Chapter 165: Trip to the British Museum, Overseas Tremors!

After eating and drinking his fill, the weasel patted his swollen, round belly, belched contentedly.

The two roasted chickens had been devoured by it; Zhao Jianhua stared at the pile of chicken bones on the table, dumbfounded, couldn't help but smack his lips, feeling the weasel's stomach was like a bottomless pit.

Clearly it was so small in stature, yet no one knew where all the food had gone.

Probably Zhao Jianhua's gaze was too obvious; the weasel glared at him, and he dared not let his eyes wander elsewhere.

"Squeak—"

The weasel pointed at himself, then at Zhao Jianhua; after this bit of gesturing, Zhao Jianhua actually understood what the weasel meant.

"Huang Daxian is saying, the expert sent you to come with me?"

The weasel nodded.

"I understand."

Perhaps Huang Daxian was sent by the expert to help, or perhaps to supervise; but no matter what, Zhao Jianhua's trip to the British Museum was imperative, otherwise he would never find peace.

Zhao Jianhua had no doubt about the weasel's abilities; since the expert sent it, there must be a deeper meaning, possessing such unfathomable methods, perhaps it could lend him a hand.

"Huang Daxian, please wait a moment; I'll go handle the passport and procedures right away."

The weasel gestured for Zhao Jianhua to hurry; watching Zhao Jianhua's shadow as he took his ID and left, the weasel wasn't worried Zhao Jianhua would flee, for even if he ran to the ends of the earth, it could find him.

Zhao Jianhua no longer dared to harbor any ulterior motives; after submitting the documents, he quickly returned home, after all he had already witnessed those miraculous powers; even if he ran, the weasel could track him down.

As night fell, he lay anxiously on the bed; after these days of torment, he had developed a shadow over sleep.

Even though his body was already at the breaking point, he dared not sleep again, fearing that closing his eyes would mean being chased by White Bone and the tiger.

At this moment, Zhao Jianhua's eyelids felt as heavy as a thousand jin; he couldn't help but nod off, yet thinking of those scenes in his dream, he became alert again.

He instinctively glanced at the weasel beside him; at this moment, it was smacking its lips, sleeping soundly; Zhao Jianhua cautiously called out: "Huang Daxian?"

The weasel opened its deep, dark animal eyes, showing a bit of displeasure at being disturbed, "Squeak squeak squeak!"

Seeing the weasel seemed angry, Zhao Jianhua quickly explained:

"Great Immortal, I didn't mean to disturb you; I just wanted to ask, I probably won't have nightmares tonight, right? Great Immortal, could you say a word for me? If this continues, my body might not take it; then I'd have no energy to carry out the mission."

The weasel impatiently flicked its paw, then turned away, revealing its fluffy tail.

Zhao Jianhua was somewhat puzzled by this gesture, unsure whether the weasel agreed or not, yet dared not speak again to disturb it.

Thus, trembling with anxiety, not knowing when he fell asleep, a night without dreams, wind and waves calm.

Zhao Jianhua finally no longer needed to be tormented by nightmares; if not for the squeaking sound in his ear, he might have slept until morning.

His cheek felt slightly itchy, as if something was drifting to and fro; Zhao Jianhua, half-asleep, opened his eyes to see a furry face, and cried out in fright!

"Ah!"

That yellow shadow was also startled by his shout, its bean-sized eyes glaring angrily; Zhao Jianhua belatedly realized, only then did he notice a weasel had appeared in his home.

"Squeak squeak squeak!"

Though he didn't know what it meant, from the weasel's expression, it seemed to be swearing profusely.

Having not slept so well in a long time, enjoying this long-lost peace, Zhao Jianhua couldn't help but feel elated, "Great Immortal, don't be angry; I'll go get you a few roasted chickens right now."

The weasel nodded satisfied; the two thus passed a period of time peacefully and uneventfully.

During the passport application period, Zhao Jianhua was also not idle; he kept studying the route maps of the British Museum, devising a perfect plan.

After the passport was issued, Zhao Jianhua immediately bought the nearest flight to Y Country.

Only, how the weasel would follow him was a problem.

"Great Immortal, why not I arrange pet transport for you, and when we arrive—"

Hearing this, the weasel's eyes grew deep and dark, it bared its sharp claws, and fiercely gestured in the air several times.

