The reason for taking a look at Feng Shui did not arouse his family’s suspicion.Although Claire did not want Charlie to continue running around to take a look at other people’s Feng Shui, she knew that she would not be able to force Charlie. So, she did not say anything else.Charlie simply packed two pieces of clothing with him, and he was ready to set out early in the morning before dawn. Unexpectedly, Claire also secretly set an early alarm clock, and she quickly got out of bed and insisted on sending Charlie to the airport. When Charlie saw her firm and determined attitude, he did not turn her down. After that, they agreed on a plan to go to the airport together. Charlie would drive to the airport, and Claire would then drive the car back directly after they had arrived at the airport. Charlie’s reason was that this way, they would not have to waste time to park the car at the parking building, and he would be able to temporarily stop at the departure gate directly and leave i
Charlie laughed and said, “It might take an ordinary plane ten hours, but five hours is enough for the Concorde.”“F*ck…” Hamed exclaimed, “You even have a Concorde. I am truly filled with extreme admiration for you now…”Charlie said indifferently, “It’s not mine. I borrowed it.”Hamed blurted out, “You’re also very capable to be able to see such an awesome plane!”Charlie declined to comment as he smiled and said, “You should set an alarm clock to wake up in five hours. Hurry up and get some rest. I’ll see you in five hours.”“Okay!” Hamed said with extreme excitement, “See you in five hours!”Very soon, the Concorde flew up into the sky at over ten thousand meters against the backdrop of the rising clouds as it flew toward the west at great speed. ***More than four hours later, the Concorde landed smoothly at Beirut Airport in Lebanon.The person waiting to greet Charlie at the Beirut Airport was still Gary, the same man who was under Jeremiah’s command the last time. A
When the sky in East Syria had just turned white, Charlie carried a parachute bag on his back as he jumped down from an altitude of several thousand meters for the second time. At this moment, Hamed was already waiting on time, and he had also brought Sheldon, who was not fully awake yet, with him as they waited at the top of the mountain. Sheldon was already suffering from a nervous breakdown because of the movements during the war over the past two days. He could not eat or sleep well every day, and when he could finally fall asleep for a short while after much difficulty, Hamed had then personally dragged him out of the tunnel.Sheldon was very confused, and he was still in a daze when Hamed dragged him out. He thought that Hamed was going to shoot him. Hamed did not give him any reasons at all even after Sheldon had questioned him several times. This made Sheldon feel extremely apprehensive and nervous. When Sheldon saw that the top of the mountain was completely barren wit
Sheldon really wanted to kill Hamed at this time. However, Sheldon also knew very well in his heart that it would be extremely difficult for someone with his level of ability to be able to kill Hamed. Not to mention the fact that he was now Hamed’s prisoner, even if he was still the eldest master of the Schulz family, it would be of little significance. Even if he were to bring all of the Schulz family’s guards out, they would not be able to fight against Hamed’s reinforced firepower. He was simply no match for Hamed. So, Sheldon would probably never have the opportunity to ever take revenge for this kick, two slaps, and also the beret. Sheldon felt as though his life was extremely bleak when he thought about this.However, he did not dare to continue provoking Hamed, and he simply closed his mouth completely as he stood aside silently without making any noise at all. At this moment, Hamed suddenly saw a black large umbrella blossoming over his head. Upon closer inspection, Ha
Charlie looked at Sheldon, and he discovered that the guy’s mouth was bulging and his whole face seemed to be completely deformed. So, he was a little startled, and he could not help but ask Hamed, “Brother, what’s the matter with him?”Hamed glanced at Sheldon before he smiled and said, “Sigh. This guy was just chattering incessantly, and he was so annoying. So, I decided to gag him first.” As he spoke, Hamed then squeezed Sheldon’s cheeks hard again before he forcibly pulled the beret out of Sheldon’s mouth. Sheldon desperately rubbed both of his cheeks out of pain. Hamed then shook the beret that was all crumpled up in his hand before slapping it on his legs a few times. Hamed put the beret on his head directly after unfolding it, and he even adjusted the position from side to side. After that, he placed his hand over Charlie’s shoulder as he said enthusiastically, “Come, Brother Wade! Let’s go to my office for a cup of coffee. The both of us should have a good chat!”Charli
After entering the tunnel, there were about a dozen square meters of internal space which was connected to electric lights, and a ventilation pipe was connected from the entrance of the tunnel directly into the interior, thus constantly sending fresh air into the interior. Upon entering, Hamed introduced to Charlie, “We are currently fully excavating a large number of hidden fortifications and tunnels. It will not be long before all these tunnels will be directly connected to one another. Even if it cannot all be fully connected, at the very least, the ventilation, water supply, and power supply will be opened up first. After that, we will continue improving the internal environment and strive to make the tunnels more livable!”Charlie nodded slightly and said, “I can see that all of your buildings in the valley have already basically been flattened. Do you have any plans for such a large space?”“How can I have any plans?” Hamed said, “As soon as the opponent starts firing, the ar
