26: Underground auctions, hidden treasures

Seeing the information above, the three of them were shocked.

This was too much of a coincidence.

The time was tonight, and the location wasn't far from Bolton, only a two-hour drive away.

Qin Yun immediately made up his mind; he definitely couldn't miss this great opportunity.

"It seems you're fated to be at this auction."

Ross didn't know what to say and gave a deep sigh.

Qin Yun smiled without saying anything, taking out the draft card to complete the transaction with Ross.

The three of them walked out of the workshop, and Qin Yun was in a great mood.

The draft card sold for a high price of fifty thousand dollars, the pickup truck had been meticulously maintained, and he had even obtained an important piece of information.

He had over three hundred and fifty thousand on hand; if there were good things at the underground auction, he would definitely be able to secure them.

It was already five-thirty, nearly time for dinner.

Qin Yun planned to take Julia back and then go to the store to prepare.

"How about you just wait at home this time?"

This underground Warehouse Auction might be unsafe; it would be better if he went alone.

With the Profound Vision Treasure Eye, his safety wouldn't be an issue.

Julia had long been eager to see what an underground Warehouse Auction was like.

"As long as we're careful, it'll be fine. What time do you plan to leave?"

She didn't want to give up such a good opportunity; if she missed it, she didn't know when she'd find another suitable one.

Besides, in this kind of container auction, there were likely to be valuable items.

With Qin Yun there, nothing should go wrong.

"Is that really a good idea?"

Qin Yun didn't want Julia to be in danger.

Julia smiled and didn't answer; by then, the car had arrived at Hank's house.

After getting out of the car, she blew Qin Yun a kiss while opening the door and then went inside.

Seeing that Julia had gone inside, Qin Yun had no choice but to drive back to the Secondhand Store.

The two of them had already tidied up the Secondhand Store; if there was anything to sell, they could open for business immediately.

Qin Yun was very satisfied with this.

With a diligent young man like Li Qiang around, he wouldn't have to worry about the minor day-to-day matters of the shop.

"It's time; you guys can finish work and rest now."

"Li Qiang, come with me for a moment."

Once in the office, Qin Yun took out an envelope and placed it on the desk.

"This is your first month's salary. There's three thousand inside. Use the extra thousand to buy some daily necessities and settle into the back room."

Li Qiang hadn't expected Qin Yun to give them an advance on their salary and was deeply grateful.

"Thank you. I'll definitely work hard."

At the shady restaurant, they worked from dawn to dusk to earn only about a thousand dollars, and they were often bullied and extorted by thugs.

Here, they earned two thousand dollars for doing light work.

Qin Yun was treating them like normal people instead of just exploiting them as illegal workers.

He made up his mind to do a good job with everything Qin Yun assigned to him.

Qin Yun was very happy to see Li Qiang so grateful.

Hiring Li Qiang was a real bargain.

By giving him the same salary as a local, he was immensely grateful and seemed ready to work himself to the bone.

Moreover, since they were in the shop almost twenty-four hours a day, the security of the Secondhand Store was also guaranteed.

"Work hard. If business booms later on, I'll give you a raise."

If Li Qiang really did a good job in the shop, Qin Yun wasn't a stingy person.

Li Qiang felt even more grateful.

He even had a feeling that following Qin Yun might lead to making a name for himself in America.

At nine in the evening, Qin Yun was reviewing the precautions for the underground auction.

Hearing a knock at the door, he found that Julia had actually come.

She was wearing a set of unisex sportswear, her face was dusty, her hair was tied up, and she wore a hoodie, looking much like an Agent in a movie.

"Qin, what do you think of my outfit?"

After saying that, she spun around in place, her two sparkling eyes fixed on Qin Yun.

Qin Yun smiled helplessly.

"Not bad, it captures about eighty percent of the essence of an underground Agent."

He knew in his heart that with Julia dressed like this, it seemed she was determined to go.

As long as they were careful, there shouldn't be any accidents.

