pjbooks Chapter 123: You think you can beat me with 4 Aces?
Chapter 123: You think you can beat me with 4 Aces?
Chapter 123: You think you can beat me with 4 Aces?
A crowd surged in, excitedly rushing towards the square.
Before me were rows of rusty metal doors. Judging from their appearance, these storage cabinets occupied an area of about 2.5 to 3 square meters.
The height is about 2 meters, which means there is 5 to 6 cubic meters of storage space.
The demand for these private storage units is quite high in California, especially in metropolitan areas like Los Angeles.
The most important reason is that people's living space is limited, and they cannot store too many miscellaneous items.
Especially some seasonal items, such as Christmas decorations, are used during the holidays, but there's nowhere to put them afterward.
If you throw it away, you'll have to buy it again the following year. So why not just rent a small warehouse long-term and use it as an extension of the space outside the residence? The rent isn't expensive anyway, a few tens of dollars for a small one, and a hundred dollars for a larger one at most.
Of course, there are also upgraded versions with built-in temperature control systems, which cost two or three times more.
According to incomplete statistics, the United States has the world's largest private warehousing market, with approximately 5 facilities and annual industry revenue exceeding 400 billion.
One hundred million U.S. dollars.
With such a massive size, many problems naturally arise, the most critical of which is being abandoned by the original owner.
There are many reasons for abandonment, such as rising rent, depreciation of property, procrastination, tenant's death, and automatic renewal traps.
Another type involves items rented by criminals to store contraband, which are then abandoned by criminals to evade responsibility after the incident.
"Warehouse Treasure Hunt King" is a variety show derived from this background. Unexpectedly, the first season's ratings exploded, and it became incredibly popular afterward.
"OK, everyone stop and be careful, don't stand too close to the front."
When Grace reached storage locker number 1, she gestured for a worker to come forward.
Sizzle! The guy pulled out an electric handheld circular saw and roughly sawed off the lock on the iron gate.
After all, according to the contract, if a tenant is in arrears for more than 60 days, the leasing company has the right to initiate auction proceedings.
After the door was opened, everyone stared wide-eyed and crowded forward, only to see a large pile of miscellaneous items in the cramped space.
There was an aluminum ladder at the edge, with several fishing rods next to it. In the middle was a large plastic storage box, on top of which were piled many camping items, including a high-powered flashlight, waterproof boots, and hunting clothes.
As for the items further inside, they are not clearly visible, and no one knows what's in the storage boxes.
According to the rules, you can only observe from the outside, which is a bit like jade gambling in Myanmar, where it all comes down to eyesight and luck.
"Hey Jack, how about we take the fisherman's locker? Those fishing rods look pretty valuable."
Jimmy couldn't help but lick his lips, looking eager to try.
"What the hell?" Max rolled his eyes. "The things that are out in the open are just to lure you into buying them. Who knows if the production team tampered with these lockers beforehand? They'll do anything for ratings."
"That's right." Ma Jie nodded: "This show has been running for so many seasons, and its operation is quite mature. I definitely don't believe there's no script."
That's what he said, but he already had a judgment in his mind. Using the appraisal ability of the seven-star skill [Grandmaster of Secret Treasures], he read the item list early on.
Those fishing rods were indeed expensive; they were from a well-established local brand, and each one originally cost $220. Even after depreciation, they could be sold for a pittance.
It will definitely sell for $00.
But what's really funny is what's inside the most conspicuous plastic storage box: a whole box full of raw corn kernels, perfect bait for catching carp and grass carp.
The small wooden box on top of the storage box was full of fishing floats and lines, and next to it were wading shoes and a brand new, unopened hand-cranked spool.
In the back, out of sight, were several motorcycle helmets and two boxes of miscellaneous items that could not be categorized.
Just as Ma Jieke was debating whether to bid, he suddenly saw a very special item listing.
Garmin Striker 7sv fish detector: Equipped with a 7-inch touchscreen and CHIRP sonar, in perfect condition with no damage, estimated trade-in value of $700 to $900.
If we calculate it this way, the overall value of this locker would be around 1600 to 1800.
"Alright guys, observation time is over. Let's start the auction now, starting at $200."
"225, 250, 275, 300..."
Under Ma Jieke's intense gaze, the woman continued to add numbers at an astonishing pace.
Each bid only increased by $25, and as long as someone was still raising their hand, they kept bidding higher.
At first, everyone was quite enthusiastic, but when the amount reached $800, the frequency of raising hands began to slow down.
"Unbelievable, a thousand dollars! Fishing costs that much?"
Jimmy, who had been excitedly raising his hand at first, is now being choked by Max.
Max knew very well that it was fine to let him have his fun, but the person who was really in charge of decision-making in the team was still MaJack.
"What?! 1200? Have these guys lost their minds?"
Jimmy's shock level was still rising. Although he did not come from a poor family, it had been a full three years since he last had no worries about food and clothing.
Such a long period of wandering, even if one's ancestors were once wealthy, would have worn away their spirit long ago.
Upon hearing the price, the expert team withdrew from the bidding because, from a professional perspective, the tenant's spending level was average, and they used only mid-range products.