Hamed initially did not know about the modality for the collaboration between Ten Thousand Armies and the government. He had originally thought that the government had paid to hire Ten Thousand Armies. However, after putting some thoughts into this matter, Hamed constantly felt that something was not quite right. This was because the government’s biggest problem had always been their shortage of funds. Even their own soldiers lacked medication, guns, and ammunition. So, how could they possibly have enough money to hire mercenaries from Ten Thousand Armies? It was just yesterday that he had received news that the terms of the collaboration between Ten Thousand Armies and the government were that if Ten Thousand Armies were to help the government eliminate the opposition forces completely, the government would then allocate a piece of land with an area of one hundred square kilometers to Ten Thousand Armies so that they could build their first mercenary base in the Middle East. How
As he spoke of this, Hamed then said, “Although it is also very chaotic in Africa, to put it bluntly, all the war-torn countries in Africa are all extremely poor, and it is indeed very difficult for mercenaries to make a living in those kinds of places. However, the Middle East is different. Many countries in the Middle East are very rich, and even Iran, which has already been sanctioned for a long time, is actually very rich. Moreover, all of them have a demand for mercenaries, and they are all willing to spend money to hire them. So, this is actually a very huge market for mercenaries.”“Besides that, there is a lot of heavy weaponry and equipment in the Middle East. It is basically an exhibition hall of the weapons and equipment from both the East and West, and amongst them, Russian-made weapons and equipment are the most. As long as anyone has money, there is basically nothing that they cannot buy. If Ten Thousand Armies were to really build a base in Syria and acquire a batch of
Zachary couldn't help pointing at the screen and snapping, "Fucking loser! The more you feel pressed, the less you should be nervous! What are you thinking?! You're falling right under that bastard's trap!"Jacob was frustrated too, growling through his teeth, "Shit! I didn't think that bastard was a sly old fox. Fucking hell!"He then sighed, shaking his head. "Forget it, Zachary—I'm going home to pack my shit, and I'll depart for Dubai first thing tomorrow. Just handle that bronze sculpture for me and wire the money over."As he was about to get off, Zachary sighed in exasperation and apologetically said, "Sorry, Mr. Wilson… but it's fine! Even if this plan screwed up, just let me cook up another plan to destroy Raymond Cole!"Jacob ignored him as he strode out of the car, but that was when Raymond spoke audibly from Zachary's phone, "You can calm down. I'm not accusing you of lying to me. I just think that it's not Renaissance… Rather, it's medieval.""E-Early medieval…?" Billy
In Treasure Measure, Raymond unwrapped the red cloth around the bronze sculpture in front of Billy and the camera.There was a brief flash of surprise on his face, and it was soon gone.Still, he picked up the bronze sculpture, fiddling with it as he asked, "Do you know where it's from?""Yeah," Billy nodded. "A Renaissance-era sculpture. I think the base makes it obvious."Raymond looked up at him and asked in curiosity, "Are you sure about that?"Billy, presuming that Raymond had already noticed a catch, quickly said, "Well, the old man had an expert check it, and the expert said it was immediately obvious! To be honest, I want to sell it because the old man just passed away—gotta sell this baby before my brother goes for a garage sale."He had certainly added more details to the script, and Raymond nodded as he said nonchalantly, "But it doesn't look Renaissance to me. Sculptures from that era—be it the craftsmanship or the unique attributes? It's quite different from this one
In the antique trade, items that raised eyebrows would only be shown in the evenings—when various shops were about to close.That was certainly the case in Antique Street, as most items arriving in the evening were either freshly excavated, stolen, or forgery used to dupe unsuspecting victims.Even if Raymond had started his career abroad, he had learned every last unspoken rule during his earlier stint in Aurous Hill.Seeing the wariness on Billy's face and the way he was holding something in his arms, Raymond knew right away that what he carried wasn't legal.Still, the antique trade was no different here than it was abroad.Tomb raiding, forgery, or adding some touch-ups that increased the value of an item—everyone across the globe pretty much played the same tricks, and Raymond had his fair share of experience.Still, he did not let his wariness show, instead grinning, "Yes, of course. Come on in—let's talk inside!"And with that, he quickly led Billy inside.Meanwhile, bot