Zhao Jianhua quickly apologized, "Great Immortal, don't be angry; I of course know you're not a pet, and I wouldn't dare treat you as one; it's just a matter of expediency."

The weasel pointed at Zhao Jianhua's backpack.

After this period of getting along, Zhao Jianhua, through guesswork, could roughly understand what the weasel wanted to express.

"You want to go into my backpack?"

He quickly shook his head, "That won't do; airport security isn't for show; you'd definitely be caught then, and it would be troublesome."

The weasel still insisted, swaying its fluffy tail, looking confident.

Zhao Jianhua stroked his chin, recalling how the weasel had followed him from the mountains all the way to his home without anyone noticing; perhaps it really had some way.

Moreover, the expert had said before that talismans would help him at critical moments; perhaps they could fool the security check.

After packing everything, one person and one weasel also arrived at the airport.

At the security checkpoint, Zhao Jianhua unconsciously touched his backpack, unsure if it was guilt from doing something wrong, but he always felt someone was watching him.

The black backpack looked ordinary; who would have thought there was actually a weasel inside.

What if the airport inspection discovered it? How should he explain?

Zhao Jianhua couldn't help but let his mind wander; however, fear what comes, comes.

"There seems to be something inside this backpack; open it for inspection."

Hearing the staff's words, Zhao Jianhua's heart leapt completely into his throat; he even dared not turn around, frantically organizing words in his mind.

"Um—"

He cleared his throat, preparing to speak, when a honest male voice came from behind.

"Alright."

Zhao Jianhua turned his head, only to see another man opening his brown bag, taking out everything inside.

The staff picked out a few items from it, "These, and these, are not compliant; they are not allowed on the plane."

So it wasn't about him after all.

Zhao Jianhua couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief, wiped the sweat from his forehead; he had stood there too long, already affecting those behind; the staff couldn't help but remind: "Sir, you may go now."

Zhao Jianhua quickly picked up his backpack, hurried to the waiting lounge, found a secluded corner, unzipped his backpack, and a furry little head poked out from inside.

The weasel surveyed its surroundings, its beastly eyes filled with curiosity.

Zhao Jianhua lowered his voice, "Immortal, are you alright?"

The weasel shook its head.

"We'll be on the plane for a long time, Immortal, hang in there—once we get to Y Country, I'll treat you to a big meal."

Occasionally someone passed by, but due to the angle, they couldn't see the small head inside the backpack, which Zhao Jianhua had completely blocked.

To outsiders, it looked like he was muttering to the wall corner, behaving strangely—so much so that passersby quickened their steps, thinking Zhao Jianhua might have some mental issue.

As Zhao Jianhua and the weasel were talking, a small figure approached them.

"Uncle, why are you talking to the air?"

The sudden childish voice startled Zhao Jianhua; the weasel quickly shrank back, but the little boy still caught a glimpse of that yellow shadow.

The little boy widened his eyes and opened his mouth into an O shape, "Uncle, how can you bring a pet? My mom said pets aren't allowed on planes."

Zhao Jianhua quickly smiled, "You're mistaken, little friend—just now that wasn't a pet, it's my doll."

The little boy clearly didn't believe him, answering seriously, "Uncle, I'm young—don't lie to me, that's clearly——"

Before he could finish, a tall woman walked over, took his hand, and said with a worried expression:

"Xiao Jie, didn't I tell you to wait here and not run off? What if you run into bad people?"

"Mom, I just saw that uncle—he's really weird."

The woman looked where Xiao Jie was pointing—empty space—"Xiao Jie, what are you talking about? There's no one there."

As it turned out, while the mother and son chatted, Zhao Jianhua had already slipped away.

Xiao Jie scratched his head, "Weird—just now that uncle was still here."

The woman led Xiao Jie away, "It's about time—we should go check in."

Xiao Jie looked around, trying to spot Zhao Jianhua, and soon noticed the familiar black backpack, faintly seeing a fluffy head inside, and looked toward where he was.

"Mom, next time we go back, let's bring Lele too."

Lele is the dog we keep at home; the woman sighed helplessly, "Didn't I tell you, Xiao Jie? Pets aren't allowed on planes, and pet shipping is a hassle and a waste of money."

