Lin Wan shook her head. “No more politics. Time to move.”
Lu Zheng nodded. At that moment, the warm-up in the auction hall ahead had ended. A team of staff and security personnel was already heading to the vault to open it and bring the first batch of items to the venue.
The instant the staff opened the vault doors…
Snap!
Lu Zheng snapped his fingers. Explosions rang out continuously all over the venue.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding…
The entire building lost power. Fire alarms blared throughout the structure. Thick smoke instantly filled every camera lens. Temperatures soared, rendering all infrared equipment useless.
…
In the auction hall, several ornate rubbish bins suddenly exploded. Flames shot skyward, engulfing the main hall in an instant. After a brief stunned pause, all the guests descended into total pandemonium.
“Explosion!”
“Terrorist attack! Terrorist attack!”
“Run!”
Though no one had seen any assailants, everyone rushed towards the nearest safety exits. They had not gone far when they saw the main building doors completely blocked by flames.
“There are other emergency exits at the back!”
Hundreds of people surged chaotically in multiple streams, scrambling through the hall in search of safe ways out.
…
Compared to the guests and ordinary staff, the security personnel of course knew the inside story. The moment the explosions began, they immediately ran towards the vault, though the panicked crowds, flames everywhere, and spraying sprinklers slowed them down considerably.
At the vault entrance, the instant the explosions started, Lu Zheng took advantage of everyone’s distraction and the failed cameras. He produced a barrel of fuel from thin air and ignited it instantly.
Boom!
A loud blast. Flames roared upwards.
All the staff and security present instinctively ducked and fled hurriedly towards the exits.
Then, the two of them strolled calmly into the vault and swept every single item clean.
“There are actually a few trackers. They really have so little confidence in themselves?” Lu Zheng raised an eyebrow, patted his gourd, pulled out ten trackers, and casually tossed them onto the floor.
Lin Wan glanced down. “These are even the latest anti-jamming detection models.”
“Shall we go?” Lu Zheng asked.
Lin Wan nodded. “Let’s go.”
…
Upstairs, CIA command centre.
The moment the explosions hit, the commander froze, shocked. “How did they place so many bombs?”
“Report: cameras show nothing!”
“Report: all infrared equipment offline!”
“Report: total chaos in the hall!”
“Report: explosion at the vault. Security personnel have withdrawn from the vault area!”
“Send them back!” the commander snarled, face twisted. “Those bastards are in the vault right now! They don’t have much time!”
An agent turned, incredulous. “But there was just an explosion there too?”
“The blast wasn’t severe. It was mostly flames and smoke. You think they’d burn themselves?” the commander roared. “Idiot! Once the guests are evacuated, we’ll restore order fast. How much time do you think they have to move the items?”
The commander swore, then turned to another agent. “Any anomalies in the ventilation ducts?”
“None!” The agent shook his head quickly. “The duct sensors never triggered. Maybe they aren’t planning to escape through the vents this time?”
The commander’s assistant said, “The scene is chaotic. They’re probably planning to blend into the crowd and leave.”
“Get those security personnel back in there!” the commander barked. “What about our people among the waitstaff? Send them too!”
“We’re closing in. Almost at the vault.” An urgent voice came over the earpiece. “We’ve met the fleeing security. Heading back together.”
“If you see anyone suspicious, give them a full burst!” the commander shouted. “This is a terrorist attack now!”
“Yes, sir!”
The team leader acknowledged, then led everyone to the vault entrance.
By now, the overhead sprinklers had nearly extinguished the flames and smoke at the doorway. Everyone smelled a strong odour of fuel.
“Petrol?”
“It’s petrol! Bloody hell, it’s a standard Federal Oil barrel!” An agent picked up a fragment of barrel at his feet, the clear Federal Oil logo visible.
“Damn it, all fuel? How did they get it in?”
“Never mind that. Check the vault first!” the team leader said urgently, then waved his men forward. Everyone held their weapons ready, cautiously approaching the open alloy doors and peering inside.
“What’s the situation?” the commander demanded.
“Report… uh… items gone…” The team leader stared at the empty vault, dumbfounded.
“F**k! It was only bloody five minutes!” the commander raged.
His assistant glanced at his watch, opened his mouth, but said nothing. After all, seven minutes and five minutes were not that different.
The commander spun round to an agent in the corner. “Pull up the tracker locations!”
For insurance, they had placed trackers in ten of the hundred-plus items. They had not expected them to actually come in useful.
But the agent looked embarrassed. “Tracker locations unchanged.”
The commander stared blankly. Then the vault team leader spotted the scattered trackers on the floor. “I’ve found the trackers.”
“What?” The commander asked, then saw the live video feed from the team leader.
Everyone, “…”
“They must have the most advanced scanners!” the assistant said immediately.
He had personally placed those ten trackers, hidden extremely well. To find them all in such a short time, they could only have cutting-edge detection equipment.
But it was too late for such talk now. The commander shouted urgently, “All perimeter units surround the venue. Detain every staff member leaving!”
“Yes!”
“Snipers in position. Watch all suspicious persons and vehicles!”
“Yes!”
“Monitor all departing vehicles. Especially panel vans! Stop and search every one!”
“Yes!”
The commander yanked off his headset, slammed it onto the table, and roared, “F**k!”
At that moment, his phone rang. The assistant glanced down and saw the caller was none other than the major seller who had been preparing to offload goods this time.
The assistant’s eyes flickered. He gave his commander a subtle look.
This seller was no ordinary figure. Though not as wealthy as some top tycoons, his position in the Elephant Party was far from low. Combined with the other sellers who had suffered heavy losses, the commander was probably in serious trouble this time.
After all… underground auctions… had no insurance…
