Encountering a Thief

"Useless trash."

Gold Rat disdainfully stepped over the curator's body and walked toward the glass display case.

A mere little trick had broken through the man's defenses, filling him with a sense of superiority.

He looked at the treasure inside the glass case and narrowed his eyes.

"Mission complete."

He skillfully put on specially made non-slip gloves, took out a wire, and inserted it into the keyhole. With a light pry of his fingertips, the lock cylinder gave a soft click and opened.

Carefully taking out the painting, he slipped it into a black velvet bag prepared in advance. His movements were swift yet cautious.

Inside the museum banquet hall, crystal chandeliers gleamed brilliantly, and laughter filled the air amid clinking glasses. Tang Jianxing held a glass of red wine, his cheeks flushed from the alcohol as he drank with Captain Jiang beside him.

"President Tang, when will the War Dragon 3 you invested in be released? I've been dying to see it."

In the banquet hall, Tang Jianxing, Captain Jiang, and the others chatted merrily over drinks.

"What's the rush?" Tang Jianxing waved a hand drunkenly, his tone carrying a hint of pride. "We've been filming for nearly half a year. Once the post-production gets polished up, it'll be in theaters soon enough."

"That's good. My boy pesters me about it every day." Captain Jiang laughed heartily. He looked back, a trace of confusion flashing through his eyes.

"By the way, why isn't the curator back yet?"

Gao Feng suddenly felt puzzled. The curator had been gone for rather a long time.

"Ah," Tang Jianxing said carelessly, "he's probably dealing with something else."

Captain Jiang was doubtful. After thinking it over, he still felt uneasy.

He put down his wineglass and headed inside.

"Hey, Captain Jiang." Tang Jianxing hurriedly grabbed his wrist. "You're worrying over nothing. There are so many skilled Demon Suppression Bureau agents here. The curator will be fine."

"No." To Tang Jianxing's surprise, Captain Jiang refused to hear it. "The lieutenant specifically instructed me to keep watch over the museum's treasure. If anything goes wrong, I won't be able to answer to the people of Jiangbei City."

With that, he strode off to find the curator.

Seeing this, Gao Feng also set down his glass and followed Captain Jiang.

Damn it!

Tang Jianxing cursed inwardly, but he could only follow them.

The group entered the corridor together, asking along the way as they headed toward the curator.

Meanwhile, Gold Rat retrieved the treasure and left the secret room. Just as he reached the door, he saw the doorknob suddenly turn.

Click, click.

Gold Rat's heart lurched. He looked back and saw that the old curator was still unconscious, while there was nowhere nearby to hide.

Gold Rat cursed under his breath and could only run back into the secret room.

Tang Jianxing watched Captain Jiang open the door with a gloomy gaze. He took a deep breath, hoping they had already succeeded.

The two entered together, but the curator was nowhere to be seen.

However, when they saw the secret room standing open behind the desk, they were instantly shocked.

"What is that?!"

Tang Jianxing pointed at the two people on the floor.

"It's the curator and the others!"

Captain Jiang and Gao Feng were aghast. They hurried over and helped the curator up.

Tang Jianxing glanced at the other man's face, and his expression immediately darkened.

"Cough, cough...!"

The other person on the ground did not seem to be unconscious like the curator. He groaned, drawing the attention of Captain Jiang, who had been about to wake the curator.

The man looked hazily at the people in the room, then seemed to remember something.

"The museum's treasure..."

He spoke in broken fragments.

Captain Jiang abruptly looked up, only to see that the glass display case was empty.

"Was it stolen?"

Captain Jiang immediately tensed and hurriedly asked.

"A man in black infiltrated the museum. He threatened the curator into opening the secret room and forcibly took it."

"When?"

Gao Feng pressed from the side.

"A few minutes ago..."

Captain Jiang understood. He immediately picked up the walkie-talkie at his waist. "This is Jiang Liqun. This is Jiang Liqun!"

A crackle of static came from the walkie-talkie.

"Captain Jiang, what are your orders?"

"An unidentified person has infiltrated the museum. The museum's treasure has been stolen. Seal off the museum! Also, deploy personnel to secure the surrounding area. Don't let any suspicious individuals escape!"

Captain Jiang issued the orders in one breath.

"President Tang, take the curator to the hospital first. Gao Feng and I will take charge here." After putting down the walkie-talkie, Captain Jiang spoke sternly to Tang Jianxing.

"This is a serious matter, Captain Jiang. Leave this place to me."

Captain Jiang and Gao Feng nodded, then quickly left the secret room.

--

After watching that idiot leave, Tang Jianxing waited a moment before suddenly asking, "Did you get it?"

The dying man lying on the sheepskin carpet suddenly changed his bearing. He smiled faintly, got to his feet, dusted off his hands, and took out the museum's treasure before handing it to Tang Jianxing.

"The museum's treasure is right here."

Gold Rat smiled confidently. "That old man kept the painting for himself, but he couldn't safeguard it properly, so he sent it back. Still, he didn't dare replace the fake. Instead, he hid the original in his own secret room."

"These parasites..."

Tang Jianxing sneered. Taking the museum's treasure, he stroked it and carefully examined the details.

With his discerning eye, this was the painting he wanted.

Tang Jianxing was in a good mood. "I'll pay you afterward."

He glanced at Gold Rat, whose face had been seen. "You can get out of the museum on your own, right?"

"Of course. The Demon Suppression Bureau would need another ten thousand years to catch me."

Gold Rat laughed and stepped to the window. The window stood wide open, and his clothes fluttered in the breeze.

"Boss, remember to contact me if you have any work next time."

He leaped out the window and vanished into the darkness.

Meanwhile, Captain Jiang had sealed off the museum, and the surrounding streets were placed under full surveillance.