Xiao Jie shook his head, "No way—just now that uncle brought his pet, I saw it."

The woman didn't take his words seriously, dismissing it as a child throwing a tantrum, and casually said, "Okay, okay, next time we'll bring Lele."

Only then did Xiao Jie break into a satisfied smile.

Meanwhile, Zhao Jianhua had already walked off—this time it was just a kid, so he could bluff his way through, but if he ran into airport staff, eight mouths couldn't explain it.

As check-in time drew near, he held the backpack in front of him, and through the zipper gap, he could faintly see those green, eerie beast eyes.

"Immortal, we're boarding soon—once on the plane, it'll be more crowded, so we must be extra careful."

Even the security check was passed with a blur—only the final step remained, and Zhao Jianhua didn't want any trouble at this stage.

Fortunately, the flight was smooth and uneventful; after takeoff, the weasel stayed quiet in the backpack.

Not moving a muscle—if not for the slight rising and falling, Zhao Jianhua would have thought the weasel had died.

After leaving the airport, he found a secluded spot and quickly opened the backpack.

"Immortal Huang Daxian, are you alright?"

Only to see the weasel lying inside, its beast eyes dull and lifeless—hard to imagine, but on its furry face, he saw an expression of utter despair.

Upon contact with fresh air, the weasel's tiny nose twitched, finally infused with some vitality, awakening the life within its body—like an arrow released from a bow, it shot out instantly.

Zhao Jianhua stared, mouth agape, watching the yellow afterimage in the air, then ran to the grass beside him and vomited violently.

He finally understood why the weasel had been so still on the plane—it was airsick, so it made no movement at all.

Zhao Jianhua was simultaneously laughing and crying.

The weasel vomited for a long time, then slowly recovered, weakly waving its paw to show a five—Zhao Jianhua immediately understood.

"No problem—five roasted chickens, coming right up for Immortal."

As soon as he heard "roasted chicken," the weasel sprang back to life on the spot.

After a brief rest, the two prepared to head to their destination.

On the European-style square, blond, blue-eyed Y Country nationals walked to and fro, countless white pigeons circled and danced beneath the blue sky and white clouds, forming a beautiful scene.

The British Museum stands here, beside it is Roland Lake—its green waters reflect the white palace buildings, grand and majestic, filled with ancient Roman style, truly radiant.

"We've finally arrived."

The British Museum is the oldest and largest museum in the world, housing countless artifacts and treasures from around the globe, unmatched by any other museum worldwide.

Yet behind its seemingly splendid appearance lies guilt—many of its collections were looted by Y Country during its 18th to 19th century wars, mainly affecting Greece, Egypt, and Xia.

This is one reason why its collection is so rich.

Artifacts and treasures from various countries, gathered as treasures, were looted by these bandits, taken from their homes to the other side of the ocean, and even shamelessly displayed by them.

Xia has long sought the return of its cultural relics, having negotiated multiple times with Y Country, but once they got their hands on the items, Y Country refused to give them up—always pretending not to hear or understand.

Thinking of this, even as a thief, Zhao Jianhua cursed and felt indignant.

After all, even if he's a thief, he's still a Xia person—patriotism cannot be changed.

Fortunately, entrusted by a senior, he is to bring back one artifact to Xia, to fight poison with poison—then the British Museum will face consequences.

Thinking that someone as insignificant as himself could one day contribute to his country, he couldn't help but feel stirred.

"If I pull off this theft, I'll be able to brag about it for life."

"If a thief reaches this level, he deserves to be called a great bandit!"

Now it's afternoon, crowds surge, tourists from all over gather in great numbers.

As the crowd entered the museum, the interior decoration was even more magnificent and splendid, filled with ancient aura, as if passing through time and space.

The artifacts displayed in glass cases show future generations the once-glorious history—treasures and crystals settled in the long river of time.

Zhao Jianhua headed straight for the Eastern Pavilion, gazing at the dazzling exhibits, his eyes flashing with desire, "Anything taken out from here would be worth a fortune."

The ancient scroll unfurled slowly, silently narrating the long history of the Great Xia.

The figures in the painting were lifelike, their postures natural, details rendered with exquisite precision, brushwork fine and strong, colors elegant and moist—truly the work of Gu Kaizhi's Admonitions of the Instructress to the Court Ladies.

