547 had long hated the organization that controlled his destiny, and he had been hoping that Charlie could find the location where his own line of dead soldiers was stationed so that he could rescue his wife, children, and family members at the same time. So, he naturally would provide his full cooperation to Merlin.Merlin nodded, and without talking too much nonsense, he went straight to the point and said, “The immediate task at hand is to find a way to determine the location of your residence on the map. Before that, I wonder if you have any valuable clues that you can share with me?”547 shook his head and said, “Chief Lammy, to tell you the truth, I’ve been thinking about this issue for a while, but the organization is extremely cautious and didn’t leave me with any valuable information at all.”Merlin smiled slightly, took out the major natural disaster data that he had sorted out, and asked him, “547, how old are you this year?”547 hurriedly said, “Chief Lammy, I should pr
“Was the water salty?”547 thought about it for a while and then frowned as he said, “Well... I really don’t remember clearly. After all, it’s been too long, but as far as I can remember, it seems that at that time, there were some white residues on the ground and clothes. Could that be the salt precipitated from the seawater?” Merlin nodded and said, “There is a high probability that’s salt. If so, what you experienced at that time could be the Indonesian tsunami. The reason for the flooding was because the earthquake triggered a tsunami, and many surrounding countries were also affected by the disaster, including your place of residence.”Having said that, Merlin circled two areas on the map and said, “From this point of view, your location may be in the west of South Asia or in the eastern part of Southeast Asia.” Merlin then saw a few more entries of the data and muttered, “The epicenter of the tsunami in Indonesia has also experienced earthquakes in recent years but of a low
“In a coma.” 547 said truthfully, “When we are about to go on a mission, we will first take a medicine that puts us into a deep coma. We will already have arrived at the location when we wake up.”Merlin asked again, “How can you be certain that you took a plane every time you went out, then?”547 explained, “I would ask my wife to help me calculate the time every time I go out on a mission. Although our time is not accurate, the error is not too big with a relatively short timeline.”“Each time I go out on a mission, the time that I can’t grasp is the round-trip distance. I can record the time for the execution of the mission accurately, so every time I go back, I will check the time with my wife and use the time she had recorded minus the time I used to execute the mission to calculate the time spent on the round trip. Under normal circumstances, no matter where we go on a mission anywhere in the world, the time we spend on the round trip would not exceed six or seven days. This s
“Mexico?!” After hearing Merlin’s analysis, 547 asked hastily, “Chief Lammy, do you mean that when we go to the United States to perform a mission, the plane will land in Mexico first before entering the United States by land?”“Yes.” Merlin nodded and said, “This is the most reliable method, in my opinion. The other methods are too difficult. Since they are transporting dead soldiers by plane, they must have a landing site. Neither the United States nor Canada will allow the dead soldiers to bypass customs and enter the country secretly, and only Mexico has this condition.”547 asked puzzled, “Wouldn’t the plane need to go through customs when it enters Mexico?” Merlin explained, “A plane has to go through two levels. The first is air traffic control, and the other is customs. Air traffic controls the plane before it lands, and customs controls the passengers and cargo after the plane lands. In the world, no one can hide the whereabouts of a plane completely unless he does not w
Merlin hurriedly said, “Mr. Porter, it’s not difficult to investigate the aircraft entry records, but can you ensure that your investigation channels are a hundred percent safe?”“No worries.” Porter nodded and said, “Ten Thousand Armies’ information channels have a high level of secrecy. In addition, we have many firewalls, so you can rest assured, Chief Lammy.”Merlin nodded slightly and said, “By the way, Mr. Porter, I also need to sort out the information on all incoming cargo planes.”“No problem.”***Soon, a densely packed document was delivered to Porter. This document recorded the information of all flights entering Mexico in the five days before the New York incident. As the majority of inbound flights were small and medium-sized aircrafts, there were only a small number of aircraft accounted for in the range of more than fifteen thousand kilometers. Therefore, there were less than a hundred flights in total after the sorting out. Among the less than a hundred flig
Speaking of this, he paused slightly and added, “Chief Lammy, this aircraft seems to be prepared for global maneuvering, and coupled with the characteristics of that mysterious organization, I think the series of inferences that you’ve made, including this result, are all correct! This is the target that we’re looking for!”Merlin nodded. “I also think it is!”Porter could not help but exclaim, “Chief Lammy, you’re amazing. You can lock in on the plane used by the other party in such a short period of time. This mysterious organization probably would never have dreamt that they would be discovered so quickly!”Merlin said earnestly, “It’s mainly because of 547’s presence. With him around, he was able to gradually help me lock in on clues while also helping me cross-compare the information at the same time.”“This organization certainly didn’t expect that any of their dead soldiers would survive, and they wouldn’t have expected that their dead soldiers would leak any useful key info
At this time, Charlie had already returned to Providence.Claire attended her class on time as usual while Charlie stayed in the presidential suite of the hotel alone as he waited for news from Merlin.Although Charlie was the benefactor who had saved Merlin’s life, he admired Merlin from the bottom of his heart.He admired Merlin’s careful thinking as well as his meticulousness and ability to find breakthroughs in places that no one else thought of. It was this ability of his that created his reputation as a famous Oskian detective. His idea of trying to use the clues from huge natural disasters to gradually locate the location of the dead soldiers was indeed very practical, in Charlie’s opinion. Therefore, he believed that after Merlin met 547 in Syria, it would not take long for Merlin to gradually clarify the clues. Merlin did not disappoint Charlie either. His phone call to Charlie instantly lifted Charlie’s spirit. After answering the phone, Charlie’s first question to
