Chapter 136: The Capture of the Great Thief

After returning to their hotel, Roster and the others developed all the photos they had taken and laid them out.

Every single one of these photos captured the exact positions of the armed police officers. It was only when they realized they were being trailed that they stopped taking pictures.

"The person who just tried to tail us is definitely from the Chinese security department. We need to speed up our operations. If they track us down, everything we've done will be for nothing."

Noticing the surveillance on his way back today, Roster knew they had been targeted by Chinese security personnel the moment they entered the exhibition venue.

"I think we should strike from the roof of the venue. If we break in from inside the building at night, there's a high probability we'll be caught on camera."

Carter tapped a few keys on his laptop, bringing up the architectural blueprint of the exhibition hall. This detailed schematic not only showed the three-dimensional structure of the venue but also meticulously marked all wiring and fire-fighting facilities.

"We can get in through their fire escape route. I can hack into their network and paralyze all their surveillance cameras so they won't capture our movements."

Carter offered a suggestion. He was a genius hacker who had once breached the FBI's secure network before becoming a globally wanted fugitive.

"I'll provide external support for you two. From here, there's a direct route to Zhongyuan Airport. Once we pull this off, we can escape straight through there."

Roster drew a line on the map, representing the highway leading directly from the exhibition hall to the airport.

"Sivier, it's all up to you this time." While Carter was responsible for disabling the internal surveillance network and Roster for backup and getaway preparations, the success of the mission ultimately rested on Sivier.

"Don't worry, leave it to me. I'm already looking forward to the three of us drinking champagne in the Maldives while admiring the Sarira left behind by the ancient Chinese eminent monk."

Sivier's face radiated total confidence. Having scouted the venue twice today, he had committed the staff deployment and interior pathways entirely to memory.

"Then let's not waste any time. We'll make our move tonight at two in the morning." Having finalized their strategy, Roster and his accomplices locked in the execution time.

***

"Pidan, tell the armed police to wait by that exit. Those three international master thieves will definitely try to escape from there toward Zhongyuan Airport."

While the international thief trio was holding their meeting, Chu Feng and his team were holding theirs as well—one side plotting to steal the Sarira, the other determined to protect it.

"Don't worry, Brother Feng, leave it to me. As long as they show their faces, I guarantee they won't be leaving." Pidan patted his chest, assuring Chu Feng. He was thrilled to be part of this operation, having previously been relegated to scouting duties.

"Ziyang, stay near the exhibition hall and wait for my command. I suspect that to break in, they'll use Carter's hacking skills to disable the network and render all interior surveillance useless."

Chu Feng understood the trio quite well; he had already memorized the intelligence dossiers provided by Long Feihu, which outlined each member's specific role.

Roster was in charge of backup and perimeter watch, Carter handled cyberattacks, and Sivier was the one who would actually infiltrate and retrieve the target—a career thief who had been stealing since childhood.

With their plan set, Chu Feng and his team headed straight for the exhibition hall, intending to stake it out and await Roster's arrival.

By 1:00 AM, Roster and his accomplices quietly slipped out of their hotel. They chose not to drive, as a vehicle would draw too much attention.

First, they took a taxi to a hotel adjacent to the exhibition hall. Upon arrival, instead of checking in, they lingered in the lobby for a short while before walking directly toward the exhibition venue.

"Chu Feng, those three have arrived. They are heading toward the exhibition hall." Stationed at the very top of the exhibition hall to monitor the situation, Ziyang reported back to Chu Feng.

Upon receiving Ziyang's report, Chu Feng immediately instructed Pidan to get ready outside. What happened inside the exhibition hall didn't matter, as the genuine artifacts had already been removed and replaced entirely with replicas.

Shortly after, a foreigner dressed in black night-gear quietly infiltrated the exhibition hall. Before he entered, Carter had already disabled all the surveillance recordings for him.

This was Sivier, executing the pre-arranged plan. However, there was one detail they failed to notice: the armed police officers who had been standing guard during the day were nowhere to be found tonight.

Sivier stealthily approached the safe housing the counterfeit Sarira. This safe had been specially prepared by Zhao Deyong; weighing over three hundred pounds, it was too heavy for anyone to carry away. Moreover, any attempt to break it open by brute force would instantly trigger an alarm.

Approaching the safe, Sivier pulled a very thin piece of iron wire from his coat, bent it into a loop, and slowly inserted it into the keyhole.

Once inserted, he pressed his ear against the metal surface to listen to the internal mechanisms. While there were many ways to crack a safe, his method was simple and brutal—once the safe was opened, the core lock mechanism would be permanently destroyed.

After about a minute, the heavy door of the safe swung open. Hiding in the shadows and witnessing this, Chu Feng could not help a flash of secret astonishment; it seemed Sivier genuinely possessed real talent.

As soon as the safe was open, Sivier quickly slipped the fake Sarira into a bag, shut the safe door back up, and left a note on top.

With that done, Sivier slung the bag containing the counterfeit relic over his shoulder and made his way out of the exhibition hall. Meanwhile, executing their original plan, Roster had already stolen a car from the roadside and was waiting to extract Sivier and Carter.

"Pidan, it's your turn." Seeing Sivier leave, Chu Feng stepped out from the shadows and spoke into his radio mic.

Receiving Chu Feng's signal, Pidan immediately gave a hand gesture to the darkness. The armed police and tactical officers concealed all around sprang into readiness, waiting for the three international thieves to break cover.

Two minutes later, Sivier and Carter emerged from the exhibition hall together and climbed into the car parked by the roadside.

Seeing them board the vehicle, Pidan signaled an assault. The armed police and SWAT officers who had been lying in ambush rushed out from all directions in an instant, surrounding Roster's car completely.

Looking at the heavily armed officers swarming outside their vehicle, Roster and his accomplices froze in utter shock. The three of them had foolishly believed their operation was airtight, completely unaware that every single move they made had been under surveillance all along.