It is the earliest extant silk painting, its status in Great Xia's art history self-evident; it is a pity that what should have been displayed in the capital museum now lies overseas.

Besides, the British Museum also houses the tri-colored glazed Liao Dynasty arhats from Yixian and the Dunhuang murals, their preciousness immeasurable; alas, they have all fallen abroad, causing heartache.

Moreover, the antique shelves nearby were packed tight with Eastern antiquities, so dense there was hardly any gap.

Gazing upon his homeland's cultural treasures now surviving in this cramped space, with many people nearby taking photos, Zhao Jianhua felt a complex emotion.

If these artifacts were exiles far from home, they too must surely long for their homeland.

Zhao Jianhua unconsciously clenched his fists, unable to stop muttering: "If these artifacts could all return to the East, I would henceforth be a hero of the Great Xia!"

To let them return to the embrace of their motherland is also the hope of many Great Xia people, alas, the road is long and far.

"Squeak—"

A squeaking sound came from the backpack, pulling Zhao Jianhua back to his thoughts, nearly making him forget his important mission here.

"Great Immortal, don't be anxious; now is not a good time to act."

Even if given talismans by a master, Zhao Jianhua had not yet reached the point of reckless daring; to commit a crime in broad daylight would be nothing short of inviting capture.

After roughly touring the entire museum and planning the route, Zhao Jianhua already had a plan: "We'll act after dark."

As night gradually fell, the afterglow of the setting sun bathed the white buildings, gilding them with a faint gold light; only a few pigeons remained on the square.

The British Museum had reached closing time; visitors departed one by one, the once bustling museum now silent.

At intervals, security patrols passed, checking conditions throughout the museum, while cameras monitored in real time.

On the empty corridors came the patter of footsteps; several security teams shone flashlights, carefully examining their surroundings, armed with guns.

At every exhibition hall exit stood guards, tightly sealing the perimeter—so tight not even a mosquito could fly in.

Moreover, at closing time, the glass cases of exhibits would automatically lock; anyone attempting to open them would trigger an alarm.

Zhao Jianhua lay in ambush in the nearby greenery belt; this belt was over half a person tall, completely concealing his figure without issue.

Seeing those armed guards, his heart felt some trepidation; though he had been a thief for so long, he had never experienced such a grand spectacle.

Should he be slightly careless, misstep, a single bullet could send him to the west.

Even with preparations made, Zhao Jianhua could not help but feel some apprehension, after all, this concerned his life and fortune.

"Great Immortal, you said the talismans given by the master—do they truly have miraculous effects?"

"Squeak squeak squeak!"

The weasel's expression showed some impatience, urging Zhao Jianhua to act quickly.

"Great Immortal, if something truly happens later, you must not abandon me to die; seeing as I've fed you so much roasted chicken, you must protect me."

The weasel nodded, pushing Zhao Jianhua with its paws.

Zhao Jianhua took out the yellow talisman from his pocket, stuck it on himself, and also gave one to the weasel; according to the master, this yellow talisman has the effect of breath concealment and stealth, ensuring their silent intrusion.

With the yellow talisman affixed, Zhao Jianhua felt no change, unable to help muttering: "Is it really this miraculous?"

He glanced at the weasel beside him, putting on a fawning smile: "Why don't you, Great Immortal, go test it? Even if something really happens, with your abilities you could still escape."

If the yellow talisman had no effect, his appearing here at night would be highly suspicious, and he would surely be detained by the guards for thorough questioning, possibly causing much trouble.

But if it were the weasel, there would be fewer concerns; if the talisman failed, he could still think of other ways to sneak in.

The weasel rolled its eyes, disdainful of Zhao Jianhua's timidity.

"Great Immortal, I am merely being cautious; think—if I were caught, who would buy you roasted chicken to eat?"

The weasel thought it over, found it reasonable, nodded, and indicated willingness to act as vanguard.

Zhao Jianhua rejoiced: "Thank you, Great Immortal; when the time comes, I will surely offer you much roasted chicken!"

The weasel emerged from the greenery belt, swaggering toward the museum, arriving at the main gate; strangely, the guards showed no reaction!

Seeing this scene, Zhao Jianhua's heart skipped a beat.