"Five hundred grand?"Mick chuckled. "Well, the sculpture looks Renaissance, and the craftsmanship as well as the material are all ideal. It would sell for up to two million in an auction, while established antique traders like us could offer up to a million. So, why the lowball?"Bill sighed. "I won't lie—it belonged to my old man, who just croaked this afternoon. But you see, he left a will stating that every antique in the house would be given to my brother… Since he's playing favorites, I thought I had to get something for myself.""That's why I quietly sneaked this baby out without anyone else knowing and am trying to sell it quickly to change my own circumstances. You don't have to tell me how many millions it's worth—I'm not that greedy. Give me five hundred grand, and it's yours."Mick shrugged as he shot back, "If it's as you say and your old man intended for your brother to have it, the fact that you sneaked it out here makes this theft. Do you think I'd buy stolen proper
It was half past six, and the skies were darkening when a figure hurried into Antique Street, heading straight toward the center—to Vintage Deluxe.Mick Crane, the manager, was holding the fort with some of his employees, and there were some guests window shopping there as well. As Mick asked the employees to assist the guests, he waited anxiously for Billy—Zachary's henchman.Nonetheless, a certain figure rushed inside within minutes, asking eagerly as he entered, "Is the manager in? Do you still buy antiques?""Yes, and yes!" Mick exclaimed as he approached Billy enthusiastically, asking, "May I ask what you're planning to sell?"Billy looked around before sneakily holding up a parcel wrapped in red cloth, carefully lifting a corner to reveal an edge so that Mick could see.Then, he promptly lowered the cloth again, whispering, "This is the good stuff. I'm just not sure if you have the money to buy it."Mick grinned. "What are you saying? If it's something Vintage Deluxe coul
Jacob chuckled. "Can't tell you right now. But I will once it's done.""Well, have you decided when we're going to Dubai?" Elaine quickly pressed.Jacob said, "I'd have to wait until tonight to see if this deal works, but we're leaving first thing tomorrow. I'll get the tickets first, and we will be staying at the Burj Al-Arab that I told you about. People are always saying how amazing it is on the internet every day, seeing how luxurious the seven-star hotel is, but I'll be the judge of that."Elaine was overjoyed to hear that. "That's amazing! And I was just thinking we can't go sooner! Go about your business, then. I'll pack our luggage right away."Jacob chuckled smugly. "Don't pack so much, though. Just stick to the necessities, since we can get the rest over there!""Alright!" Elaine exclaimed, beside herself in excitement. "Alright, you hurry up and get your thing done over there. I'll start packing now!"After hanging up, Elaine called Charlie, who was in Champs Elys Reso
As Zachary agreed to do a favor for Vintage Deluxe's Mick Crane in passing, he and Jacob agreed to meet up at 7pm at the car park by Antique Street.He first took Jacob back to the Calligraphy and Painting Association and called Billy, one of his boys whom he thought was smarter than the rest, giving him the gist of the plan and telling him to familiarize himself with the script.Then, he took the sculpture back to Heaven Springs and met up with Billy in office, telling Billy what to do in finer detail and making sure he committed everything to memory.Zachary's strength as a judge of character certainly proved itself—Billy had never done anything like this before, but he took to the plan like fish to water. He committed the script to memory soon enough, and he was flawless.Once he made sure that Billy was fine, Zachary called Mick.As soon as Mick answered, he immediately asked, "Hello, Mr. Evans. How is that thing we talked about going?"Zachary chuckled. All the arrangements
Zachary continued, "Why do you think casinos are always making a profit? It's exactly because no matter how unassuming a guest is the first time, they would be allowed to win a couple of hands, making a little profit.""And suddenly, they would think that they are the chosen one, destined to win against all odds and always come out triumphant! Once such radical, blind confidence hits them, every last bit of his money would be lost to the casino!""At that point, you can get anything from them—their house, their wife, their children… hell, they'd be willing to die if you'd just let them gamble again!"Turning toward Jacob with a grin, Zachary then asked, "So, with all the points I made and that sculpture you're holding… Do you still think Raymond wouldn't fall for it?"Jacob laughed out loud. "Oh, talk about a plan within a plan! No one would ever see it coming! Raymond Cole is so screwed!"Zachary smiled and nodded. "That's why there's no reason to rush—I'll arrange a man to get r
As soon as they drove out of the village, Jacob asked Zachary eagerly, "So, when do you think we should make our move? I can't wait!"Zachary didn't hesitate, "Let's do it today. It's better than waiting! I'll get someone reliable to bring this to Treasure Measure and get him interested. I'm sure that since he has just returned to Antique Street, he'll need a hot deal to generate hype and make himself known. That's why I'm sure he'll take this sculpture."Jacob nodded repeatedly as he chuckled. "I think so too. Today is definitely best since I'll be going to Dubai soon and probably leaving once I'm done with this. Once you get this settled by the end of today, I'll get tickets for the flight tomorrow!"Zachary grinned. "Don't worry, chief. We will definitely get it settled today…"He trailed off for a moment before continuing, "Still, you should be a little patient. We should do this in the evening—at the second just before Raymond Cole closes shop.""But why?" Jacob asked in curi