You can't be using a $200 fishing rod and hiding $800 worth of accessories on the back, can you?
If you do that, you'll be roasted by the audience.
A script is acceptable, but it must conform to basic logical cognition; otherwise, it's just treating the audience like fools.
At this price, Ma Jie also chose to give up, because the profit was too small. The total bidding funds were only $10,000, and there was no need to waste money on it.
Even after the two teams backed down, the "Not Short of Money" team and the "Desperate Housewives" team still refused to give up and continued their rivalry. "1575, 1600...1750...2000....2050..."
"2200! The 'Money Matters' team has offered $2200!" After announcing this price, Grace looked at the hesitant, desperate housewives: "Mrs. Hayley, are you going to give up?"
As the team captain, full-time mom Hailey hesitated and raised her hand twice, but in the end, she couldn't withstand the psychological pressure and timidly shrank back.
"Deal!" Grace shouted. "Come on, rich guys and rich girls, this treasure chest is yours."
The five men excitedly approached the auction house after winning the bid. They first took out their fishing rods, which represented their apparent profit of approximately $400.
Captain Thomas tried to move the plastic storage box, but found that he couldn't lift it by himself, so everyone pitched in to help.
The storage box landed on the ground with a heavy thud, and he eagerly pried open the sealed lid.
The moment the box was opened, everyone took a step back at the same time, slapping their foreheads or covering their heads with their hands.
"Shit! That fisherman is a complete idiot. Who would store so much corn in a warehouse? Is he trying to wipe out all the fish in the Pacific Ocean?"
Seeing this amusing scene, Ma Jieke stood aside and added, "Dude, only freshwater fish eat corn."
The guy ignored him and continued cleaning up other debris with his teammates.
There are two ways to estimate the price: one is to rely on your own experience, and the other is to search for related items on eBay.
In the end, the total value of everything in the storage container was barely estimated at 1620 yuan. Not only did they not make a single penny, they also suffered a huge loss of 580 yuan.
Viewers watching the live stream were ecstatic about the result, with the screen filled with "GG" and sarcastic comments.
"Haha, at least from today onwards, you won't lack tortillas to eat."
"A bunch of idiots who think they can do whatever they want just because they have money?"
"Wrong judgments, foolish actions, panicked choices—every frame is a laughing stock."
After the profit and loss figures were recorded, Grace said with a regretful look, "Well, our playboys and pampered ladies have suffered a setback in their first battle. Their current profit is -$580, and they are ranked fourth overall."
"The fun continues in 'Warehouse Treasure Hunt King,' open locker number 2 now."
Sizzle! It's that classic circular saw lock-picking moment again. The camera zooms in for a close-up, sparks flying across the screen, creating a tense and dramatic scene.
The iron gate was opened, and everyone was stunned when they saw what was inside.
The room was filled with neatly stacked plastic storage boxes from bottom to top, and a brand-new portable combination safe was tucked into the gap at the very top.
The box is black with silver trim, giving it a very high-quality look. Half of it is suspended in the air, teetering on the edge, and it would fall down if touched even slightly.
This means that all beings are equal, because without any useful information, there is no such thing as insight or judgment.
As for that safe, it was 100% arranged by the production team; it was a classic case of baiting the fish with a hook.
Ma Jie glanced over and, sure enough, the inventory list showed that the briefcase was worth $80.
This is the value of the box itself; there's nothing inside.
In fact, the more this is the case, the more intelligent people will refuse to believe it. You predict my prediction? I predict your prediction!
After tallying the value of the items in the locker, Ma Jieke couldn't help but gasp, because there was a lot of stuff in there, absolutely a lot of stuff.
However, his facial expression did not change.
I learned this trick from a poker master. A truly strong person, when given four aces, doesn't react much like they've been given a bad hand.
"Brother, you can raise your hand with confidence this time."
After deciding to take over the locker, Ma Jie directly instructed Jimmy.
Based on the current statistics, even if the bid is sky-high, there's still a profit to be made. If someone dares to renege, just let them have it at a high price first, then launch a "war plunder" and leave them crying in despair.
The auction began, with the starting bid still at $200.
None of the four companies had any intention of letting up, and the price kept rising to four figures, heading straight for $1500.
The reason is simple: the items in these storage boxes are unlikely to all be the same type of item, otherwise their original owners would not have needed to categorize them.
This means that the probability of getting gold is very high.
Judging from the size, the most likely items inside are collectibles such as LEGO bricks, comic books, videotapes, vinyl records, and sneakers. Even if there are no limited editions or rare items, the total value would still be quite high.
If you're incredibly lucky and open two boxes of genuine Marvel figurines or Barbie dolls, that would be a huge win.
"1800 dollars, Jack, are you sure?" Jimmy asked nervously when the price was announced.
Ma Jieke was like a ruthless bidding machine: "Keep going, I'll keep holding it up until I say let go."
When the price reached $2000, Duncan reluctantly lowered his hand. These old guys are really as steady as dogs, preferring to miss out rather than chase the high.
On the other hand, the rich guy and the housewives seemed ready to fight Jack Ma to the death.