The weasel made faces at the guards, even twisting its body, continuously tumbling and leaping in midair, performing various movements, making even Zhao Jianhua break into a sweat.

The guards' eyes were like ornaments, utterly oblivious to the wanton weasel before them.

Zhao Jianhua could not help but swallow, his heart pounding like a drum, he stepped forward cautiously.

Three meters, two meters, one meter.

As he saw the guards drawing nearer yet still showing no reaction, his movements gradually became bolder, even stepping out with the reckless stride of the weasel, as if ignoring six kin.

This feeling was truly exhilarating!

Though the British Museum's security was strict, he could stride boldly before the eyes of many and enter.

Zhao Jianhua waved at those guards, entering the exhibition hall.

From the guards' perspective, there was nothing before them, nor any abnormality around.

Yet one person could not help but say: "I feel as if someone just passed by."

Hearing this, Zhao Jianhua, not far away, thought the invisibility talisman had suddenly failed; his body stiffened instantly, as if paused, daring not to move.

His companion hearing this found it amusing: "Here, not even a ghost's shadow, let alone a person."

"That's also true."

After chatting a while, they said nothing more.

It was merely a false alarm.

Zhao Jianhua silently cursed, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead.

Those guards absolutely could not have imagined that just moments ago, one person and one beast had walked in openly.

The weasel's eyes, the size of mung beans, flashed with a faint light, vigilantly surveying the surroundings.

Zhao Jianhua's heart rate jumped more urgently than usual; though he had stolen many things before, this was his first time at a museum, and moreover, the world-renowned British Museum.

Even with the protection of the invisibility talisman, he could not afford to be careless; for if discovered, it could be said his effort was all for naught.

Although the invisibility talisman can make a person invisible, it cannot conceal other movements and sounds, just like just now, the security guard seemed to sense something; if one were to accidentally make a sound, they would also be noticed.

"We must act swiftly and decisively, lest we invite complications over time."

Since Zhao Jianhua had already scouted the area during the day, he quickly arrived at the location of the Oriental Exhibition Hall.

Looking at the surrounding surveillance cameras, Zhao Jianhua decided to deal with these monitors.

"Great Immortal, these monitors are entrusted to you."

The weasel raised its head, patted its chest, and assumed a posture of taking responsibility.

Only to see it leap into the air, aided by its cultivation level, jump to a position level with the surveillance camera, its tail flicking upward as a pale yellow gas erupted from behind, enveloping the lens.

The entire process took only a few seconds; by the time Zhao Jianhua reacted, the weasel had already landed steadily on the ground.

Zhao Jianhua stared in disbelief, unable to resist giving a thumbs-up, "No wonder it's you!"

Never did I expect the weasel's method of resolution to be so unique.

Zhao Jianhua took out the additional talismans Ye Qin had given him earlier, one of which was used to locate items bearing the aura of time's wear and tear.

According to the expert, any artifact that causes the talisman to glow is what he seeks.

No matter how he looked at it, the talisman appeared utterly ordinary; Zhao Jianhua couldn't help muttering, "Will it really glow? Or is this just deceiving me?"

By now, there was no time to ponder further; Zhao Jianhua wandered through the display cases with the yellow talisman in hand, but it showed no reaction at all, once making him doubt its usefulness.

Zhao Jianhua stroked his chin, "Could it be that this talisman needs activation, like chanting a mantra? That's how it's always portrayed on TV."

"Urgent as law and order?!"

The weasel gave Zhao Jianhua a look as if he were a fool, even increasing the distance between them.

"Could it be that this talisman has already lost its effect?"

Just as Zhao Jianhua pondered, the characters on the talisman seemed to come alive, golden light slowly swirling within, filled with endless mystery, transforming the ordinary paper into something extraordinary.

Zhao Jianhua couldn't help but gape, stammering, "It actually glows!"

He couldn't help but swallow his saliva, immediately picking up the talisman, discovering that as he moved eastward, the talisman's light grew brighter, like fireflies crawling in darkness, guiding his direction.

"It seems the expert wants me to find the artifact to the east."

Following the talisman's guidance, Zhao Jianhua arrived before the glass display case, which housed various exquisite small jade artifacts, such as jade pendants and rings.

One of the wine gourd-shaped jade pendants was placed in the center, its body pale white with streaks of yellow-green, overall thin and flat, lifelike, appearing extremely delicate.