Mei Ye, who had been drinking outside with Deng Bai to pass the time, received the order. After offering Deng Bai an apology, he rose and left.

"Wait."

Deng Bai stepped in front of Mei Ye, his expression grave.

"What?"

Mei Ye gripped the hilt of his sword with his left hand, his face turning cold.

"Before you go," Deng Bai said, taking out a pair of knuckle dusters and putting them on, staring straight at Mei Ye's striking face, "I want to fight you."

"Sorry, I have urgent business."

Mei Ye refused outright, stepping past Deng Bai and striding away.

Whoosh—

Mei Ye leaned backward as an arm swept past his field of vision.

Mei Ye's gaze sharpened. He decisively drew his blade and slashed at Deng Bai.

With the clang of metal, the two were forced more than thirty feet apart.

Mei Ye faced Deng Bai from afar, his blade pointed at him, his voice icy. "You're stopping me. Are you an accomplice of Gold Rat?"

"I'm not."

Deng Bai clenched his hand. Mei Ye's strike had left his arm throbbing with pain, his bones trembling.

"I just want to settle a personal grudge with you."

Mei Ye's gaze swept over his hate-filled face, and he immediately understood.

"So you're here to avenge your brother?"

Deng Bai sneered. "You think I lied to you? I didn't. I never deceived you from beginning to end. It's true that I hated my brother, Deng Hei, and it's also true that I want revenge against you—those two things don't conflict."

"Then what was that act you put on tonight?"

"I hated my brother, but I couldn't live without him." Deng Bai's face flushed pink. "Every day, the feeling of his whip striking my back intoxicated me beyond measure. But now he's dead, and I've lost that feeling. Tell me, shouldn't you die?"

"..." Mei Ye did not know what to say for a moment. After a long pause, he finally spat out, "Disgusting."

Clang!

Another collision rang out. Mei Ye's blade came down even heavier, his momentum overwhelming, and Deng Bai nearly failed to withstand it.

"Take this!"

Deng Bai roared, spinning in place before charging like a top. His figure was as fast as a ghost, too quick even for the light to keep up with.

Mei Ye casually knocked away the attack. In that split second, he saw Deng Bai's crazed expression and his thin chest.

Slash!

A blade pierced through his chest.

Blood blossomed across the ground. Mei Ye kicked Deng Bai away like a ragged sack, coldly glanced at the twitching figure sprawled in the dirt, sheathed his blade, and turned to leave.

Deng Bai had some skill. For someone his age, he was quite good.

But he could not defeat his brother, so naturally, he could not defeat the man who had killed his brother.

Mei Ye calculated the time. He had been delayed for half a minute.

"Mei Ye...!"

Deng Bai crawled toward him, raising his head miserably. His blood-covered face was filled with a dazed expression.

Seeing that this brat was still clinging to him, Mei Ye's voice was utterly cold. "If I draw my blade again, I'll definitely kill you."

Definitely. Leaving no roots behind was his habit.

"No..." Deng Bai rasped. "I'm sorry."

He reached out and grabbed Mei Ye's black boot, leaving behind a red handprint.

Mei Ye kicked his hand away and stepped back half a step.

"When you hit me just now..." Deng Bai raised his head. Blood ran from his forehead over his pale face, creating an eerie contrast with his intoxicated expression. "It gave me such a special feeling..."

"Come on, hit me again. Ravage me!"

Deng Bai looked up at Mei Ye worshipfully, kneeling with his butt raised, his tone filled with desire.

"..."

Mei Ye retreated several more steps. This time, he was genuinely terrified.

Some things might not be able to hurt you, but the shadow they cast upon you was beyond anything else.

Taking a nauseated deep breath, Mei Ye suddenly gripped his blade and drew it an inch.

"You've wasted another half minute of my time..."

Deng Bai lay on the ground, exposing his undefended chest, his legs bent into an M as he moaned, "Is it finally coming? Oh... come on!"

"Heh."

Mei Ye sneered and stepped forward. Silver light flashed, and a bloody line appeared across Deng Bai's neck.

Deng Bai's pupils contracted slightly as the color drained from his face. Moments later, his head fell off, while his body remained in that welcoming pose.

Seeing that disgusting thing finally dead, Mei Ye felt much better.

After all, Stockholm syndrome was revolting.

Mei Ye looked at his shoes. Deng Bai's blood was still on them.

He immediately felt contaminated again.

With distaste, Mei Ye took out a piece of paper from his pocket and hurriedly wiped down his boots.

One sheet was not enough, so he took out several more and wiped them again.

After finishing, he felt much better, his entire body light.

"Time to deal with this corpse."

He had silenced both Deng brothers. One had been self-defense, while the other had been picking a fight.

But either way, he had killed people from the Qilin Dragon Group.

It would be hard to explain if he did not dispose of the bodies.

Mei Ye looked at Deng Bai's corpse again, and a chill ran through him.

He felt that getting close to someone with such bizarre fetishes would bring misfortune.

But to avoid further trouble, he could only steel himself. He quickly walked over to Deng Bai's corpse, grabbed him like garbage, and headed away.

Clang—

At that moment, the manhole cover beneath Mei Ye's feet suddenly flew open.

Mei Ye halted. Before he could even show his confusion, someone poked his head out from beneath the manhole cover.

The man looked furtive. Though he had a refined, handsome face and was dressed neatly and generously, climbing out of a manhole was not normal no matter how one looked at it.

The man poked out his head and first looked ahead. Seeing no one there, his face lit up. Then he pushed open the manhole cover with one hand, leaped out completely, and threw back his head with a wild laugh. "I knew no one could catch me! I'm the greatest thief!"

"If Gold Rat had not been born, theft through the ages would be like an endless night!"