78: Unexpected competitor

Julia noticed Qin Yun's eyes were fixed on the last warehouse, so she quickly looked over as well.

She discovered that inside were many ancient books and solid wood chests.

She knew that Qin Yun had his eye on this warehouse.

Curiosity filled her heart; she wondered what kind of warehouse could cause Qin Yun such great shock, so she observed it carefully.

When she saw many ancient Xia Nation books inside, she understood most of the reason.

The more Frauer looked at this warehouse, the more familiar it felt.

After seeing the marks he had scratched on the bookshelf as a child, he understood immediately.

"Qin Yun, this warehouse used to belong to our family, I just didn't know when it was sold."

"The thing you're looking for is very likely in this warehouse; it seems you are destined to find it!"

Frauer walked up to Qin Yun, excitedly recounting his discovery.

Qin Yun was the savior of his entire family and had even helped the town deal with the thugs who had plagued them for years.

However, Qin Yun hadn't found what he wanted in his own family's warehouse, which made Frauer feel very guilty.

So, as soon as he remembered the situation with this warehouse, he immediately told Qin Yun.

After learning that this warehouse once belonged to Frauers House, Qin Yun also became excited.

The soaring golden treasure light indicated there was an extremely precious treasure inside, and combined with the fact that this warehouse once belonged to Frauers House...

The goal of his trip, the yongle encyclopedia, was very likely in this warehouse.

Thinking of this, Qin Yun decided he had to take this warehouse no matter what.

This was the relatively poor West; he wasn't sure how much money would be appropriate to bid.

He decided to observe for a bit before making an offer.

Qin Yun was very glad he had stayed behind and was still driving his own pickup truck.

There was a leather bag in the pickup containing a hundred thousand dollars in cash.

He was completely confident in winning this warehouse.

After the bidding began, everyone saw the many ancient books inside, and the interest in bidding was much higher than for the previous warehouses.

After five minutes of bidding, the price reached one thousand three hundred dollars.

Seeing that the number of bidders was gradually decreasing, Qin Yun knew it was time to join the fray.

He raised his hand to signal: "I bid two thousand."

Qin Yun's voice was very soft, yet it caused a massive stir at the scene.

Qin Yun was the undisputed star of the square; his every move was watched by many.

When Qin Yun made his bid, the scene immediately went silent, and not a single person bid again.

Qin Yun had helped the town resolve a long-standing malady—Golden Tooth and his gang of thugs.

Everyone felt grateful and was unwilling to compete with the town's great benefactor.

They didn't have much interest in these ancient books to begin with.

According to their judgment, these ancient books were all mass-produced editions with no rare items among them.

Everyone estimated the value of the warehouse to be around one thousand eight hundred dollars.

Qin Yun's bid was already very reasonable; there was no need to bid and offend such a big figure.

Just as the Auctioneer's countdown reached "one," a cold voice suddenly rang out from the crowd.

"Three thousand dollars."

Everyone was curious about who was so shameless as to dare compete with Qin Yun. Turning around, they saw a thin, tall fellow in a suit with a somewhat gloomy expression.

"Isn't that Golden Tooth's older brother? Why wasn't he arrested?"

"This guy is an accountant who secretly did the books for the thugs. He shouldn't have direct blood on his hands, and the relevant departments have no evidence, so that's why he didn't go in."

"Is he seeking death? Even the gang leader Golden Tooth is in jail, yet an accountant wants to cause trouble for Qin Yun? Is he tired of living?"

"Without Golden Tooth and his gang, this guy is nothing. If it weren't for so many people watching, I'd want to deal with him myself."

"He probably wants to avenge Golden Tooth, but he's overestimating himself!"

"This man dares to cause trouble for Mr. Qin; he truly deserves to die."

...Without the threat of Golden Tooth and his gang, the people of the town weren't afraid of Golden Tooth's brother at all.

They all stared at the middle-aged man, Telephone Pole, with unfriendly eyes.

Qin Yun had thought the warehouse was already his. Seeing someone interfering, he was quite displeased.

Hearing the crowd's discussion, he realized this man was Golden Tooth's brother.

"Instead of obediently keeping your head down, you dare to come here. What are your intentions?"

