Chapter 117: Envious Moved

The standoff between both sides was brief. In fact, not much time had passed since the explosions began. But this was no time for games; time was incredibly precious for everyone involved. Every extra second gained meant an extra measure of safety.

For the Old Ten gang’s side, any delay increased the risk of being captured by the security company, hotel security, or the arriving police. Moreover, they’d have to exert more effort to deal with Rose’s people.

Thus, seizing the moment with only two Assassins present and no reinforcements, they followed the order without further commotion. Upon hearing Li Yan say "for the last time," someone responded in international language, "Alright, we’ll take half!"

If more opponents had arrived, they might not have even got half, but for now, they had half the people on guard. Their preparation was meticulous, with their retreat, truck, and lift already set up outside.

At this moment, there was no value in distinguishing worth. When they mentioned taking half, it meant roughly half of all the items. In the current state of darkness, removing the antiques was a gamble. They could either take away all the most valuable pieces or just a batch of the least valuable ones.

Sonia, seeing that Li Yan had negotiated a deal with the group, felt somewhat relieved. Li Yan had fired several shots, maintaining control of the situation, and it was temporarily safe. Her concern was why their people hadn’t arrived yet. Although not much time had passed, compared to their opponents breaking through walls from the outside, their frontal assault was much more troublesome. They faced more security reinforcements and had to control and disperse more people, making the transport of goods even farther.

Fortunately, she didn’t have to wait long. The nearest group, after distracting part of the hotel’s attention with the bomb attack, had used smoke and tear gas to engulf the area and now rushed in with masks and goggles. To their surprise, a large section of the security guards was already down.

"Move the goods! Take this half!" Sonia commanded in international language.

Watching her team laboriously moving items compared to the swift team that had come through the blown-out wall, nearly done in no time, Sonia felt anxious.

However, they had prepared plenty of personnel, and everyone was moving quickly. After the bomb, their vehicle had already arrived outside, and those carrying the antiques hastily headed toward the cars outside the hotel. To maximize their haul, they avoided using boxes or crates and carried the antiques and artifacts directly.

Before they had even managed half, Old Ten’s people had already taken away their share. Seeing two gunmen covering their exit, they didn’t dare gamble further and left one by one through the blasted wall hole.

Watching their sudden and swift action, Sonia reflected that if her side had used a similar approach, maybe it would be more efficient than a frontal assault.

There was no room for regret now; they had to rely on their numbers to move the items away.

As those people retreated and the outside lift descended, illuminated by the streetlights, Li Yan, adjusted to the dim inside, noticed something thrown in through the blasted wall hole.

Instinctively he knew it was far from good, likely a bomb or grenade! It seemed Old Ten’s gang, deciding that if they couldn’t have it, they’d rather destroy it, while leaving a lot for the police as evidence!

His body reacted instantly; he leapt forward and in a backward somersault, kicked the object quickly out.

Shortly afterward, as Li Yan supported himself on the ground and flipped back up, the third explosion of the night echoed from not far outside!

The blast brought forth another wave of screams from the next room! When visible, people could remain somewhat calm, but as smoke and tear gas spread to the conference hall, along with nearby explosions, more people started losing their calm.

Li Yan looked through the broken wall and saw the bomb hadn’t landed on their vehicle, which was already driving away. Smoke and tear gas had also spread here but were not as thick as outside. He took a deep breath facing outside.

"Hurry up and wrap it up! You all leave, don’t worry about me," he briefly instructed Sonia before rushing out.

In the hallway outside, although there was smoke, the lights were bright enough to see a bit. But with tear gas mixed in, anyone unprepared would have eyes stinging, tearing up, and in pain.

As they clutched and carried the antiques frantically away, Li Yan removed his wig, sideburns, and beard disguises, relying on instinct to head toward the side conference room.

After a few steps, Li Yan sensed someone attacking him!

Without protective gear, it was bearable inside the resting lounge, but in the hallway, it was tough. With eyes tightly shut, he could only rely on instinct to defend himself.

After a brief exchange, Li Yan was at a disadvantage and about to lose. Just then, he heard the person attacking him softly ask, "Li Yan?"