The Theft in Progress-12th Bonus Chapter for Alliance Leader "You Are the Most Beautiful Cloud in My Heart"

"Worthless?" The young man standing at the door turned his gaze away from the street outside the window. He couldn't help but walk to the counter and shout at the owner behind it, "How is that possible? Do you know what these things are? They're all silver! Don't think we don't know anything!"

The antique shop owner smiled nonchalantly. "Do you know how much silver costs per ounce these days?"

With just one sentence, the two young men were stumped. Seeing their dumbfounded expressions, the antique shop owner casually said, "You can go to the trading market or the bank and ask. The price of silver is currently between 2.2 and 2.35 yuan per ounce!"

"Gentlemen, please note, it's an ounce, but here..." he gestured with the silverware on the counter, "It all adds up to less than five pounds. Would you like to weigh it?"

The two young men exchanged a glance; the antique shop owner's words were so certain that they were practically convinced.

One of them nodded, and then the shopkeeper took out a pan scale. He threw the silver items onto it, then turned the scale around so they could see the scale markings. "A little over four and a half pounds, about seventy ounces. I'll give it to you at the highest silver price. These things are worth at most one hundred... sixty dollars."

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

They are still upset that these items are priced too low, lower than they expected. They thought these items would be worth at least three or five hundred yuan or more.

One of the men then pointed to the ivory comb, "And this one, how much is this worth?"

The antique shop owner didn't even have the desire to pick it up. "I'll give you fifteen yuan at most, that's all."

"People who are willing to use ivory combs and can afford them will not use combs that others have used. You can see that its color has already started to turn yellow, and it will soon become even more yellow. If it cannot be resold in a short time, it will only become less and less valuable."

The young man swallowed hard and drew on the pile of things with his finger. "These things add up to one hundred and seventy-five yuan, right?"

Although the price was far below their expectations, it wasn't unacceptable upon closer inspection. After all, these were stolen goods; if they sold a few less, they could make more trips. The warehouse they found was filled with all sorts of things, and even if the prices weren't high, they could still get rich quickly if they worked hard.

The antique shop owner chuckled and shook his head. "All of these things added up, I'd give you a maximum of one hundred yuan."

This immediately enraged the young man, the one with the worse temper, who shouted, "You just said that this silver is worth at least one hundred and sixty yuan!"

The antique shop owner didn't deny it. He nodded and said, "Of course, I can buy it at this price, but you must bring the receipt from when you bought it, leave your real contact information, and sign a liability waiver guaranteeing that you bought it with legal money from legal channels and that it does not involve any illegal activities."

"Otherwise, they're only worth this price. Go anywhere in the city, and if they offer you more than I'm offering, however much more, I'll give you that much more."

This is nonsense, but there's no doubt that people will misunderstand it when they're emotionally charged, which only makes his words sound more convincing at first glance.

If these two young people can actually produce the receipts, they can sell them to a bank. The bank will buy back various precious metals and even some gems at a price that is 5% to 10% lower than the market price.

But they didn't. These are stolen goods, and that's how antique shop owners and some channels for selling stolen goods make money. They have ways to make these things legal.

For example, the top-tier resale channels would take Silver Mine collected over a period of time to a partner mine. The mine would issue a certificate, and after paying taxes, the remelted silver ingots would become legal property, which they could then sell directly to banks or jewelers.

Of course, this kind of work is not suitable for everyone, and it carries huge risks. To avoid these risks, many antique dealers who sell stolen goods become informants for the police.

According to Federal law, police informants can be exempted from liability if they participate in criminal acts or activities, provided they are not the instigators or organizers and subsequently provide important clues for solving the case, even if they break the law in the process.

If murder can be negotiated, then something as trivial as selling stolen goods is even less likely to be.

The antique shop owner's "take it or leave it" attitude left the two young people undecided. What was even more infuriating was that, about ten seconds later, the antique shop owner offered to put their items back into their travel bags, then pointed to the door and told them they could go look around elsewhere.

Their attitude really showed they didn't care at all about what they were selling, and it even gave the impression that they weren't making any money.

