The Omniscient

Chapter 67: Tighten Up and Retreat

"Big Bro, could those guys be selling stolen goods?" Lin Li asked, following behind Huang Ji.

Huang Ji replied, "Freshly unearthed."

"Should we still buy it then?" Lin Li asked.

"Of course," Huang Ji instructed. "In a bit, take ten gold bars to complete the transaction with them. After it's done, you don't need to bring anything except that bronze mirror."

"Are all the others fakes?" Lin Li asked.

Huang Ji explained, "They're only interested in selling that mirror. The issue is, it's contraband, so they’ve mixed it in with dozens of modern reproductions and pretend not to know the value of the mirror. They tie it to the fakes, waiting for someone knowledgeable to recognize it."

"Anyone who knows their stuff would realize that mirror is from the Tang Dynasty, perfectly preserved and exquisitely crafted. If auctioned overseas, it could fetch seven or eight million. Buying it for four million is an absolute steal."

Lin Li laughed. "So how are we getting the gold bars back?"

Since Huang Ji had previously said this would be "free," it was clear they were planning to retrieve the gold bars later.

Huang Ji said, "After the deal, they'll definitely take the gold bars back to their hideout. I'll track them there. Once you’ve got the mirror, drive away. I'll text you the address later."

"If I take the car, how are you going to follow them?" Lin Li asked.

"You think they'll hide their stash far away? They must have a large collection of artifacts nearby, probably within the antique street. Transporting them over long distances would be too risky. Here, they can openly carry artifacts around without anyone raising an eyebrow, since the area is full of antiques," Huang Ji explained.

"Alright, I’ll go now," Lin Li said.

"Don’t forget to get Bai Hu’s phone number," Huang Ji reminded him. "Tell him to stay in touch if he comes across good stuff in the future."

Lin Li nodded and left with the gold bars to carry out the plan.

A short while later, Lin Li returned with the bronze mirror and drove off.

The other party wouldn't dare swap the mirror for a fake at the last minute. From the perspective of grave robbers, they were selling to someone who knew the value of the artifact. Trying to scam someone knowledgeable by switching it would be a petty trick—and one that wouldn’t fool an expert.

Not long after Lin Li left, Bai Hu and Mao Hou emerged from the house. They navigated the alleys, glancing around nervously, and entered a secluded old courtyard.

About a minute later, Huang Ji casually strolled over. This, as he described it, was his "tracking."

He sat at a noodle shop opposite the courtyard and sent the address to Lin Li, who quickly arrived.

"Big Bro, is this the place? The artifacts must be hidden in that house, right?" Lin Li asked.

Huang Ji smiled, "Do you think grave robbers would blatantly store stolen artifacts in the house? What if the police raid it? Caught red-handed?"

"They’ve definitely buried them. The artifacts are likely hidden in the courtyard. Meanwhile, the gold bars don’t need to be buried—they have bank markings, making them collectible items. For the grave robbers, they’re as good as cash."

"I imagine we’ll see two other people leaving soon."

Lin Li looked puzzled. "Two others?"

"I’m guessing there are four of them," Huang Ji replied.

"How do you know there are four?" Lin Li asked curiously.

"Two were handling the sale, so there must be two guarding the hideout. Four is a likely number. For a group of grave robbers working together, the number of partners is usually small," Huang Ji explained.

"Also, there were 39 fake items. They priced each at 10,000 and tied the sale to the mirror. This shows they planned the 4 million price point from the start. It’s a clever number—exactly 1 million per person if split among four. If there were more than four, the share for each would be too small."

As they talked, two more people emerged from the courtyard.

The leader was bald and carrying a large porcelain jar. The other, who had a wolf-head tattoo, accompanied him as an escort.

The two carried the artifact openly and made their way back to the same alley where Bai Hu had sold the mirror earlier.

"Wow, they’re selling more artifacts," Lin Li said.

Huang Ji nodded, "Of course. It’s still early, just past 2 PM. Whether or not they find a buyer, they’ll definitely try to sell another artifact today."

