Chapter 256: Group of Novices
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Li Du had expected that the Ricks had something to ask of him. Otherwise, they would not have kept trying to make peace with him; they could have simply just avoided each other.
So, Li was not surprised by Dog Ears Rick’s words.
Li Du knew that a man should keep his word and be responsible.
He gestured for them to sit. "What kind of help you need?"
Mr. Li was not a pushover, but since he had forgiven the Ricks, there was no reason to treat them as enemies either.
Dog Ears slumped down on a chair and said, "We were wrong to collude with Harris to plot against you. In the end, we reaped what we sowed."
Li Du had a rough idea of what had happened. "The casino lost money because of me. And the amount they lost was not a small sum. They needed to find someone to make up for the loss. So you’re saying the casino did something to you?"
Lil’ Rick nodded his head miserably. "Yes, that’s what happened."
Serves you right! Li Du thought and he asked the Ricks, "So how do you want me to help? You want to borrow some money?"
Lil’ Rick said, "No, no—we heard that you have superb gambling skills. We hoped to provide you some cash, so we could cooperate and go to the casino—"
"Bullsh*t, do you think I’m a fool?" Li Du interrupted Lil’ Rick.
Lil’ Rick quickly explained, "Of course not, Li! We’re serious about this, we know what you’re worried about. Rest assured that as long as you win money from the casino—"
Li Du got fed up; he did not want to listen to that anymore. "If the help you want from me means that I need to go to the casino, then there’s nothing to talk about. Just get out."
The Ricks must have heard that Li Du had made a killing at the casino, so they wanted to cooperate with him.
If not for the Ricks’ setup, Li would want nothing to do with any casino in the first place. His moral principles and ethics had always valued making money through legitimate means, not going to some casino and making a fortune out of it.
Casinos were the easy way out—no doubt one could get rich overnight—but the next day, one could be lying lifeless on the street in a pool of blood.
He believed that the gangs could easily take out a foreign student like him without much trouble.
Dog Ears Rick threw a disapproving glare to Lil’ Rick and tried to pacify Li Du. He stood up and said, "Li, please don’t be angry. Let me clarify what happened, so you’ll understand why we need your help."
Hans appeared at the doorway with a cynical smile on his face. "What’s there to clarify? The casino lost some money and they wanted to get it back, so they used the same trick on your idiot son—"
Lil’ Rick, angry now, yelled, "Hans, don’t carry it too far!"
Dog Ears Rick pointed at his son and reprimanded, "Shut up, you rascal! He’s not at fault. If not for your stupidity we wouldn’t have ended up in this mess!"
Li Du asked, "What happened?"
Hans laughed, "Harris made Lil’ Rick lose several million dollars at the casino by cheating. The casino has been chasing them to pay the debt."
Lil’ Rick tried to defend himself, "I was fooled by those b*stards! D*mn! I didn’t know they were so sinister!"
Li Du asked, "How much did you lose?"
"Are you willing to help us?" Lil’ Rick asked eagerly.
Li Du shook his head. "That’s impossible!"
Lil’ Rick unconsciously muttered, "If you don’t want to help, why do you bother asking so much?"
Li Du replied, "I treat this as a warning to myself never to gamble again."
Hans laughed, "Actually, you only wanted to satisfy your curiosity!"
Well, Hans was right about this.
Dog Ears had a troubled look on his face. "This idiot lost five million dollars. We don’t have that much money—that’s why we need your help."
"So you’re hoping I can win five million dollars from the casino?" Li Du asked.
Dog Ears said, "Not really. We heard that Comanche Casino’s boss, Marlin, has instructed his men to avoid any conflict with you."
"So?"
Dog Ears wore an embarrassed smile and said, "We were thinking maybe you could help us negotiate with them. They are obviously wary of you, Li. They won’t do anything funny if you help us."
"I’m glad that you think so highly of me," said Li Du, "but it’s not true that the casino is wary of me. I’m only a foreigner."
Dog Ears looked at Li Du. "Li, please help, we are fellow treasure hunters.."
Hans was worried that Li might soften his stance and quickly replied, "When you plotted against him, did you consider that he’s your fellow treasure hunter then?"
Hans waved his hand dismissively and continued, "Godzilla, see our guests out. Li needs to rest now."
Although Li Du was generally a kind-hearted person, he was not someone who would go all out to help another person either.
He laughed, "Yeah, I’m quite tired. Mr. Rick, if I were you, I would go to the police instead of going around listening to some useless gossip."
The Ricks wanted to continue pleading and persuading Li Du, but Godzilla shoved them out of the door.
Hans heaved a sigh of relief. "Good, now the world is quiet."
Li Du commented, "This incident shows that the wicked will have the wicked to deal with—it’s a Chinese saying that makes perfect sense!"
The auction they would be attending this time was a small one; only six storage units were on auction.
Li Du felt no need to check out the units in advance, as he could use the little bug to check the units later.
After a night’s rest in the hotel, they headed for the auction in the morning.
Phoenix was a big city with a population of about 1.5 million residents. There were more than 100 storage companies there, so storage auctions were more frequent compared to surrounding cities.
The storage company holding the auction this round was a well-established company located in the city itself. The company was well-known amongst the treasure hunters and their auctions always attracted more treasure hunters.
When they reached the storage company, Hans went off for a while. When he returned, he was frowning and said, "D*mn, this auction might be tricky."
Li Du was using the little bug to check out the storage units; as his focus was on the units, he casually replied, "Why? I think it should go pretty smooth."
Hans paused for a moment and said, "What makes you say that? You think this auction looks promising?"
Li Du shifted his attention back to Hans and laughed, "Yeah, I looked around. I hardly knew any of the treasure hunters at the auction today—there’s no one we need to be wary of."
Hans smiled ironically. "Yup, my findings are the same as yours. But precisely because of that, the auction today will be tricky!"
Li Du recalled the little bug and glanced at Hans. "Why do you say that?"
Hans puffed out a sigh. "Because we are going to face a bunch of greenhorns—we’re facing the novice treasure hunters!"