The golden light on the talisman formed faint golden lines, as if some unseen guidance was at work, settling upon the jade pendant.

Originally white, the jade pendant also emitted a faint glow, mutually attracting the talisman.

Although Zhao Jianhua had previously known the expert possessed mysterious and unfathomable methods, witnessing this marvel before him still stirred ripples in his heart.

Now that the item had been found, the key was how to retrieve the jade pendant.

During the day, Zhao Jianhua had observed the glass display case; though it appeared ordinary, it actually concealed profound mechanisms, its interior linked to an alarm system that would automatically lock at closing time, and any external force would trigger the nearby alarm.

Moreover, this was an explosion-proof display case, impossible to open by external force.

Zhao Jianhua took out the final talisman.

"At this critical moment, only you can be relied upon."

He affixed the talisman to the glass display case; only to see the characters on it begin to flow, emitting a faint light that enveloped the entire case.

"Could this be sufficient?"

Zhao Jianhua produced his specialized tools, various and assorted.

"At last, I have found my moment to shine..."

He employed his expert lock-picking technique, carefully opening the glass cabinet, his peripheral vision occasionally glancing toward the nearby alarm, the entire process being one of nail-biting tension.

Should the alarm sound, he would immediately restore everything to its original place.

However, when he retrieved the jade pendant and restored the display case, the alarm never sounded, as if an invisible force had interfered with its judgment.

It appears the talisman had isolated the glass display case from the alarm, thus preventing activation.

Zhao Jianhua could only be utterly convinced; he never imagined such a small talisman could possess such unfathomable power, his respect for the expert deepening further.

Gazing at the nearby jade artifacts, Zhao Jianhua was not without temptation, but recalling the expert's instructions, he ultimately refrained from acting.

After this period, he had completely submitted to Ye Qin's ability, truly becoming one who obeys without question.

"If only one day I could bring you all back, how wonderful that would be."

This thought flashed through Zhao Jianhua's mind.

Soon everything was restored, except for the missing jade pendant, with no other changes in the vicinity.

Just as Zhao Jianhua prepared to leave,

"Boom—"

It was already past midnight, accompanied by the chime of the Western-style clock in the square, the museum's patrol officers also began their second round.

And their patrol route happened to be toward the Oriental Exhibition Hall here.

The bell's chime mingled with footsteps, approaching this location.

"Someone is coming!"

Neither early nor late, they chose precisely this moment.

The exhibition hall has only one exit; if he leaves now, he will surely collide head-on with the approaching person.

Since the invisibility effect has already worn off, Zhao Jianhua dare not take risks; in just a few seconds, countless thoughts flashed through his mind.

To make matters worse, dozens of security guards soon approached from this direction, directly facing Zhao Jianhua's position; at this moment, if he wished to leave, it was already too late.

Though the space here is not large, winding and twisting as it is, it is easy to bump into something nearby; if he were to accidentally create even a slight disturbance, the danger would increase.

Although many jade artifacts are displayed here, losing one would not be obvious, but what if they discovered the wine gourd jade pendant was missing—what then?

Zhao Jianhua's mind raced, continuously pondering solutions; given this situation, he must prepare for the worst.

Once a loss is detected, the museum will surely impose martial law swiftly, sealing all entrances and exits.

At the critical moment, Zhao Jianhua instead became calm, a glance from the corner of his eye suddenly revealed that the weasel had vanished, clearly it had been right beside him just moments ago, but in the blink of an eye he didn't know where it had gone.

Watching the approaching security guards, Zhao Jianhua's heart pounded like a drum.

"Bang!"

At the crucial moment, a muffled sound came from inside the Egyptian exhibition hall, which was closest to the Oriental Exhibition Hall, quickly drawing the attention of the security guards.

"There's movement over at the Egyptian exhibition hall!"

"Hurry over and take a look."

Watching the backs of the departing security guards, Zhao Jianhua couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.

Not long after they left, a yellow shadow poked its head out at the doorway, it was the weasel that had suddenly disappeared earlier.

Zhao Jianhua quickly stepped forward, "Immortal, where did you go? You nearly scared me to death just now, you don't know those security guards suddenly came over, if it weren't for the sudden—"

The weasel seemed unsurprised, pointing at the side of the Egyptian exhibition hall and gesturing with its paws, "Squeak squeak squeak."

