Blackstone Code

"Not worth much?" The young man standing at the door withdrew his gaze from the street outside and couldn't help but walk over to the counter. He looked at the shop owner behind the counter and raised his voice, "How is that possible? Do you know what these things are? They're all silver. You think we don't know anything?"

The antique shop owner smiled indifferently, "Do you know how much silver is per ounce now?"

One question left the two young men speechless. Seeing their stunned expressions, the antique shop owner casually said, "You can check with the trading market or the bank. The current price of silver is about 2.20 to 2.35 bucks per ounce."

"Gentlemen, please note, that's per ounce. But here…" He fiddled with the silver items on the counter with his hand, "All together, they probably don't even weigh five pounds. Do you want to weigh them?"

The two young men exchanged glances. Hearing the antique shop owner speak so firmly, they were almost convinced.

One of them nodded, and the shop owner took out a balance scale. He threw the silver items onto it and then turned the scale around, letting them see the dial underneath the scale pan. "Just over four and a half pounds, about seventy ounces. I'll give you the highest price, so these things are worth at most… a hundred and sixty bucks."

The shop owner quickly calculated the exact price. The two young men fell silent, not even noticing the conspicuous protrusion under the scale pan when the shop owner put the scale away.

They were still hung up on the fact that these things were worth much less than they expected. They initially thought these items would fetch at least three to five hundred bucks, or even more.

One of the guys pointed at the ivory comb, "What about this? How much is this worth?"

The antique shop owner didn't even have the desire to pick it up, "At most, fifteen bucks. No more."

"People willing to use an ivory comb and who can afford one wouldn't use a second-hand one. Look, its color is already turning yellow and will get even yellower soon. If you can't sell it quickly, it'll only get less valuable."

The young man swallowed and drew circles with his finger on the pile of items, "So, all of this adds up to one hundred seventy-five bucks, right?"

Although this price was far below their expectations, on reflection, it wasn't unacceptable. After all, these were stolen goods. Selling them for less money and making more trips wouldn't be a big deal since they discovered a warehouse full of various items. Even if the prices were low, they could still get rich quickly with enough diligence.

The antique shop owner sneered and shook his head, "All these items together, I'll give you at most a hundred bucks."

The young man's temper flared immediately. The one with a shorter fuse shouted, "You just said that the silver alone was worth at least a hundred sixty bucks."

The antique shop owner didn't deny it. He nodded and said, "Of course, I can buy them at that price, but you must bring the receipt showing you purchased them along with your real contact information, and sign a responsibility agreement, guaranteeing they were bought legally and not involved in any illegal activities."

"Otherwise, they're only worth this price. You can go anywhere in the city, and if anyone offers you more than I do, however much more they offer, I'll give you that amount."

It was nonsense, but undoubtedly, in the heat of the moment, people might mishear it, making what he said sound even more convincing.

If these two young men could produce the receipt, they could actually sell the items to a bank. Banks would buy precious metals at about five to ten percent below market price, even some gemstones.

But they couldn't. These were stolen goods, which was how the antique shop owner and other fencing channels made their money. They had ways to legitimize these items.

For instance, the most advanced fencing channels would take the silver ore they had collected over a period to a cooperating mine. The mine would issue a certificate, and after paying taxes, the re-melted silver ingots would become legal property. They would then sell these ingots directly to banks or some jewelers.

Of course, this work wasn't for everyone and carried significant risks. To mitigate risks, many antique dealers who fenced goods also became informants for the police.

According to federal law, police informants participating in criminal activities were exempt from responsibility, as long as they weren't the initiators or leaders and provided crucial information for solving the case afterward.

Even the punishment of a murder could be negotiated, let alone fencing stolen goods.

The antique shop owner's take-it-or-leave-it attitude left the two young men indecisive. What was even more infuriating was that about ten seconds later, the antique shop owner took the initiative to help them put the items back into their travel bag and pointed to the door, telling them they could try selling them elsewhere.

