventh District, while Mig is in the Fifth District. They basically never see each other. Officer Mans is their superior. All we need to do is temporarily transfer the black officer to the Fifth District to work the night shift under Mig.

Zhang Ailun: Who came up with such a vicious suggestion?

Old Hei was already upset about losing the race for senior constable, and now they're going to add insult to injury by transferring him to his rival's unit? Anyone with eyes can see that they're just looking for an excuse to get rid of him, right?

Sig: ...Is it possible that this was my suggestion?

Hearing the leader say that, Sieg's heart broke. "I've been wholeheartedly devoted to the Beggars' Sect!"

Zhang Ailun: Great! I knew I hadn't misjudged you! Sieg, you're truly a man of great things! When will they likely make their move? Will it make the news?

Sig: The main operational strategy right now is to keep a low profile as much as possible. The raid will be launched around midnight, when officers are resting. The operation will primarily involve officers from the 7th Precinct, with Mig working across precincts. The black officer is still completely unaware of the situation and has no opportunity to tip off anyone. Perhaps when he finishes his shift in the 5th Precinct and goes on duty the next day, he will find himself accused of bribery, fired, and possibly facing investigation and life imprisonment.

Sig: I think if Dave were to file a case and cooperate with the investigation, this gang could just disappear, and who knows how many people would be implicated.

Zhang Ailun: ...I wish them good luck.

What a vicious trick!

I never imagined that you, Sieg, such an honest man with thick eyebrows and big eyes, would turn out like this.

Zhang Ailun was filled with emotion and sent another message to Sieg, asking him to go to the cabin in the suburbs to check on the progress of the alchemy.

Sig: How am I supposed to get there?

Zhang Ailun: I'll drive that beat-up pickup truck. I have something to do, I'll be back when I'm done.

Sig: OK.

He didn't bother to ask the Grand Master what he was doing.

After all, if the leader wants to help you make money, he'll notify you directly when he needs you; just report back promptly. When he doesn't need you, just obediently do your job.

Sieg has figured out a way to get along with them.

Zhang Ailun drove directly to the port area of ​​southern Los Angeles, and in just a few days he made off with assets worth $100,000! This place might be a nightmare for other treasure hunters, where they might easily lose their minds, gamble everything, and go bankrupt.

But for the Grand Master, this place is practically an ATM. X-ray vision! I've activated X-ray vision!

The auction was held at the port, which made it much easier to commit suicide by jumping into the sea after going bankrupt, since there was a vast ocean right next to it. There was no need to go through the trouble of climbing to the rooftop; one could just jump in and feed the fish.

Thank you, nature, for your fresh gifts!

Zhang Ailun arrived at the port area with ease, parked the Wrangler on the roadside, and arrived at the F3 private warehouse in the southern port of Los Angeles right on time.

After getting off the vehicle, wearing sunglasses and a tactical chest pack, I took out my phone to check the information: a limited-time offline auction would open at 18:30 PM for the green container with serial number S-266. The information was accurate. The current time was 18:20 PM, neither too early nor too late.

With some time to spare, Zhang Ailun headed straight for the F3 private storage facility. When he arrived, he found that quite a few people were already watching, including the car dealers who looked familiar from yesterday, as well as the passersby who had been giving him a stand-up comedy routine.

Not far away, a group of people, all looking anxious and pale, had formed several circles and started raising their hands to bid, spitting everywhere.

Zhang Ailun consulted the staff next to him about the bidding process and found that he needed to register and pay a deposit before he could participate in the container bidding.

Bidding discounts are offered, and refunds are issued if the item is not sold. He pretended to observe for a moment before paying a $100 deposit and registering to participate in the auction for the green container.

The staff noted down the list and informed him that the auction for the green container with serial number S-266 would begin at 18:30, and that there were currently three participants. The auction would start immediately at the appointed time, regardless of the number of participants.

Seeing that it wasn't their turn to start bidding yet, Zhang Ailun thought for a moment and simply went to the side to join in the fun.

The warehouse managers and staff worked in several groups to maintain order and conduct the bidding process. The scene was incredibly tense and exciting. Zhang Ailun walked around, stopping frequently, until he arrived at a red shipping container.

