The Real Thief

Three days later, in front of the museum.

The Demon Suppression Bureau gathered at the museum that evening. Several captain-level figures led Bureau personnel in guarding various locations, watching every possibility.

The local social elites, meanwhile, were very interested in Gold Rat's appearance. Dressed in evening wear, they toasted one another inside the museum as though waiting for a show.

Though Captain Jiang and Gao Feng were displeased with these thrill-seekers, they politely asked them to keep order in consideration of their social standing.

Mei Ye boredly put on a black suit and moved through the crowd with several team members.

Quite a few jeweled society ladies brightened at the sight of him, swaying over to ask about his background, only to be politely turned down by Mei Ye.

Hide among the crowd. Try not to stand out too much...

Captain Jiang had stressed that point repeatedly beforehand, but Mei Ye felt that was a little difficult.

He could only disguise himself as a cold-faced loner, standing in a corner with an expression that warned strangers away.

However, as he silently drank his red wine, he turned his head.

Suddenly, he felt an intensely burning gaze.

Mei Ye frowned and looked over. Amid the bustling crowd, he saw a young man dressed in black as well.

The young man froze slightly when he noticed Mei Ye, then took a deep breath and walked over.

"Hello, did you really kill someone outside a restaurant?"

"Are you that sauce-braised duck?"

Mei Ye suddenly asked.

"What?"

The young man blanked out, unable to keep up with Mei Ye's train of thought.

"No, I'm actually Deng Hei."

Deng Hei spoke helplessly.

"Deng Hei?"

Mei Ye still did not understand.

"The man you killed—Deng Bai's younger brother."

Deng Hei was completely at his wit's end.

"Oh—"

Mei Ye remembered now. His gaze immediately turned sharp.

"You're here for revenge?"

When you cut the grass, pull out the roots. When you kill someone, wipe out the whole family!

He knew that much!

"No, no, no." Deng Hei hurriedly waved his hands. "Please don't misunderstand. Even though you killed my brother, I don't want to kill you for revenge."

"Or rather, I'm actually very grateful to you."

Deng Hei smiled, his face full of gratitude.

"My brother was a beast. He took my wife and humiliated me every day. When he died, the sky finally brightened for me."

"So you weren't here to collect a debt."

Mei Ye breathed a sigh of relief. Captain Jiang was here, so it would not have been convenient for him to make a move.

Perhaps because his brother had been killed, Deng Hei was in a very good mood. He pulled Mei Ye into a corner to chat.

"Do you know why Gold Rat always manages to steal things?"

Deng Hei asked mysteriously.

"Could there be an inside man?"

Deng Hei paused. "That's certainly a novel idea, but everyone who came here to join the excitement had their identities thoroughly checked."

"We favor another theory more."

"Gold Rat isn't one person. It's a title, a symbol. Anyone who wants to steal can act under the name Gold Rat. That's why the real Gold Rat has never been caught."

"Countless incarnations..."

Mei Ye fell into thought. If that were the case, it explained how Gold Rat could be so omnipotent.

"But no matter who Gold Rat is, it has nothing to do with us." Deng Hei smiled. "We're just here to watch the show. It's only because my young master has some connection with the museum owner that I came at all."

Following Deng Hei's gaze, Mei Ye saw a man being surrounded by others. He held his head high and puffed out his chest, but his face was pale and his steps unsteady.

That had to be the young master of Qilin Dragon Group.

"I have to warn you." Deng Hei's expression turned worried when he saw his young master. "Although you helped me kill my brother, he was still part of Qilin Dragon Group. Killing him will inevitably make Qilin Dragon Group unhappy."

"Is your young master planning to kill an officer too?"

"You're not an officer."

Deng Hei emphasized, "A Demon-Suppressing Guard is just an ant. Qilin Dragon Group has plenty of ways to kick you out of the system before having you killed."

"Like how I killed Deng Bai?"

Mei Ye spoke fearlessly. "If that's the case, I hope they send someone worthwhile. Otherwise, it'll be far too disappointing."

Seeing his indifferent expression, a strange glint flashed through Deng Hei's eyes.

At that moment,

In the center of the museum, Captain Jiang, the Demon Suppression Bureau's leader, stood at an elevated spot and shouted with amplified breath.

"Ladies and gentlemen!"

The men and women exchanging toasts stopped talking and looked toward Captain Jiang.

"That damned master thief Gold Rat has set his sights on Jiangbei City's treasure."

"Our Demon Suppression Bureau will absolutely not let him succeed. As always—"

"Justice will prevail! Justice will prevail!"

Captain Jiang raised his fist high. Behind him, the museum director and several Demon Suppression Bureau captains wore grave expressions, as if they were impregnable walls.

Mei Ye withdrew his gaze, his face full of disappointment.

What did catching a thief have to do with him? They always dragged people into overtime in the middle of the night. Terrible.

Seeing that Mei Ye had lost interest, Deng Hei said, "It's too stuffy in here. Let's take a walk outside."