"Do you want to go in and accompany your brother?"

Qin Yun wasn't even afraid of Golden Tooth, let alone this accountant brother.

Seeing Qin Yun walking toward him, a look of fear appeared on Golden Tooth's brother's face, and his body couldn't stop trembling.

This man was a ruthless person who had killed five or six armed thugs single-handedly.

He was no match for him by any means.

However, thinking of the hatred for his brother, he gritted his teeth and glared at Qin Yun defiantly.

"I... I am naturally participating in the Warehouse Auction."

"Is it only allowed for you to bid? Can... can I not make an offer?"

Telephone Pole's confidence was lacking; though he tried to endure, he still retreated several steps.

With a stumble, he almost fell to the ground.

Seeing that this man was a coward, Qin Yun shook his head and walked away.

He was a Treasure Hunter and cared very much about fair competition.

Unless absolutely necessary, he didn't want to use his strength to bully others during a Warehouse Auction!

"Three thousand five hundred dollars."

Returning to Julia's side, Qin Yun raised his hand to signal a price increase.

When it came to wealth, he wasn't afraid of this so-called brother of Golden Tooth.

Telephone Pole was alone and had likely acted on a whim; he had no bag, and his pockets couldn't hold much cash.

Therefore, Qin Yun didn't take this so-called brother of Golden Tooth to heart at all.

Seeing Telephone Pole's pathetic display, everyone broke into mocking smiles.

This man was too ignorant; wanting to seek revenge on a big shot like Qin Yun, wasn't that just a pipe dream?

Looking at Qin Yun's retreating back, Telephone Pole felt exceptionally lonely and weak.

Thinking of his brother still in prison, a look of venomous resentment appeared in his eyes.

He couldn't kill Qin Yun, but he could still manage to prevent Qin Yun from getting this warehouse.

"Four thousand dollars."

Thinking of this, Telephone Pole regained his resolve for revenge.

After a round of bidding that seemed intense but was actually Qin Yun handling it with ease...

The price of the warehouse reached eight thousand dollars.

At this point, Telephone Pole's face suddenly turned pale, his teeth were clenched tight, and his bidding increments dropped from five hundred to one hundred.

Seeing this, Qin Yun knew Telephone Pole was at the end of his rope and didn't have much cash left on him.

"I bid ten thousand."

Qin Yun didn't want to play house with this man and calmly raised the price to ten thousand.

Everyone in the square was stunned upon hearing the ten thousand dollar bid.

"As expected of a big shot, he doesn't even blink at ten thousand dollars."

"Is this a clash of egos or are there good things in the warehouse? The highest price for a Warehouse Auction in town shouldn't even reach five thousand dollars. I think the two are just fighting for pride, and Golden Tooth's brother is clearly no match."

"Telephone Pole chose the wrong opponent. The other guy is a big shot from the big city; how can a small-town accountant compare?"

"This guy just won't give up. He's lost his mind because of his brother, but trying to outspend Qin Yun is just insane!"

...Hearing everyone's mockery, Telephone Pole's face turned shades of blue and white.

Especially seeing the contemptuous looks from the crowd, his heart was filled with even more anger and resentment.

He only had nine thousand dollars in cash on hand and had thought it was a sure thing.

He hadn't expected Qin Yun to raise the price to ten thousand without even blinking.

In a fit of rage, Telephone Pole pulled a gold-plated desert eagle from his waist.

Under the astonished gazes of the crowd, he placed the handgun on the table.

"I bought this for fifteen thousand dollars. Can it be used as ten thousand?"

Telephone Pole spoke through gritted teeth, his eyes gleaming with a murderous light, looking like he was ready to risk everything.

Before the Person in Charge could speak, Qin Yun smiled faintly: "I bid twenty thousand."

Everyone had thought there might be a turn of events; if Qin Yun didn't have the cash, they would lend it to him to earn a favor.

Hearing Qin Yun bid twenty thousand, everyone at the scene let out a sudden exclamation.

In their eyes, Qin Yun was a hero, and Telephone Pole was just an insignificant mob.

Everyone wanted to see Qin Yun win.

Qin Yun turned to look at Telephone Pole and said indifferently,

"Do you have anything else you can use as collateral now?"