Chapter 308: Resignation Troubles
Chapter 308: Resignation Troubles
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Such was the reality of the storage auction business: What were the actual odds of stumbling upon treasures for the treasure hunters? There were not many valuable things waiting for people to pick up.
It was a fact that lots of people were wasteful. Unless they had forgotten or they went bankrupt or were on the run, it was nearly impossible to leave their valuables behind in their storage unit.
Therefore, although there were hundreds of thousands of treasure hunters in the United States, very few could actually rely on this industry to earn a huge fortune—not many could even sustain a livelihood with this industry.
Li Du had seen the statistics of the Association when he had joined the Hundred Thousand Club. There were only 2,200 Hundred Thousand Club members recorded in the United States.
The number 2,200 he had seen were active members; many of them might have been added to the system years ago. The number itself might not have been a small amount, but if one were to spread it out throughout the whole of America, the number didn’t seem like much at all.
With one look, it was obvious that the wealthy people in the storage auction industry were few and far between.
The storage auction business was a popular and booming industry. There were thousands of storage units being auctioned daily in the United States. There were many who joined the industry; every year, hundreds of thousands of people were involved in auctions.
One of the main reasons for such a phenomenon was because it did not require any qualifications to become a treasure hunter. Many joined the industry when they saw people around them earning cash by being a treasure hunter.
However, the elimination rate was very high as well. Every year, more than 80 percent of the new treasure hunters that entered the industry exited the same year.
The remaining 20 percent could only earn enough to cover their living expenses, and it was considered to be fortunate to be able to do that.
At the silent auction, there were a total of 28 storage units for bidding; one of them contained the low, stout cannon which Li Du was determined to get. He was also interested in another storage unit that probably used to belong to a home store. It contained many vintage household items.
Li Du was reminded when they were in Carpenter Town of the old-houses auction. Hans had mentioned that the old vintage items could be sold to those themed hotels or vintage-themed restaurants.
This particular storage unit contained quaint display shelves, outdated posters, classic vintage lamps, old-fashioned tableware and much more. Li felt that they could fetch a decent price for it too.
There was another storage unit that he wanted to get his hands on: there was brand-new fishing gear stored inside. Nevertheless, as the valuables in the unit were exposed for all to see, Li Du might not be able to get it without paying more than he wanted.
After a round of surveying all the 28 storage units, Li was worn out. Even though this was not a detailed investigation, going through the 28 units still required almost an hour of his full attention.
When they were about to leave, a number of treasure hunters appeared in the storage company. They were staring at the door, apparently trying to peer through it, sometimes on their tiptoes, trying to check what was inside the units.
Hans greeted them. "Hey pals, you’re here too? Was the auction rescheduled to right now?"
A treasure hunter laughed, "We’re here to learn from you both. The early bird catches the worm, right?"
Li Du agreed with a nod. "Yes, but are you able to see anything by doing this?"
A young treasure hunter said in dismay, "Nothing! D*mmit. But we’re curious if you see anything?"
Li Du laughed and replied, "I’m here to scout."
These treasure hunters were copying Li Du by coming to the storage company in advance.
It was evident that their habit of going to storage unit companies before auctions had been noticed by other treasure hunters.
However, the treasure hunters realized that they could not see anything at all. They were perplexed by this weird habit of Li Du and Hans.
Both of them were on their way out when a treasure hunter ran after them and asked, "You have a nanorobot, right?"
Li Du was dumbfounded. "What?"
The treasure hunter spoke in a low voice as if he had found their secret: "Cut the crap. For God’s sake, out with the truth, pals. You have a nanorobot that enters the units with a camera attached, right?"
Li Du couldn’t hold his laughter upon hearing this. This fellow had a rich imagination.
With a serious expression on his face, he shook his head and said, "No-no-no. We don't have high-tech stuff like that. We have X-ray eyes that allow us to see through the storage unit."
"F*ck you Big Li," the treasure hunter grumbled. "You’ve been with the likes of Big Fox for too long. You’ve learned to talk like that jerk—full of nonsense." The young man left unhappily.
Hans, who had stood beside Li Du the whole time, was baffled. "F*ck, what does this have to do with me?"
As they left the storage company, there were still treasure hunters loitering around the entrance, unwilling to leave. However, they had nothing to gain by doing this.
Back at the hotel, Li Du noticed that Big Quinn and Godzilla had not arrived yet.
"What happened?" he asked. "What time will they get here?"
Hans replied, "Big Quinn hasn’t resigned yet, so we need to wait for a while."
Big Quinn had encountered some problems during his resignation; the cleaning company did not want to release him.
There was something that Big Quinn did not tell Li Du: he did more than what he was paid for.
Big Quinn was a loyal and helpful person. The cleaning team was comprised of mainly the elderly. Manual work that required a lot of strength was always handled by Big Quinn.
Whenever the cleaners asked for Big Quinn’s aid, he would help them out, not caring whose job it was.
In that case, if Big Quinn were to quit his cleaning job, the efficiency of the cleaning team would drop for sure.
Back in Flagstaff, in a conference room of the Flagstaff Environmental Protection and Cleaning Company, Big Quinn sat in a chair, his brows wrinkled.
The air conditioner in the room was at full blast. Even a burly guy like Big Quinn felt cold as the strong cold air filled the conference room.
He looked outside through the glass panels of the office building; he saw his co-workers in blue overalls working hard, perspiring under the bright, hot sun.
The door to the conference room was open. A light-haired white man entered the room, wearing a smile on his face.
"Hello Big Quinn, my friend. What’s happened? You want to resign?"
Big Quinn sat upright with an unemotional expression and said, "Yes, Manager Sura."
"Why do you want to quit?" Sura smiled. "Are you unhappy with the company? You know, the company values good employees like yourself. Everyone here likes you."
What Sura said was true: the cleaning company did not want to give up a good worker like him. After all, Big Quinn was really strong and hardworking.
Big Quinn answered, "I love the company. But I’m sorry, I’ve found better prospects. I want to quit."
Sura asked, "Is it possible for you to tell me where you’ll be going?"
The big guy said, "I have a friend who’s set up a company that deals with storage auctions. He wants me to come and help him. The terms he’s offering me are so good that I can’t refuse."
The manager laughed upon hearing that. "Look—you know, the economy is in bad shape. Some new companies collapse after a short period of time. Are you sure you want to take the risk?"
Not waiting for Big Quinn to reply, Sura continued talking, "What kind of terms is your friend offering? Actually, the company is considering a pay raise for you. Eight hundred dollars a week seems a little low."
Big Quinn shook his head. "I’ve already promised my friend. Sorry Manager Sura, I can’t break my promise."
"Let’s talk about remuneration then. My friend, the company really wants to keep you," the Manager reiterated. "The Human Resource Department is already considering to increase your pay at least 1,000 dollars—1,000 dollars per week."