"The reason is simple: I told you to leave those fake items behind."

"Those 39 fakes are decoys, worthless consumables used for cover. Typically, a buyer would think they’d scored a bargain and would go along with the act. With the decoys left behind, the grave robbers can reuse them today instead of waiting until tomorrow to gather new fakes. Why wouldn’t they?"

Lin Li nodded in realization. He understood the setup.

Thirty-nine fakes and one genuine item. The buyer thinks they’ve struck gold, playing along to secure the only genuine piece at a low price.

This was precisely the grave robbers' strategy—to offload their contraband at a "bargain."

But unfortunately for them, they’d run into Huang Ji. By instructing Lin Li to leave the fake items behind, Huang Ji ensured they’d be tempted to reuse them.

"So that means Bai Hu and Mao Hou are the only ones left in the courtyard now? And one of them has the gold bars?" Lin Li asked, amazed at Huang Ji’s foresight.

Huang Ji asked, "Did you get Bai Hu’s phone number?"

"Yep, got it," Lin Li replied.

"Call him," Huang Ji said with a smile.

"What should I say?" Lin Li asked.

"Tell him, 'The cops are coming; run!'" Huang Ji said with a mischievous grin.

"What cops?"

"Just slang," Huang Ji replied.

Lin Li followed instructions and called Bai Hu.

He began, "Hey, the cops are com—"

But Huang Ji interrupted with a loud shout, "Don’t run! Put down the phone!"

Lin Li was stunned and hesitated, but when he tried to continue, Huang Ji covered his mouth, muffling him. Lin Li could only make muffled sounds of protest.

On the other end, Bai Hu broke into a cold sweat and quickly hung up the phone.

Not only that, but he skillfully removed the SIM card and tossed it into a nearby sewer drain.

"Mao Hou... Mao Hou! Stop watching TV! We’re in trouble!"

"Huh? What happened? Aren’t we doing another deal?" Mao Hou asked, confused.

"Another deal? The cops are onto us!" Bai Hu shouted.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door: Thud thud thud!

Both Bai Hu and Mao Hou froze, swallowing nervously. They stood silently in the backyard, saying nothing.

Outside, no one spoke either—only the knocking continued: Thud... Thud... Thud!

Sweat trickled down Bai Hu’s temple and dripped onto the ground.

Without hesitation, he bolted into the living room, aiming for the sofa where his bag of gold bars was hidden.

Just then, there was a loud boom from the front yard as the iron gate was kicked open!

Bai Hu, in the backyard, was so startled by the noise that his legs went weak. Forgetting the gold bars entirely, he scrambled to his feet and, with a swift motion, leapt onto the wall. Crouching for a moment, he ducked his head and vaulted over to the other side, disappearing without a trace.

Despite his tall and skinny frame, Mao Hou also showed off an impressive skill. He jumped two meters high, propped himself on the wall with one hand, and executed a perfect balancing act before slipping away like a gymnast.

Retreat when the winds tighten! The two thieves demonstrated the professionalism of their craft.

Meanwhile, Huang Ji walked through the front door nonchalantly. His kick had been so forceful that the entire doorframe had come loose.

Lin Li followed him inside, still worried they might run into someone. But the large courtyard was completely empty—there wasn’t a single soul in sight.

He was stunned. So, this is what grave robbers are like? Seriously? One kick, and they’re gone? How ridiculous!

It seemed Huang Ji had anticipated the house would be empty. Without looking back, he walked straight to a corner of the courtyard, where he picked up a shovel leaning against the wall while wearing gloves.

Then, he tossed the shovel into the middle of the front yard and left it there.

Huang Ji walked into the house, grabbed the backpack from the sofa, and handed it to Lin Li, who immediately understood and slung it over his shoulder.

Huang Ji then picked up the remote and turned off the TV, which had been playing a show, and started tidying up the table, which was littered with braised dishes and peanuts.

Next, he turned to the dirty clothes scattered all over the sofa, floor, and cabinets. He selectively treated some as trash and dumped them into the garbage can. Afterward, he took a rag and wiped down the table.

