Chapter 116: Heist in Progress—[Revised]

(Thanks to reader [l1l2x3] for advancing to Hall Master, and an additional Chapter as a token of gratitude! I recommend the new book "Only I am Venerable" by the author of "Proud Sword Soaring Cloud," Xiaodao Fengli, book number 1743644, for fans of fantasy.)

The exceptional performance of Yurong and Yue Yao attracted a lot of attention to them. Whether it was the admiring looks of men or the envious looks of women, both were bothersome, making them overlook Li Yan’s gaze.

Li Yan was somewhat surprised because Yurong didn’t seem particularly interested in or knowledgeable about antiques. She was originally here to accompany her father, Zhang Tianyi, but why were she and Yue Yao here without him? Could he have suddenly become immobile? No, when they met at noon, he appeared to be in good health.

After some contemplation, he figured that although his excuse worked well and was accepted by Yang Yun, Zhang Tianyi was still forbidden from purchasing anything before receiving any money. Worrying that he might buy more, Yang Yun either required him to be accompanied or restricted him from going out. The old man, fond of such acquisitions, had no choice but to ask his daughter to help purchase anything he liked at a reasonable price.

With Zhang Tianyi not present, Li Yan felt somewhat relieved, because when the smoke bombs and tear gas were set off, the elderly man, already in poor health, could easily get hurt, suffocate, or even end up hospitalized. But as for Yurong and Yue Yao, he could still look out for them.

Seeing Yue Yao quietly sitting next to Yurong, Li Yan hesitated a bit. If she wasn’t in front of the computer, then who was watching the account activities? Whose account was used earlier? Was it the money-laundering account managed by He Bin? If that were the case, it wouldn’t be difficult for the third elder to find out.

At this moment, he couldn’t afford to think too much and waited quietly for the plans to unfold.

After he and Sonia took their seats, they received the beautifully printed material from the auction house, which included photos and descriptions of antiques and artifacts already identified by experts. This was to allow guests to assess the value of the antiques in advance and decide whether to participate in the bidding.

Li Yan skimmed through it without much interest, while Sonia seemed thoroughly engaged.

He continued observing the guests at the venue, where people arrived continually, often greeting each other as acquaintances. Li Yan, posing as a fake foreigner, and Sonia, an actual foreigner, didn’t seem out of place, as there were quite a few foreigners present. Many of the antiques and artifacts this time were from Celestial Continent.

"Damn it!"

As Li Yan was observing his surroundings, Sonia suddenly cursed in Chinese, surprising him a bit. It seemed that no matter the location, cursing was always the quickest to learn.

"What’s up?" Seeing her swear at the brochure, he knew it wasn’t directed at him.

Sonia whispered, "The person who helped us with the goods and arranged my way into the auction house deceived us! They said this batch of antiques was estimated at over 50 million International Coin. But after I calculated, just the antiques listed in this booklet alone exceed 50 million by a lot, not to mention those being auctioned by local collectors tonight. The number of antiques and artifacts appearing tonight is far beyond that figure!"

"That’s typical. This brochure inflates the value to highlight the antiques’ worth. The dealer, hoping to make a sale, definitely underestimated it for you all."

"Humph... We’ll have Victoria negotiate with him later!"

"Let’s wait until we have the goods in hand first!" Li Yan wasn’t too optimistic even about them getting half. Though he initiated the decision, old ten was a professional master thief, and his team had prepared meticulously for this operation; how could they settle for just half? Their skills certainly surpassed those of Sonia and her crew.

"Yes, once we have the goods, we’ll have leverage to negotiate." 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"Why are we here? Aren’t the items next door? This might not be the safest place in case of an attack."

"We’re close! Plus, the security won’t suspect the guests here. Going through that door will be the quickest!" Sonia indicated with her eyes. It wasn’t the entrance but the path for moving the antiques over later. Indeed, it was very close to the next room.

"So, we need to correctly gauge the situation. But if there’s a tear gas attack, don’t we lack gas masks and oxygen tanks?" Li Yan said with a smile.

Sonia laughed too, "Who are you? Would you be that delicate?"

...

Time passed slowly as they chatted. Tonight, during this period, many people were extremely anxious and tense. For them, time dragged on slowly, very slowly.

Li Yan’s peripheral vision continued to monitor Yue Yao’s movements, noticing her slightly adjust her phone. Shortly after, his phone vibrated. Upon checking, it displayed a simple message: "Received."

"What’s the situation?" At this crucial moment, Sonia relied on Li Yan and also had to ensure his cooperation, knowing that his decisions could directly influence the outcome.

"Good news. Your funds have been received." Li Yan smiled and nodded, extending his hand, "Pleasure working with you."