After Paul left, Sean Knight carefully stored away the $61,000 he had just received.
He already had a couple of hundred thousand dollars now - enough to start taking action!
He gave Mr. John a call:
"John, I need your help with something."
Mr. John, who had originally planned to joke around with Sean, however, hearing the seriousness of Sean's tone, said:
"What is it?"
"I need a good private detective, I want some information."
"What are your requirements?"
"They need to be on top of their game, and able to move in high-society without blowing my cover if they get found out."
"Okay. I'll give you a number, you can give them a call later. The guy's name's Robert."
Sean knew that 'later' referred to the fact that Mr. John would probably need to talk to the guy first.
About five minutes later, Sean received a text message from Mr. John.
Robert.
Sean dialed the number.
"Hello, this is Sean."
"Hi, I'm Robert. I was told by John that you were wanting me to gather some information?"
"Yes," Sean replied, "Because John introduced you to me, I trust you. I need you to help me gather information on someone. This includes their behavior patterns, the people they frequently interact with, who they work for, etc."
"State the name, occupation, and workplace of the person under investigation."
Sean said:
"Mark Douglas. He's a lawyer who probably serves quite a few powerful clients, most notably Jeremy Knight, a wealthy merchant whom he once served as a personal attorney to…"
Sean didn't have much information to give, but he figured that with the person's name and occupation, a professional should be able to find out whatever was necessary.
"Hold on, let me check... Dear customer, the person you're looking into is not easy to investigate, he holds a high reputation within the legal circles in New York, and has served numerous wealthy clients. Moreover, Mark's connections are deeply rooted. Investigating him won't be easy!"
Sean felt a wave of unease wash over him. Although he had anticipated this, hearing Robert's words made him realize that he was up against a formidable opponent!
"... So, are you still thinking of proceeding with the investigation?"
"... Investigate!" Sean gritted his teeth and resolutely said, "Investigate till the end!"
"Alright then, please remit $30,000 as a deposit first." Robert whistled cheerfully, "I love a good challenge!"
Robert sent over his account details and Sean transferred the money without hesitation.
$30,000 might have seemed like a lot before, but it roughly equated to his earnings for that day alone.
Despite knowing that he can't possibly repeat the same success every single day, the purpose of earning money was so he could pursue the truth and enact his revenge, wasn't it?
After transferring the money, and despite his wealth taking a hit, Sean felt a lot more at ease.
Next, he called Mr. John again.
"Sean, what can I do for you this time?" Mr. John asked seriously.
"I need a recommendation for a second-hand car dealership. I want to buy a pickup."
"That's no problem, you should have gotten a car a long time ago." Mr. John quickly sent over information on a second-hand car dealership.
With Sean's current financial status, he could afford a new car if he wanted to.
However, he needed a steady source of funds for anything that might come up.
Unlike Paul, whose principle was always to strive for the best and often lived beyond his means.
Buying on credit is the norm in this country, so Sean's practice of saving money as a backup plan is the exception, not the rule.
Using the address that John sent him, Sean took a cab to the car dealership. It was an area the size of a football field, filled with various second-hand cars of different shapes and sizes.
The scene was bigger than the used car dealership where Sam bought his BumbleBee in the movie "Transformers."
Upon walking into the dealership, Sean was greeted by the attendant.
Sean told them he wanted to take a look around and headed straight for the pickup truck area.
There were pickup trucks of all sizes, and to his surprise, even a Chinese model was available. Still, the one that caught his eyes was the Raptor.
For his container auctions, he needed a vehicle that could carry the valuable items and get rid of any garbage. There was a good chance that there would be many containers to auction as the incident with the suitcase at the airport was an exception.
A voice from behind him sounded:
"You must be Sean, the one Mr. John mentioned?"
Sean turned around to see a lean, white-haired white man in his fifties looking at him.
"Yes, I am."
"Do you like big trucks?"
"Of course!" Sean pointed at a newer Raptor, "Look at it, it's gorgeous!"
"Yes, it is." The man nodded and pointed at another truck, "But I would suggest you go with this one, it's much more hard-wearing!"
Trusting Mr. John's recommendation, Sean went over to take a closer look at the older-looking truck.
Taking a closer look, he realized that its age was only apparent because it was dirty, which could easily be cleaned off.
After looking it over and taking it for a test drive, Sean paid $25,000 without batting an eye and left with the two-year-old Raptor.
He felt as though he had found a gem amongst the rubble.
Back at the container dormitory, Sean parked the truck and fetched some water, ready to give it a good clean. Its service will be crucial from now on.
"Yo! The little yellow guy's got a car?" a sarcastic voice sounded.
Sean got up to see Tod with three young Latino American men behind him, all looking at him mockingly.
"That has nothing to do with you." Sean said with a blank expression, "You better leave quickly. There are cameras here. If anything happens, you'll be the one in trouble!"
"Yo! Yo!" Tod completely ignored Sean's warning, instead retorting mockingly:
"Do you really think we're afraid of you? Your 'Kung Fu' is nothing more than a joke to scare people with!"
He pulled out a dagger and twirled it around, gloating:
"Alright, let's get to the main point! I heard you made another fortune today. I'm a reasonable man, just pay me back my losses and add in a 20% interest, that should come to about fifty-thousand dollars, okay?"
Sean had to laugh at the audacity. Tod was obviously trying to extort him!
He retorted coldly:
"That's extortion!"
"What if it is?" Tod pointed to the men behind him and said confidently, "There are more of us, so we make the rules!"
Sean took two steps back, leading Tod to believe he was scared, and moved two steps closer, pointing his dagger at Sean:
"Hurry up and pay up, or we'll make sure your losses are more than fifty-thousand dollars!"
Sean suddenly pulled out a stick from the side and swung it at Tod!
Attacking first is always the better move in a street fight, never giving the courtesy of declaring one's attack beforehand!
Strike first!
Seeing what was happening, the men behind rushed forward to help, but Tod had already been knocked to the ground by Sean's stick!