"Sure."

Mei Ye nodded. He glanced at his colleagues and found that their attention was elsewhere, so he boldly walked out of the museum.

Captain Jiang, who had not noticed one of his team members leaving his post, finished making his speech about certain victory. Then he and Gao Feng chatted with the museum director and the young master of Qilin Dragon Group.

"Captain Jiang, Captain Gao, you must catch that master thief!"

"That's a national treasure. If it gets lost under my watch, I'll be a sinner!"

The museum director had a gray-white beard and was nearly bald on top, yet his entire bearing was scholarly.

He was panicking now, constantly pleading with the Demon Suppression Bureau for help.

"Don't worry, Director. He's just a petty thief, nothing worth mentioning. With so many elites here, how could we possibly let him steal it away?"

Captain Jiang readily promised him. No matter what he really thought, he had to say the right thing on an occasion like this.

"Indeed, Director."

Gao Feng echoed, "Gold Rat won't steal a single thing today. Rest assured!"

He sounded extremely confident, as though he had already made every possible preparation.

Seeing the two of them boast so boldly, the museum director had his doubts, but he could only place his hopes in them.

"Director!"

Suddenly, someone came to the director's side and whispered something in his ear.

The director's eyes widened, and he cried out in shock as though he had heard something incredible.

"Director, what's wrong?"

Captain Jiang noticed his expression.

"Perhaps it's some private matter."

Tang Jianxing took a sip from his wineglass, concealing his meaningful smile.

"My apologies, gentlemen." The director composed himself. "I have an urgent matter to deal with. Please excuse me. I'll return to keep you company shortly."

With that, the director hurried away, his assistant following behind him.

Captain Jiang looked worried, feeling somewhat uneasy.

"Captain Jiang, don't worry." Tang Jianxing laughed. "It's not as if Gold Rat has already made his move. With so many of us here, how could he possibly act without anyone noticing?"

"True enough."

Captain Jiang glanced at Tang Jianxing and smiled awkwardly.

Ever since his subordinate Mei Ye had killed someone from Qilin Dragon Group in the street, he had felt somewhat uncomfortable facing Tang Jianxing.

Though this young master of the Tang family had looked rather ridiculous in the news—trying to play with women only to be rejected, then getting hit by an organized online mob—the Tang family's status as the owner of the country's largest shipyard was something Captain Jiang had to take seriously.

Fortunately, after chatting with Tang Jianxing for a while, he had never once brought up Deng Bai on his own initiative.

Captain Jiang pondered this. Perhaps the timing was wrong, or perhaps Tang Jianxing's attention was elsewhere.

That playboy had probably come to watch a show today.

And Mei Ye would not be on his mind for the time being.

Still, this needs to be dealt with.

Captain Jiang looked around the hall but did not see a certain handsome young man. He frowned.

"Have Mei Ye come over later. At the very least, he needs to show the proper attitude—have him kneel before the Tang family's young master!"

Tap, tap, tap—

Hurried footsteps rang through a corridor as the museum director hurried along, his face filled with urgency.

"How is this possible?!"

"Didn't we hide it properly? How could that person have found out?"

"This is impossible!"

The director muttered to himself as he walked, as though doing so could drive away the panic in his heart.

The real painting was actually at his home.

As the saying went, you could guard against thieves day and night, but it was hardest to guard against thieves within your own home.

Archaeologists were often the greatest thieves. Over the years, the director had sent countless cultural relics out of the country.

He had also kept several national treasures for himself as family heirlooms.

But when Gold Rat said he was going to take a famous Song dynasty painting, the director had truly been shocked.

Because that damned rat had never said whether he would come to the museum to steal it.

It was as though he already knew the genuine piece was in his home.

No!

He had to make the state guard his treasure for him!

Protecting cultural relics was everyone's responsibility!

The old director hardened his heart and sent the painting back, letting the many Demon Suppression Bureau experts protect it.

"But the painting was taken away. When I went to check, it was gone." The assistant said anxiously. "Could Gold Rat have taken it?"

"Damn it—!"

The director was furious. He rushed into a room, went behind the desk, and pushed against the wall.

The next moment, the wall actually rotated, revealing a hidden room inside.

The director hurried in, his gaze locking onto a glass display case in the center.

His pupils shrank. The treasure he had guarded—

was lying safely inside the display case.

Suddenly, the director jerked his head up. A flash of realization struck him as though he had understood something.

"So it was here."

A familiar voice came from beside his ear, but it lacked its usual respect. There was only the teasing delight and satisfaction of a successful scheme.

"You—"

The director was enraged. Before he could turn around, pain shot through his neck.

His body quickly fell apart, his consciousness ebbing away like a receding tide. He collapsed heavily to the ground.

In the instant before his consciousness sank into darkness,

he saw a pair of legs walk toward his treasure case, accompanied by the triumphant laughter of a scheme fulfilled.