Zhao Jianhua belatedly understood, overjoyed: "I get it, that commotion just now was you, Immortal?"

The weasel nodded, wearing an expression of "the young can be taught."

It turned out that when the weasel sensed something was wrong earlier, it had run into the nearby exhibition hall, its small size, great speed, and the aid of spiritual energy meant the security guards fundamentally couldn't detect its presence.

By casually creating a little disturbance to draw those security guards away, it resolved Zhao Jianhua's predicament.

"Immortal, you're really too smart, when I go back I'll buy ten roasted chickens to properly reward you!"

After all the security guards had gone to the Egyptian exhibition hall, Zhao Jianhua and the weasel immediately slipped away, this time everything went very smoothly, with no accidents occurring.

Meanwhile, after the security guards who had come to the Egyptian exhibition hall had looked around, they found nothing abnormal.

"Strange, we clearly heard a commotion just now, how did it suddenly disappear?"

"Could we have misheard? But it's also impossible for so many people to all mishear, right?"

"Maybe the window wasn't closed tightly, and wind blew in?"

The security guards checked all the doors and windows again, all were tightly shut.

Everyone looked at each other, their expressions somewhat puzzled, since they found nothing, in the end they could only let it go and continue patrolling the Oriental Exhibition Hall side.

As usual, a sweep of the flashlight beam, Security Captain Lawrence seemed to notice something, glancing at the jade artifacts display area nearby.

"What's wrong with Lawrence?"

"I remember there should be a jade pendant here."

For people from Country Y, the jade artifacts of Great Xia all look roughly the same to them, others also looked carefully and found nothing abnormal.

"Lawrence, you're overthinking it, there are so many jade pendants here, which one are you talking about?"

If it were bronze ware, porcelain, or scrolls that were lost, it would easily draw the security guards' attention, but a small jade pendant, especially among so many jade artifacts, would seem rather insignificant.

"If something were really stolen, the alarm should have gone off, but it's been quiet all along."

"This is the British Museum, how could things possibly go missing?"

"Yeah, and the locks on the glass display cases are all fine too."

Facing their companions' remarks, Lawrence did not agree.

Moreover, Lawrence had quite an impression of this jade pendant, because regardless of its craftsmanship or material, among the jade artifacts it was a top-tier existence.

To be safe, Lawrence took out the list of jade artifacts on display and checked it carefully, his face slightly changing: "The wine gourd jade pendant is missing!"

Others also gathered around, carefully counted, and found that indeed a jade pendant was missing.

"Not good, hurry up and inform the director!"

The quiet museum instantly became bustling, this matter quickly also alarmed Director Harvit.

Harvit thundered in his office, "This matter must be investigated clearly for me! Additionally, impose a complete information blockade, no leaking any information outward, if the theft gets out, wouldn't we be laughed at?"

Museum theft is no small matter, just who could stealthily take the wine gourd jade pendant without anyone noticing, not even triggering the alarm system.

"Rest assured, Director, I will definitely catch this thief!"

Lawrence immediately led people to investigate, originally thinking it was a problem with the alarm system, but after checking, found everything normal.

Since he could steal this jade pendant, could other items also possibly be stolen!

Harvit mobilized all administrators to begin counting, because the museum's stored items are truly too many, the large ones are still fine, but if small items are lost, they truly aren't easily detected in a short time, this is undoubtedly a huge project.

"This is strange, why didn't the alarm go off?"

Every glass display case has an alarm bell installed, if someone touches the inside or violently smashes the display case, the alarm will sound immediately.

The thief could take out the jade pendant without triggering the alarm, and we don't know what method he used.

Regarding the fingerprints on the display cases, over the course of a day who knows how many tourists have touched them, wanting to find the thief from here and thus determine his identity is fundamentally like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Lawrence urgently ordered: "Go pull up the surveillance."

In the surveillance room, Lawrence and others stared fixedly at the screen, only seeing visitors coming and going, like a dense ant colony.

The British Museum has very high foot traffic, the jade artifacts display area also has many people lingering, just from the camera view, everyone looks perfectly normal, nothing suspicious, and moreover the jade pendant was still there during the day.

