ryethenovel Chapter 21 The Huge Sum of $102
Chapter 21 The Huge Sum of $102
Simon Lin also noticed the shop owner Leo's actions. From the way Leo gripped the baseball bat tightly, it was clear that the homeless man was completely unwelcome.
However, the fact that they can switch to alert and defensive mode in just one second is enough to demonstrate the fierce nature of the American people.
But you can't blame them. After all, West Coast shops have all been bought for free by homeless people, so how could they not have heard of it?
Simon Lin probably still felt influenced by his skin color; if it had been a black homeless man who came in, he probably would have had a gun pointed at his head by now.
"Maybe the shop owner is currently on a patience plate. If we wait a while, once his patience reaches zero, he might pull out his gun and give himself a full-on American-style iaido."
Thinking of this, Lin Ximeng immediately stated his purpose, "Hey buddy, I'm here to sell something. I heard you buy used game discs here."
As Lin Ximeng spoke, he slowly raised his right hand, bent down, and placed the game box on the counter.
"Look, a box of games for a PS4 console."
The shop owner, Leo, who had just looked serious and tense, immediately breathed a sigh of relief after seeing what Lin Simon took out of the foam bag.
He and Lin Ximeng exchanged a glance, then suddenly burst out laughing, tossing the baseball bat in his hand directly into the counter, immediately using laughter to ease the awkwardness from before.
"You've come to the right place. Our store has always had a used game disc buyback business, and we usually buy them back at a certain discount to the current market price, typically 20%."
After finishing speaking, shop owner Leo glanced at the protagonist again and continued, "Since this is probably your first time at our store, you can enjoy a new customer discount. If it's a game that was released within the last month, I can add an extra $10 to the buyback price."
"No, that's not it," Lin Ximeng said, shaking his head.
"This is an old game from the PS4 era, probably more than 15 years old."
Upon hearing this, the shop owner, Leo, frowned: "PS4 games? That's definitely old. Look at this PS5 on my counter, it's been here for almost 5 or 6 years, and the PS6 might be released next year."
He pointed to the glossy black console in the glass case, "For these old games, our store usually only offers $5 to $25 for buyback. We're unlikely to give you a much higher price."
The shop owner, Leo, sighed and continued, "The main problem is that they're so hard to sell. The last time I bought a game that was ten years old, it sat in the warehouse for almost half a year before it was finally bought by a nostalgic office worker yesterday. It almost grew mushrooms on the shelf."
"This is it, take a look."
Lin Ximeng had anticipated this and immediately handed the game box to the shop owner, Leo.
While searching on the online trading platform, Lin Ximeng had already discovered that ordinary old games are indeed not worth much, because some of them usually have a large number of copies released, often exceeding one million, so most of them depreciate over time.
Only those limited editions that you bring with you, due to errors or other reasons, can appreciate in value due to their scarcity.
The shop owner, Leo, took the game box, glanced at the cover, and said, "Oh, Grand Theft Auto IV, a masterpiece back in the day. It was released in 2008, right? That's 17 years ago."
He stroked the game box, his tone tinged with nostalgia. "I saved up my allowance for three months to buy it when I was in high school. It sold over 600 million copies in its first week, and almost every boy in my class had one."
But then he sighed, "But precisely because it's so popular, it's everywhere in the secondhand market now, and even among older games, it's one of the hardest to sell."
He was about to say "the buyback price is at most $4" when Simon Lin decided whether to accept the offer.
But the moment he lifted the lid, Leo suddenly exclaimed, "Wait a minute, this print is wrong! Why is the character's face pink?"
"A rare misprinted version."
Lin Ximeng leaned against the counter, looking at Leo's surprised expression, and knew that he had come to the right place this time.
Leo looked up abruptly, all the perfunctory look in his eyes gone, replaced by excitement: "Excuse me, let me take a closer look."
After receiving Lin Ximeng's consent, he turned and ran towards the warehouse.
A short while later, Leo ran back carrying the same Grand Theft Auto IV box, which looked like a normal version.
Leo placed the two boxes side by side on the counter and began to compare them one by one:
The standard version of the disc shows the character's skin in three colors: white, yellow, and black, depending on their race.
Lin Simon's box features characters with pink skin, and even the game logo's font color is half a shade lighter.