Just then, the administrator began the bidding process and introduced the containers.

"This is a privately owned container from Finland. It was transported here just two days ago, but it was detained at the port because no one claimed it and the fees were not paid as agreed. The owner is an antique collector, but we don't know what's inside. To be fair, we will open the container on-site for everyone to see and browse. Three minutes to go."

After explaining the procedure, the warehouse manager simply used pliers to open the door lock.

A group of treasure hunters participating in the auction crowded around to watch, but they could not cross the set red line, so they could only scratch their heads and jump around outside.

A bald, professional treasure hunter looked at the pile of goods and couldn't help but mutter, "It's all just a bunch of tattered cardboard boxes. How could there possibly be anything good in this stuff?"

"Is that a mink coat? Or maybe a raccoon dog's fur?" another person muttered.

As dusk fell, the treasure hunters could barely see anything under the dim lights at the entrance.

The administrators used lighting to create a mysterious atmosphere, making the scene appear and disappear.

This is also the cleverness of this auction house, after all, there are many truly lucky and discerning treasure hunters among them, and it is only through hype that the price can be increased.

Zhang Ailun looked at the pile of goods: a bunch of cardboard boxes, wooden boards, and even the legs of a carousel horse.

They outwardly appear interested, but in reality, they know full well that apart from truly valuable green containers, the others are very likely scams.

Someone nearby recognized him and exclaimed in surprise, "You're the guy who opened a blind box yesterday and won a Jeep Wrangler? It really is you?"

"That's right, it's me. I'm here to try my luck again."

Zhang Ailun smiled and nodded. He wasn't surprised to be recognized. After all, the gambling circle wasn't very big, and there were only so many gamblers. Once someone made money, the news would spread quickly.

"Hey buddy, do you think there might be something good in this container?" someone asked, wanting his opinion.

"I think it's about 50/50. It's really a matter of luck, and I'm not that good at antiques or anything like that," Zhang Ailun replied.

Others immediately assumed he was a newcomer and were downplaying the prestige of the industry.

"In our line of work, we also need to have a keen eye and a wealth of knowledge. We have to be familiar with everything, otherwise we can just rely on luck."

"Buddy, you won't go far by luck."

"Last time I bought a container from Asia, it was full of pool balls and pool tables. Guess what? Nobody wanted to buy it. Only I knew its commercial value, so I resold it to a wealthy neighborhood to purchase sports equipment, and made a fortune!"

Many people have started to offer their opinions on the state of affairs.

"You're all right. I really don't know much about these things."

Zhang Ailun smiled slightly, "What can you do if I'm cheating?"

The others continued discussing the value of the goods. Soon it was time for the auction.

The administrator began to announce, "The starting bid for the container is $200, and the minimum bid is $50. Anyone interested can raise their hand to participate in the auction."

The bald man next to him, brimming with confidence, raised his hand high, shouting, "$2000!!"

"WTF!?"

"Dog shit."

In an instant, several people were persuaded to leave.

The young white man next to him, wearing a hoodie and glasses, calmly raised his hand and said, "2500 US dollars."

"$3000!" The bald man glared at him and continued to raise the price.

The bespectacled man, looking confident, calmly raised his hand and said, "$3500."

Two Black men nearby whispered among themselves and joined the competition, shouting, "$4000!"

"4500".

"$5000!"

The price quickly went up. People frantically shouted and tried to raise the bid, reaching $8900!

Zhang Ailun frowned in thought. "Damn, are these people really that outrageous? Don't they value money? They're bidding so aggressively, how much of their investment will they even recoup?"

Do you guys even understand investing?!

The leader, who was used to getting things for free, was very dissatisfied with this and could only say that all the gamblers present would suffer a terrible fate.

If there's nothing good to offer, I wonder how you all will handle this.

"$8900 once, $8900 twice, $8900 three times, deal!!"

As the administrator brought down the gavel, the bespectacled guy, who had been certain of winning, sighed.

The bald man next to him burst into laughter, excitedly waving his fist: "Wuhu! It's mine!!"

The crowd quickly dispersed to prepare for the next round of bidding, but some stayed behind out of curiosity to see what was inside the box.