Ultimately, the two young men decided to sell the items. After all, a hundred yuan was still money, and they were worried about something going wrong if they went to too many different places.

The shop owner smiled and took the travel bag, placing it under the cabinet along with the bag. He then paid the two with a hundred yuan in change and watched them leave.

He could earn at least 120 yuan from this deal, which he deserved, as this line of work wasn't for just anyone.

The joy the two young men felt after receiving the money quickly dispelled their unhappiness caused by the price, and they decided to treat themselves.

At a delicatessen not far from where they lived, the two ordered two large portions of Roasted Beef Ribs, as well as some other things they couldn't usually afford, such as Smoked Ham Slices.

They belong to a loosely organized small gang whose main way of making money is through Finance Company.

Not long ago, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Federal Revenue Service launched a devastating crackdown on street Finance Company, which also dragged many gangs into the mess.

Some survived unscathed, while others are still embroiled in trouble. Their gang, which wasn't particularly famous to begin with, has also been deeply involved because of this incident. Now, some of the main members have fled, while others have been arrested, and the two of them have lost their livelihood.

If it weren't for a friend, someone in Blue Vests, talking to them about the mountains of goods piled up in the Warehouse District, they probably wouldn't have imagined that money could come so quickly.

"If we include the things we have at home, this harvest should be around two hundred yuan, right?"

While enjoying their meal, the two chatted quietly about their haul. In fact, they had acquired more than just what they had taken to the antique shop; they had also left some things at their lodgings.

These items are everyday things, like barbecue grills, which is what sets them apart from other serious thieves. This time, their theft wasn't solely for the purpose of selling the stolen goods.

However, after this incident, their attitude has changed somewhat.

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

After the two finished their meal, they found their friend, the one in the Blue Vests who worked in the Warehouse District. They agreed that once the sale of the stolen goods was completed, they would split the money.

When the Blue Vests saw the thirty yuan the two men handed him, he was completely stunned.

Although he didn't participate in the theft that day, he knew how much stuff these people had taken—definitely more than ninety yuan! After the two men explained, the man in the Blue Vests looked at them with disbelief, as if they were idiots. "Are your brains filled with genetic fluid? If you think the price is wrong, you can go to another store. Why did you sell it to that guy?"

It was actually the first time either of them had done something like this, and they were embarrassed and didn't know what to say. Looking at their expressions, the Blue Vests was also speechless.

A few seconds later, the Blue Vests stuffed the money into his pocket and asked in a low voice, "When are you going to do this again? This time, I'll take the stuff out and sell it. You guys are so stupid!"

The two were also a little annoyed, and immediately replied, "Tonight..."

They decided to produce more this time, and see what the Blue Vests would have to say then.

At 5 p. m., after finishing work, he did not go home immediately. Instead, he used the excuse that the shower at home was broken and asked to stay in the Warehouse District workers' rest area to take a shower before going home.

In fact, there is basically no work in the Warehouse District after 4 pm. At the same time, it is far from the city, and public transportation is basically paralyzed. If you miss the last bus at 5:30 pm, you have to find your own way back.

Blue Belts, he stayed in the bathroom for a while, and only came out when there was no more noise outside.

He went to the outer door that was reserved for people with Blue Belts and opened the side door for his two friends, a door that was supposed to be closed after work in the evening.

The three of them quietly sneaked into the Warehouse District, unaware that their every move was being watched by a child hiding in the darkness not far away.

This time their objective was even clearer: the same warehouse as before, which not only contained mountains of goods, but more importantly, many of these goods were nearly new.

These items weren't as eye-catching as brand-new merchandise, and there was a wider variety. This time, they were fully prepared; they even brought a cart! The three of them had been hiding in the Blue Vests changing area. It wasn't dark enough yet; summer nights always fall slowly. They needed to wait until it was completely dark before they could make their move.

Around 11 o'clock, the three of them left the room with their tools.

The Blue Vests remained hidden, ready to deal with any warehouse security guards who might come to patrol at any time. The other two men, however, skillfully pried open the newly repaired small door and slipped inside.