Leo examined the two discs back and forth, muttering, "That's right, that's right, this is the error edition released in the second month of its release."
When the game was released, it was so popular that the factory rushed production, which led to a mistake that resulted in a version with the wrong print color. According to reports and related information, it is estimated that a total of about 20,000 copies were produced.
This unexpected error, after many years, has become a memento, with many game collectors willing to buy it for their collections, and its trading price has risen to more than that of new games now.
Leo continued, "I just checked it, and the disc is in good condition with no obvious scratches. If you want to sell it, I'm willing to buy it back for $102."
"No problem," Lin Ximeng nodded. The price offered by the shopkeeper was the same as that in the intelligence system, so he naturally accepted it.
"What payment method do you prefer?" Leo, the shop owner, kindly suggested when he saw that Simon Lin had agreed, "We can accept cash if needed."
"Cash," Lin Ximeng said simply. "I don't have a bank card, and I don't use online payment methods."
"Please accept this." Leo took out a stack of US dollars from the drawer, counted out ten $10 bills, added two more $1 bills, and handed them to Simon Lin. "Count it, it's $102, not a penny less. It's been a pleasure doing business with you. If you need any more of these misprinted items in the future, feel free to come back to me, and I'll definitely give you a satisfactory price."
Lin Simon took the money and said goodbye to the Super Cube game store.
I just received $102, and with the $51.7 I already had, my total assets have suddenly reached $153.7.
This is an enormous sum of money!
If Lin Simon goes back and tells Riley and the others, he bets they'll think he somehow managed to make money selling leaves.
Looking at his full pockets, Lin Simon suddenly felt that the fishy smell in the sea breeze on the west coast didn't seem so unpleasant anymore.
After walking only two blocks, the aroma of hot dogs wafted from a street corner stand. Under a red and yellow parasol hung a sign that read: "Mexican Spicy Cheese Dog Combo $4.9 (includes pickles and Coke)".
This set meal, which was something Lin Ximeng would never have dared to dream of when he first arrived on the West Coast, now seemed like a great deal to him.
"Since there's no information about welfare meals today, I'll try the American-style jianbing guozi."
There were four or five people lined up in front of the stall. Lin Ximeng glanced at them and saw that they were all dressed in jackets and work pants, with machine oil stains on their cuffs. They looked like workers from a nearby factory.
So, does that mean I'm the only homeless person in the group?
Sure, I've joined the ranks of the working class!
The stall owner was a Mexican uncle with a big beard. His hands moved so fast that the bread sizzled as it toasted, the sausages were sizzling with oil, he grabbed a handful of spicy Cheese crumbs, sprinkled them on top, and then scooped a spoonful of fried onions. He handed out a serving in less than ten seconds.
Lin Ximeng waited for two or three minutes before it was his turn. The hot dog was still a little hot when he took it.
After taking a bite, Lin Simon felt a spicy sensation hit him immediately. The Mexican chili pepper, named Chito, was indeed quite spicy. The aroma of the sausage oil mixed with the sweetness of the fried onions, and a hint of the refreshing taste of the pickled cucumber made for a pretty good overall flavor.
He finished the hot dog in a few bites, gulped down an ice-cold cola, and let out a satisfied burp.
"Now that we've eaten and drunk our fill, it's time to get to work."
Lin Ximeng enjoyed the warm feeling in his stomach, and his legs were full of strength.
As he passed the subway entrance, he glanced at the guardrail next to the turnstile, took two running steps, and flipped over with a push of his toes.
After demonstrating his impressive hurdling skills once again, Simon Lin successfully secured a free subway ride.
When Simon Lin arrived at Bruce Avenue, he immediately headed straight for Starbucks.
The Starbucks on Bruce Avenue isn't small; the wooden bar is polished to a shine, and the walls are covered with posters featuring coffee beans. Several office workers are typing furiously on their laptops, while students huddle in a corner eating sandwiches.
Simon Lin glanced around and, sure enough, found a young white man sitting in the second-to-last seat by the window. He was of medium height and rather thin.
There was an untouched iced Americano on the table, and he was shifting his position in the chair as if he were being pricked by needles.
Lin Simon glanced at him and thought to himself, "Is this Jebsey? His face is almost turning blue from holding it in; he's probably about to dash to the toilet any second now, isn't he?"