In just two minutes, the room was completely cleaned up!

Lin Li was dumbfounded. What’s he doing? Cleaning up their house?

"Let’s go..."

Huang Ji carefully removed their shoe prints, picked up the trash bag, and led Lin Li out. Then he had Lin Li call the police to report illegal artifact trading.

The two returned to the noodle shop, ordered two bowls of pork chop noodles, and sat watching the courtyard from across the street.

Before the police arrived, the bald man and the wolf-head-tattooed man returned to the courtyard, carrying the porcelain jar.

As soon as they got back, they were dumbfounded. Where’s the door?

The iron gate had been old, but there was no way it would have collapsed on its own, right?

As they walked in, they called out, "Bai Hu! Mao Hou? Where are you?"

Of course, there was no response.

Something felt off. The bald man set the porcelain jar on the table and noticed something strange about the room.

The TV was off, Mao Hou and Bai Hu’s clothes were gone, yet his and the wolf-head guy’s clothes were still there.

"The gold bars are gone too!" Wolf-head’s face turned dark.

The bald man quickly pulled out his phone to call Bai Hu, only to see that it was powered off.

They’re gone. Completely cleaned out!

And judging by the timing, Bai Hu and Mao Hou must have fled shortly after they left with the jar.

"This doesn’t make sense! They bailed over four million? Check the stash—see if the treasure’s still there!"

Hearing this, the bald man hurried to the front yard. He instinctively headed for the corner but stopped when he noticed the shovel lying in the middle of the yard.

He saved a few seconds of walking, picked up the shovel, and started digging while shouting, "Get the door upright! If the shovel’s here in the middle, Bai Hu must’ve been up to something!"

"That sneaky bastard! I knew we couldn’t trust his fake smile! Whether it’s four people or two, we don’t need him. We’ll go solo from now on!" Wolf-head grumbled as he went to set the fallen door upright.

Although the doorframe was ruined, they couldn’t leave the yard exposed, allowing anyone passing by to see what they were digging up.

Just as he was about to lift the door, two police officers turned the corner and walked right up to the entrance.

"..." Wolf-head froze, his hands trembling. He pretended to inspect the doorframe and muttered, "Geez, this door is so old, how did it fall on its own?"

As he spoke, he even stomped on the ground for emphasis.

Hearing the three stomps, the bald man immediately threw the shovel to the ground.

But it was too late. The two officers had already stepped inside and caught sight of him digging.

"Freeze! We’ve received reports that you’re involved in—"

Before the officer could finish, the bald man performed a backflip, hooking his feet around a tree branch. Using the momentum, he executed a perfect hanging sit-up and climbed into the tree. With one leap from the tree, he landed on the other side of the wall and disappeared.

Wolf-head wasted no time either. He turned and sprinted, jumping off a tree trunk to propel himself diagonally into the air. Hugging the wall, he wriggled over it, butt sticking out, and vanished.

"Hey! Stop!" The younger officer tried to climb the tree in pursuit.

The older officer pulled him back, saying, "Don’t bother. By the time you get over, they’ll already be at the train station."

The younger officer let go of the tree in embarrassment and muttered, "So these are grave robbers? I couldn’t even finish my sentence before they vanished."

The older officer chuckled and walked into the house, immediately spotting the porcelain jar on the table.

"Wow, this looks valuable," he remarked.

The younger officer reached out to pick it up but was stopped by the older officer, who pointed to the shovel in the yard and said, "Dig that spot. There might be something buried there."

Following orders, the younger officer began digging while the older officer called the station to report the situation.

More officers soon arrived, and by then, the younger officer had unearthed a large chest.

Opening it revealed an assortment of porcelain and jade artifacts—nine pieces in total. Combined with the jar on the table, there were exactly ten relics.

The older officer patted the younger one on the shoulder and said, "Kid, you’ve made a big bust."

"Heh heh heh..." The younger officer grinned, practically drooling with excitement.

…

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