Chapter 191 The Oasis Town (2/2)

Hans snorted, ”Your treat.”

”Of course—my treat it is. But we should check out the houses first!”

The oasis town had a smooth landscape. Rows of sturdy palm trees lined the roadside. Small gardens with colorful flowers were seen near the entrance of almost every neighborhood.

When they drove past some water streams, they could see some ducks swimming on the peaceful water’s surface. Children were sitting in a small raft, playing with their dogs in the river.

They stopped next to a convenience store at the junction for some drinks. Li Du had a glass of iced orange juice, while both Hans and Godzilla drank cold beer.

They did not have to worry about drunk driving, given that they had almost reached their destination.

Li Du rested his arms on a bridge, watching the children and dogs playing not too far away from them. He smiled at the pleasant sight. ”The scenery here is really lovely.”

The owner of the convenience store had a toothpick clamped between his teeth. He chatted with them, as there were no other customers besides them at the moment.

The store owner looked proud when he heard Li Du’s remark. ”Of course young man, the Carpenter siblings came here because they were drawn by the beautiful scenery. That‘s also the reason why a vacation resort will be built here as well.”

Hans handed the store owner a cigarette. ”So a vacation resort is going to be built here? That means a lot of houses will have to be demolished?”

The owner took the cigarette and nodded. ”The Cumulus Cloud residential area just behind here will be demolished. It’s the oldest residential area in the town.”

Hans and the store owner smoked while chatting with each other. Hans gradually shifted the topic to the Cumulus Cloud residents: who was wealthy, who were collectors, who were generous, etc.

Li Du knew he was lobbying for information with regards to the upcoming auction on these old houses at Cumulus Cloud, so he listened quietly.

Cigarettes and alcohol were two of the world's most suitable icebreakers when it came to human relationships.

Ever since Li came to the United States, this was the first time he saw someone using cigarettes as an icebreaker. A common sight in China, but rare in the United States.

However, this method proved to be very successful for Hans. About half an hour later, Hans and the store owner waved goodbye, and the trio carried on to their destination.

Li Du carried a backpack with him when they reached the soon-to-be-demolished neighborhood.

Hans was puzzled and commented, ”What’s in there? It’s simply crazy to carry a backpack around on such a hot day.”

Mr. Li gave him a mysterious smile. ”You’ll know very soon. It’s something good.”

The houses in the neighborhood were old, simple, and seemed to have witnessed the ebb and flow of life.

What the store owner said was true: this was the oldest residential area in town. Many houses had become dilapidated.

It was no wonder the real estate company could successfully acquire the whole area.

Li Du asked, ”The houses in the entire neighborhood will be put on auction?”

Hans nodded. ”Correct.”

There were over forty houses in the entire neighborhood, which was considered a small residential area. The houses of American towns were mostly single-family houses that look like small villas.

Li Du felt overwhelmed.

There were over forty houses; the area each house occupied was big, with some of them having second stories and attics.

Since they were not near each other, using the little bug to conduct a search of each house would be really energy-consuming, even if it was not a detailed one.

Fortunately, he had come prepared. Putting down his backpack, he asked, ”Did you get any useful information?”

Hans said, ”Yup, a couple of things, but we can’t get into those houses. There’s not much use at all in trying.”

Li Du smiled, ”Says who?”