At ten o'clock, Qin Yun took his cash and set off with Julia for the Brockton Third Shipyard.

Because it was night, some road sections were in poor condition and lacked streetlights, so he drove a bit slower.

It wasn't until twelve-thirty that they arrived at the Third Shipyard.

The shipyard was overgrown with weeds and many parts were rusted; it had clearly been abandoned for a long time.

Many cars were already parked on both sides of the entrance.

There were security guards at the entrance, with only a small gate left open for entry.

Qin Yun and Julia stepped forward, and a security guard shone a flashlight directly onto their faces.

"This is a members-only event. Strangers aren't welcome. Please leave."

Seeing strangers, they were very vigilant; if the two didn't leave, they would move to force them out.

Behind the iron gate, a large man in a black suit spoke up.

"He's the Eastern Kid; he's qualified to enter."

"I don't know where you got the news, but to enter, everyone must pay a three-thousand-dollar deposit. It's up to you."

Qin Yun had thought it was a lost cause, but he didn't expect to be recognized.

However, the three-thousand-dollar per person deposit required for entry made him pause to think.

Was it worth six thousand dollars to attend this kind of underground Warehouse Auction?

"This kind of auction always requires a deposit. The organizers make money from the tickets. If there are many good items, an entry ticket can even reach ten thousand dollars per person."

Seeing Qin Yun hesitate, Julia whispered her reminder.

Qin Yun saw twenty or thirty luxury cars at the entrance, meaning at least twenty people had already gone in.

If these were all veteran Treasure Hunters, it meant there was money to be made from these warehouses.

Thinking of this, Qin Yun decided to pay the six thousand dollars and see what the situation was.

"Here's six thousand. Can we go in now?"

He took six thousand out of his bag and handed it over.

The man in the suit didn't even count it before putting it directly into a nearby box.

"Of course. You're welcome to come often."

With that, he opened the iron gate and invited the two of them in.

Walking through the desolate shipyard and hearing the sound of ocean waves crashing nearby, Qin Yun felt a slight sense of unease.

He wondered if this underground auction was reliable.

He'd already spent six thousand before making any money; he wasn't sure if he could earn it back.

Julia was very happy to see that Qin Yun had paid the six thousand.

She came to see something different; if they gave up halfway, she would regret it for the rest of her life.

The surroundings were very dark, but there were bright lights about a hundred meters away.

The sound of the wind mixed with the waves, creating an eerie atmosphere.

"Qin, nothing bad will happen here, right?"

She was a bit scared and stepped forward to grab Qin Yun's hand, her legs beginning to tremble slightly.

"It's fine. The auction site is just ahead. Let's head over."

He gave Julia's hand a reassuring squeeze, and the two of them walked toward the bright lights.

On a concrete flat by the sea, five or six organizers in suits stood guard solemnly in front of the containers.

Several waitresses in revealing outfits moved through the crowd, serving fruit platters and drinks.

There were thirty or forty Treasure Hunters holding wine glasses and discussing something.

Seeing so many Treasure Hunters participating in the underground auction, Qin Yun realized why these underground auctions could keep going.

The ticket sales alone amounted to over a hundred thousand dollars, plus the money from the container auctions.

This was a massive sum of money. To keep things going for the long term, the organizers certainly wouldn't embezzle the sold warehouses.

Since the value of the items in the warehouses was uncertain, it was better to keep a steady stream of income to make the real money.

In a large-scale auction, there would be even more Treasure Hunters, and tickets would be more expensive; the entry fees alone could reach millions.

This was definitely a highly profitable industry!

Since it was their first time, Qin Yun and Julia stood toward the back.

They wanted to see the process of this kind of underground auction and decide whether to participate.

When the time came, the Host walked to the center with a microphone.

"Welcome everyone to the container auction. We will definitely make sure everyone is satisfied this time."

"Tonight, we have five genuine containers, and there's bound to be good stuff inside."

As soon as he finished speaking, several beams of light shone directly onto the containers.