68 Chapter 69: Spoils and Hunting

"Let's consider this one, and you can go pick a few more things if you'd like." Mr. Bruce nodded as he watched Liang En place the box, along with the rings within it, onto a cabinet by the entrance of the room.

Liang En then walked over to the right side of the warehouse and inspected the two items he had noticed earlier. He found that these two items were placed quite close to each other, and they were all antiques from RB (presumably referring to a country or region).

For Americans, various artworks from RB had gained popularity here since the Black Ships' arrival, marking the beginning of trade relations. Consequently, this warehouse naturally held quite a number of RB antiques.

"I'm sorry, this item is not available." When Liang En pointed to a wooden box and inquired, Mr. Bruce shook his head and explained, "It contains a woodblock print by Katsushika Hokusai, and its current market value is around $250,000."

"Ah, I see. Then, I'll choose another one. What's inside this box? The label outside says 'Eastern Calligraphy Art'?" After his first choice was denied, Liang En swiftly changed his target.

He soon walked a few steps forward to the corner of the room and pointed to a long rectangular wooden box placed on a camphorwood cabinet against the wall, asking, "Is this one acceptable?"

"This should work." Mr. Bruce glanced at the computer by the door and said, "My father acquired this from a U.S. serviceman stationed in Japan. It's said to be a famous monk's calligraphy. I've appraised it before, and it's valued around $70,000 to $80,000."

"Alright, I'll take these two then." After walking around the room and not finding anything else he particularly liked, Liang En said, "I'll exchange these two items for those two guns."

"But the prices are still off by half." As a wealthy individual, Mr. Bruce felt that gaining an advantage in this aspect would tarnish his reputation. "You can choose a couple more items if you'd like."

"No, I don't feel drawn to anything else here." Liang En shrugged, adding, "For me, I usually only seek out items that resonate with me."

"Besides, trading these two items for the guns is already sufficient for me. If you truly feel that what I want is too little, you can simply use euros to make up for the difference."

"Ah, I understand. I'll cover the remaining amount for you." Hearing Liang En's response, Mr. Bruce grasped his intention. Soon, the group left the underground warehouse with the selected items.

Due to the late hour, Liang En decided to temporarily stay in this mansion. When the dawn of the next day arrived, the earnings from the previous treasure hunt were finalized.

Considering that the jewelry related to the infamous Western outlaws didn't hold significant historical value and the fact that these items were more valuable in the U.S., Liang En decided to package them and sold them to Mr. Bruce for $650,000.

With this, apart from the two artifacts acquired from Mr. Bruce's collection warehouse, Liang En's entire haul from this trip to the U.S. amounted to $752,500.

This sum included the $650,000 from selling the Western treasure, $32,500 taken from the group of arms dealers, and the $70,000 Mr. Bruce had paid to bridge the price gap.

Furthermore, Mr. Bruce generously assisted Liang En in safely transporting the two artifacts he couldn't easily carry to his farmhouse, saving him both money and effort.

After finishing breakfast, Liang En left Mr. Bruce's home and walked along the streets. After covering a distance, he found a bench in a roadside park, where he sat down. While counting his previous earnings, he contemplated his next steps.

Having completed his mission and earned a substantial amount, he had initially planned to return to the UK. However, due to the Christmas season, even if he did go back, there wasn't much to do there at the moment.

As for the original plan of going home and reuniting with his parents during the Christmas holiday, it had actually been abandoned long ago. After all, he had spent too much time at home previously, so going back in a short time wasn't a good idea.

Just like when everyone goes home during university breaks, initially, parents are overjoyed, but after a month, they can't wait for you to head back to school.

Fortunately, it was now the era of the internet, so after taking out his phone and carefully searching for local news, Liang En quickly found some interesting things.

After renting a cheap Toyota pickup truck, he drove northwards toward Montana after deciding to take up an intriguing job there.

"Are you here to apply as a hunter?" Upon arriving at a farm near Stanford, the farm owner, a man with a salt-and-pepper beard, looked Liang En up and down in disbelief.

"I don't mean any discrimination, but honestly, in my experience, hunters are often either Mexican or white, rarely Asians doing this kind of work."

"Well, you're seeing one today." In the U.S., humility wasn't a common trait, so sometimes, speaking the truth, even with a slight exaggeration, was more appropriate to express one's skills.

Fortunately, the main factor for recruiting hunters on the farm was their actual marksmanship, so after Liang En showcased his shooting skills with his Type 56 semi-automatic rifle and presented his passport, he easily secured the next job.

"We've got too many wild boars on my farm." The farm owner, known as Old Arthur, drove a small ATV and led Liang En straight to his ranch. "And these animals are quite clever."

"So, when setting traps, I only have one shot, which is why I need a helper to take down as many of them as possible to protect the crops on the farm."

"You're right, Old Arthur." Thinking of the words his grandfather had told him in another world, Liang En nodded. "However, if we can take down most of the wild boars in one go, this piece of land will be peaceful for several years."

For the past few days, Old Arthur had been spreading pockets of corn around various spots on his farm each day, attempting to gather the nearby wild boars.

So, when the two of them got off the ATV and climbed a small hill, they saw six or seven well-fed, sturdy wild boars searching for the scattered corn in that area.

To be honest, hunting wild boars was much safer than dealing with armed criminals. Although wild boars had tough hides, there were reports in his home country of policemen firing multiple shots with handguns at wild boars that had invaded cities, only for the boars to escape. But guns weren't all the same.

Equipped with military-grade ammunition, the Type 56 semi-automatic rifle had far greater firepower than the 64 pistol, nicknamed the "Little Smasher." At least in terms of muzzle energy, the Type 56's muzzle energy was nearly ten times that of the 64 pistol.

So, after firing off rounds from their magazines, the wild boars all fell to the ground. By the time dusk was approaching, the two of them had taken down over twenty wild boars. Only one or two small ones managed to escape.

"Nicely done, young man." On their way back to the farmhouse, Old Arthur said loudly as he drove the ATV. "I take back my previous judgment. There are indeed exceptional marksmen among Asians like you."