If the jade pendant was stolen during this period, it could be said to be as difficult as climbing to heaven, fundamentally impossible timing.

"That is to say, the time of the jade pendant's theft should be during closing hours."

Lawrence rubbed his eyes, having watched the surveillance for so long, even with speed-up, he was still somewhat fatigued.

"Continue playing the latter part."

The surveillance footage after closing in the first half of the night was completely normal, but later on, a small yellow figure appeared in the camera view, quickly drawing everyone's attention.

"Wait, what is this?"

Lawrence and others couldn't help but lean closer to the screen, somewhat uncertainly saying: "Looks like a weasel?!"

The doors and windows of the museum are very tight, let alone a weasel, even flies don't necessarily fly in.

The weasel glanced at the surveillance, revealing a cunning smile.

Watching this scene, everyone inexplicably felt a sense of absurdity, the weasel seemed to know someone would see this footage.

"Is this weasel looking at the camera?"

"It must be an angle issue—how would a weasel know there's surveillance here?"

The weasel in the surveillance footage suddenly leapt up, nearly jumping to a position level with the camera, its pair of deep green beastly pupils constantly magnified; staring too long actually induced a feeling of dizziness and vertigo.

Pale yellow gas continuously diffused, the lens becoming somewhat blurred, as if blocked by something.

"Why can't we see clearly? Adjust the angle here."

No matter how Lawrence and the others enlarged the image or performed technical repairs, the camera remained extremely blurry, as if shrouded in a layer of hazy mist obstructing their investigation.

After some operation, the technical staff said helplessly: "Lawrence, the instruments show everything is normal; it should be due to external causes—this is already the clearest image possible."

Lawrence gazed at the screen; even the clearest image remained blurry, and he could see nothing distinctly.

Pale yellow gas enveloped the outside of the lens, filled with an inexplicable mystery.

He exclaimed in astonishment: "You have no other options on your end?"

The technical staff shook their head.

This blurry footage lasted approximately twenty minutes before gradually clearing up; that strange weasel had long since vanished.

Subsequently, Lawrence's figure appeared, and besides that, no other suspicious personnel were present.

The jade pendant also disappeared at this time.

Although no one was seen, Lawrence nearly dared to affirm that the thief struck during this time period, but he did not know what means were used to temporarily disable the camera.

Regarding this, Lawrence also carefully questioned the technical staff, but they gave no definite answer.

Only that weasel, and its strange movements before the camera, left people puzzled.

"How could there possibly be a weasel here."

Surely the jade pendant wasn't stolen by it—Lawrence thought this idea too absurd; the weasel's appearance here must have been accidental.

He recalled the eerie sounds heard last night in the Egyptian exhibition hall; when he went to check, he found nothing, wondering if there was some connection between the two.

The Egyptian exhibition hall had no issues, but the adjacent Oriental exhibition hall lost a jade pendant.

Lawrence reported his findings to Harvey.

Harvey was dissatisfied with this result, his face as if storm clouds gathered: "Is this all you've investigated? Spouting a bunch of nonsense, you haven't even caught a single person."

Lawrence also looked somewhat helpless: "Director, this thief is truly too cunning, leaving no trace, but why would this person only take one jade pendant?"

Given this person's skill, they should have been able to take much more.

If truly an international thief of this caliber, it's impossible they'd take only this little; Lawrence formed a suspicion in his mind.

"Director, could it be our own people who did it? Taking only a jade pendant would likely mean they don't want to draw our attention."

Only our own people could achieve such a feat—stealing without gods or ghosts knowing, they could disable alarms beforehand and restore them after success.

Upon careful consideration, this isn't without reason.

Harvey's expression gradually turned cold: "Museum staff must also be investigated; if it's truly an insider, this time they only stole the jade pendant—who knows what they'll steal next? We must ferret out the culprit."

Soon Lawrence and the others began screening the museum staff one by one, yet still found nothing.

Regardless of which clue or trace they followed, the jade pendant seemed to have vanished into thin air, leaving no trace behind.

Due to the pendant's loss, the British Museum hung up a "Closed for Rest" notice, though externally they announced they would be conducting artifact maintenance and preservation.

Thus, for now, no one thought to look into the theft, but obviously, such a major matter cannot be concealed forever!

(End of Chapter)