Chapter 227: The Bug’s Hard Work
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Unit 35 was abandoned and deemed worthless. Frank and York’s expressions were chilling.
This unit was the highest bid of the day, and it had made the two lose at least 100,000 dollars. Even if the other units could close that gap, they were still embarrassed.
To treasure hunters of Frank and York’s level, a unit mistakenly bought with the highest bid of the day was an incredibly embarrassing blunder. It was inevitable that Frank was so enraged.
Frank gritted his teeth and led his men out of the storage unit.
Someone carefully tried to remind him, "Boss, this unit hasn’t been fully cleared out yet."
Frank said angrily, "Shut up! Forget about that first, go to the next one!"
York smiled and said, "Don’t flip, brother. The items in 28 will surely be fine. Our source is very reliable, it has what we need."
Hearing that, an interested treasure hunter asked, "What info did you guys get?"
York said, "Soon, you guys will be able to see it. A military storage unit that tells the tales of an epic battle will soon be presented to you!"
Li Du opened his palm. He was the only one there who understood what York had said.
Clearly, York and Frank knew about the props from the movie, "Troy."
The bug flew from his hand. Today, he was full of energy, so it was time to wreak some havoc for the two.
Before the crowd reached unit 28, the bug flew in first. The shields, armor, bows and arrows, swords, and other weapons were all kept in a chest, all in good condition.
"Troy" started filming in 2002, and premiered in May 2004. During the premiere, the cast had worn their costumes and weapons for a promotional campaign.
The movie had a strong cast, with the charming Brad Pitt, the elf prince Orlando Bloom, Diane Kruger, and Eric Bana; with the combination of powerhouse actors and actresses, the movie had widespread influence.
Thus, the key props from the set were very valuable.
A pity that the most important one didn’t appear, which was the Trojan Horse, the main star of the war.
Li Du had done some research. The Trojan Horse used in the movie was not just an ordinary prop. It was jointly designed by three conceptual artists, and the main material was not wood, but metal and glass fiber.
In addition, the Trojan Horse used special techniques to disguise the exterior to make it seem like it was made of wood. It was about 38 feet high and weighed 11 tons. Just the assembly of it took them four weeks!
Of course, such an important item would not be left for treasure hunters. After the movie went on screen, it was bought by a collector, a fanatic of ancient wars; it sold for 800,000 dollars!
The reason he researched the Trojan Horse was to estimate the value of the other props.
According to his deductions, the two sets of imitation Greek Armor, the shield used by Peter, and the weapons used by the others, would total up to more than 100,000 dollars.
But the precondition was that these props could not be faulty or in bad shape.
The bug found the shield, and sucked out the time energy with all its might. The bronze-layered wooden shield with a Pegasus painted on it rapidly decayed.
Rust grew on the bronze layer, and the Pegasus drawn in black paint gradually chipped off. Eventually, the shield aged to an awful state.
Leaving behind the shield, the bug flew toward the armor and weapons…
Frank and York walked to the front of unit 28. They unlocked the door, opened it, and their men started working.
Knowing the terrible mood of their two employers, the workers were fervent in their work attitude, and diligently cleared out a path for them.
York spoke as his brows were creased: "What should we do if the actress finds out that the motorcycles are fake?"
Frank was unbothered. "Then don’t contact her, tell her the deal’s off."
York smiled awkwardly, and said, "Sorry brother, I’ve already contacted her."
"F*ck, you dumb*ss!" Frank immediately flipped into a rage-filled attitude again.
York quickly tried to find a way around his anger. "Who would have known that both of us would make a mistake? But it’s fine, we could ask her if she’s interested in the props from ‘Troy,’ right?"
Frank said grimly, "Let’s hope she’s interested."
They both knew that was just a wild hope. The actress was a Hollywood star; if she liked such props, would there be a need to get one through them? Furthermore, she only liked collecting famous motorcycles.
With the junk moved away and the path cleared, they started opening the cases and chests to search for those props.
Finally, an ancient-looking, Roman-style wooden chest appeared in their view. Frank was ecstatic, and waved as he called out, "Someone come here and move this out!"
York ran over vigorously. "Come on, buddy, we’ll do it ourselves. Those guys are clumsy, I’ll be worried if they do it."
The chest was moved out. The treasure hunters, once again, squeezed into the storage unit entrance as they craned their necks to see.
Frank opened the chest. They both were first full of joy as York picked up one of the pieces of armor and said, "Look, from the battle of Troy…"
Before he finished, the chainmail armor looked as if it melted, as the connected metal mesh gradually broke. The whole piece of Roman armor turned to pieces!
Their expressions stiffened instantly!
There were shields below the armor. The two noticed how tattered the shield was. As for the weapons, they looked dull and aged, and were worthless as well!
The surrounding treasure hunters could not see the shields and weapons, but only saw the armor crumbling into pieces. They started discussing:
"Hey, what’s that? Seems like the armor crumbled to pieces."
"What did he say? Battle of Troy? D*mn it, I know what this stuff is from now!"
"‘Troy’ from Warner Brothers, the one that Brad Pitt starred in, right?"
"I think so. Are the armors and weapons from the set in there? It seems that the armor is broken!"
"They might not have been stored poorly. The mesh has rusted and decayed."
"That’s not too bad—wouldn’t it be fine if they were repaired? Will it affect the value though?"
The treasure hunters heatedly discussed the scene. From what Frank had said—and seeing what had happened to the armor—they deduced the sad truth.
In addition, they had also figured out that these props might not have been stored properly, causing them to have issues. They could tell from Frank and York’s expressions.
Li Du leisurely folded his arms and asked, "Isn’t there a military storage unit of an epic war? Where is it?"
Frank closed the chest and said as he gritted his teeth, "F*ck you! God d*mn it! What in the world is happening!"