His attitude really gave the impression that he didn't care about buying those items, even making it seem like he genuinely wasn't making any profit.

In the end, the two young men decided to sell the items. After all, a hundred bucks was still money, and going to too many places might attract unwanted attention.

The shop owner cheerfully took the travel bag, putting it under the cabinet along with the bag itself, and paid them a hundred bucks in small bills, watching them leave.

He could make at least a hundred and twenty bucks from this deal. Of course, it was his due. This line of work wasn't for just anyone.

The joy the two young men felt upon receiving the money quickly dissipated any displeasure caused by the price. They decided to treat themselves.

At a deli near where they lived, they ordered two large servings of roasted beef ribs and some other things they usually couldn't afford, like smoked ham slices.

They belonged to a loosely organized small gang, which primarily made money through a financial company.

Not long ago, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Tax Bureau launched a devastating crackdown on street financial companies, implicating many gangs.

Some came through unscathed, while others were still embroiled in trouble. Their not-so-famous gang also got deeply involved, and now most of the main members had either run away or been arrested, leaving the two of them without a source of income.

If it weren't for a friend, a blue overall worker, who told them about the warehouse filled with goods, they wouldn't have thought of making money this way.

"If we include the stuff at home, this haul should be worth about two hundred bucks, right?"

While enjoying their food, the two of them quietly discussed their loot. Actually, what they took to the antique shop wasn't all they had. They kept some items at their place.

Those items were practical household goods, like a barbecue grill. This was what set them apart from other regular thieves. Their theft this time wasn't entirely for fencing profits.

But after this experience, their attitude had started to change.

"We need to get some more valuable and easier-to-carry stuff. Let's try a different place this time. I don't trust that old guy."

After finishing their meal, they found their friend, the blue overall worker, who worked in the warehouse district. They agreed that after fencing the goods, they would split the money.

When the blue overall worker saw the thirty bucks they handed over, he was stunned.

Although he didn't participate in the theft, he knew how much stuff they got that day. It was definitely worth more than ninety bucks.

After hearing their explanation, the blue overall worker looked at them incredulously, like they were idiots. "Are you brainless? If you think the price is wrong, you can try somewhere else. Why did you sell it to that guy?"

It was their first time doing something like this, and they were embarrassed, not knowing what to say. Seeing their expressions, the blue overall worker was speechless.

After a few seconds, he pocketed the money and asked in a low voice, "When are you doing it again? This time, I'll sell the stuff. You guys are too dumb."

The two of them were also a bit angry and immediately replied, "Tonight…"

They decided to grab more stuff this time and see what the blue overall worker had to say then.

After work at five, the blue overall worker didn't go home immediately. Using the excuse of a broken shower at home, he stayed in the warehouse workers' rest area to take a shower before heading back.

Actually, after four o'clock, there was usually no work left in the warehouse district. Since it was far from the city, public transportation was almost non-functional at that time. If one missed the last bus at five-thirty, one would have to find their own way back.

The blue overall worker stayed in the shower for a while, waiting until there was no noise outside before coming out.

He went to the side door meant for the blue overall worker' passage and opened it for his two friends, who slipped in quietly, even though the door was supposed to be closed after working hours.

The three of them sneaked into the warehouse district, unaware that a child hiding in the darkness nearby saw all of their movements.

This time their goal was more specific: the same warehouse as last time. Not only was it filled with piles of goods, but more importantly, many of these goods were almost new.

Unlike brand-new items, semi-new ones wouldn't attract as much attention when reselling, and the variety was vast. They came prepared this time, even bringing a handcart.

The three of them hid in the blue overall worker's changing area, waiting for it to get darker since summer nights took a long time to fully set in.Please vote for this novel at https://www.novelupdates.com/series/blackstone-code/There are advance chapters available nowAccess will be granted 24 hours after the donationTier 1: 7 Advance chapters Link

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