After praying, the bald man quickly began searching. He started out full of confidence, but then hesitated, and finally his face turned green.

"Fxxk!!!"

The bald man had a meltdown and smashed the wooden leg. After searching for a long time, he found nothing but junk, not even a trace of antiques, let alone any collectibles.

Tables, chairs, and benches chewed up by insects and rodents, and fluffy toys, are worth at most a few hundred dollars.

None of the recyclers at the scene said a word; they all left without showing any interest.

The bald man turned completely red-faced and screamed in despair, "My $8900! No!!"

"Sir, you will also need to pay an additional $900 for sanitation." The administrator delivered another fatal blow.

The bald man was completely numb.

"I see."

His heart is dead.

The others, used to this, all left happily.

Zhang Ailun glanced at him with pity. "Dude, are you still playing? Your eyesight? Your knowledge?"

Hehe, no hehe.

I joined in the fun and watched other people's bidding sessions; the lively auction was still going on.

Zhang Ailun stared at the blind box from the island nation, covered by a black cloth. Inside, it appeared to be some humanoid silicone figures? Mall mannequin molds?

The auction quickly came to an end, with the auctioneer delivering the final hammer. Zhang Ailun noticed that the bespectacled man who had previously participated in the auction for the red container was also participating in this blind box auction. In the end, he purchased the Japanese blind box for a whopping $4600.

After deducting the deposit, you only need to pay $4500 plus a $900 sanitation fee.

Zhang Ailun stayed here to observe, and sure enough, the blind boxes all contained some realistic silicone dolls.

Yes, it's still a life-size model of Fukada-sensei and the other teachers.

Wow... these blind boxes from this island nation are terrifying!

The recyclers who had been waiting at the scene for a long time became interested and began to bid for him. They were all people who wanted to reap the benefits without lifting a finger. They would open the boxes and hand them over to others, and they would win people over with their hard-earned money. If they found something good, they would not have to worry about finding a market for it.

In the end, it was an Asian player who was living a pretty good life who bought it for $9500!

The bespectacled man was overjoyed; he made a profit of $4100 in one transaction!

Zhang Ailun exclaimed in amazement, "Dude, without cheating, you really can make money like this?"

This luck is simply incredible!

There was no time for the leader to reflect, because it was 18:30 PM and the auction for the green container had already begun.

But when Zhang Ailun arrived, he discovered that there were only four competitors in total.

Does nobody care about this thing?

The administrator immediately began introducing the information about the green container blind box: "This container is from Russia and was shipped to Texas. It was intercepted and temporarily detained by customs due to suspected dangerous goods. It is currently unclaimed. It is known to be a collection item for arms enthusiasts. There may be some good arms inside. The starting price is $500, and the bidding price must not be lower than $100."

Upon opening the container, they found it filled with broken wooden boxes and green military supply boxes.

The bearded man beside him pondered, "Last time I auctioned off military equipment from the East Central Plains, and it turned out to be nothing but cheap toy pumps, practically worthless. Shit! Are we going to try and mislead people again by using the guise of military products?"

"I think the stuff here is worth at most four thousand," said the dark-haired woman wearing sunglasses. "I'll offer $1500!"

"2000 US dollars." The old black man next to him had been watching for a while before bidding.

The bearded man hesitated for a moment, then said, "2500 US dollars."

The dark-haired woman then raised her hand again: "$2600."

Zhang Ailun didn't rush to bid, watching the three competitors bid against each other, but their bidding desire wasn't high either, and they dragged it out until the price reached $3400.

In military superpowers, firearms are readily available on the West Coast, and collectibles don't generate much profit. Unless it involves high-tech items like drones or heavy weapons, but heavy weapons are difficult to resell.

Zhang Ailun knew what was in the box and its approximate value. A single sniper aiming system was worth $10,000, an M24 sniper rifle was $2000, a Thompson submachine gun was $1000, and the other miscellaneous items were worth another $5,000 or $6,000.

And that Soviet-made American standard battlefield motorcycle, worth at least $8000-$10000.

Bid without hesitation if it's under $20,000! Bidding over $20,000 will only result in less profit, but you won't lose money.

(End of this chapter)