With that said, Charlie added, “They would never dream that this logistics company as well as these six planes have been exposed, and this is the biggest advantage that we currently have in our hands.”“As long as they don’t notice the exposure, these six planes will continue to serve this organization, and since aviation information is public, every time they transfer planes in the future, it will be useless in front of us no matter how well they cover it up.”“What we have to do is to monitor the movement of these six planes closely. Once their planes move, it means that they must be transferring personnel or materials, then.” “So, keep a record of when and where each plane takes off, and then track the plane’s destination.”Merlin immediately said, “No problem, Young Master Wade. I’ll monitor the movement of these six planes closely, and I will notify you as soon as possible if they make any movements!” Charlie smiled slightly and said, “Let Porter arrange for someone to do t
While Jacob was feeling delighted after pulling off his con, Raymond had posted details of the bronze sculpture online.The website he was using was the biggest platform for antique collectors and the antique trade where each user could set a favorite tag in the antique category and era. If a user who preferred canvas art pieces of the Tudor dynasty set that label as their favorite, they would immediately be notified with text or desktop notifications in regards to any item with the same label.As medieval bronze sculptures were rare in the first place, most who were interested had already set that label on their favorites and were immediately notified soon after Raymond posted pictures of the bronze sculpture online.The collectors were naturally eager to check it out as gilded sculptures of the medieval era were really rare, and most collectors would go a lifetime without picking one up for their collection.On top of that, the seller had even listed a major flaw and was only ask
"Nope," Jacob chuckled. "We were both working separately and just happened to get back in at the same time."Then, he immediately became smug and excited, "Guess what, dear? I made 200 thousand out of the deal! In net profits!""For real?!" Elaine gaped. "200 thousand in just one night?! That's amazing! How did you do that?"Claire was surprised to hear that too, and she came over to ask, "What deal was it, Dad?"Jacob grinned, "Oh, it's nothing to brag about. It's just that I managed to pick up a nice antique item thanks to my wisdom and then sold it for 200 thousand."Pausing, he then sighed in dismay, "However, the buyer wasn't too rich—I would have squeezed him for 400 thousand, but he couldn't afford more, so I had to settle for less."Elaine quickly exclaimed, "Shit, we're talking about a loss of 200 thousand! People would work a year and still never earn that much…"She trailed off for a moment before asking, "By the way, dear—are we still flying out first thing tomorrow?
Jacob laughed. "Put that issue behind us? Sure, but we're not becoming friends. Hell, I can't even hold a grudge now that you're shit out of luck."Then, his tone changed sharply and suddenly became icy, "But you see, Aurous Hill is not a place you can stay just because you want to. No… After this, you're not going to be able to make a living in the antique trade.""If I were you, I'd be running a thousand miles away, far away from Aurous Hill where no one would know my face to start over. That way, you just might be able to make a living."Raymond simply kept smiling, "You need not be concerned about how I'm going to survive here, Mr. Wilson. I'd be very grateful if you'd cease any form of harassment once you leave my premises."Jacob pursed his lips, staring at Raymond in disappointment. "I'm plenty magnanimous, so I won't stoop to such pettiness. Just do whatever you like!"Clicking his tongue, he huffed, "Tut, tut… And here I'd thought you're tough, but you're just yet another
Raymond chuckled at the title, humble as ever, "The Duke of Wastage? Now, that's quite the royal title, and I don't think I deserve such an honor…"Trailing off, he then made an especially curious look, "By the way, how'd you know they were calling me that?"Seeing that he was still so ignorant, Jacob scoffed. "You bought a Renaissance-era bronze sculpture earlier, didn't you?"Raymond nodded. "I did. But technically, it's medieval and not Renaissance, along with a Renaissance-era base."Jacob clutched his stomach as he laughed, "Oh, please! Medieval? Hahaha… You're killing me, Mr. Cole!"Raymond kept a serious look on his face. "It's really medieval. Why don't you take a look?""No way," Jacob snorted, pursing his lips. "Anyway, word has already spread that someone was selling a counterfeit bronze sculpture to defraud Antique Street for some serious dough. He went first to Vintage Deluxe, but their manager, Mr. Crane, saw through it and didn't buy it… and then he came to you, an
That was why most of the collectors only knew that such an item existed but they did not know in whose possession it was.After registering a new account and paying the ten thousand registration fee, Raymond got in.It was very safe as it was anonymous, and he posted a photo of the bronze sculpture and an announcement with an asking price of twenty million.In his opinion, it wasn't that expensive—if it was still gilded, it would be worth around a hundred million. Without it, it was plenty reasonable to cut the price down to just thirty million.And Raymond was cutting another ten million off that, so twenty million was plenty reasonable.Moreover, medieval bronze sculptures were exceedingly rare, and less than one specimen showed up annually at times. Collectors who desired it would therefore be willing to break the bank for it, and that was why Raymond was sure that someone would put in an order once he posted it.As he wrote the summary of the item, someone knocked on his door
Jacob frowned in disdain. "Why would I be worried? He's no longer the manager of Vintage Deluxe, and he just lost a shit ton of money for messing up his appraisal. I am also the vice president of the Calligraphy and Painting Association, so why would I be worried about some loser who will soon be kicked out of Antique Street?"Straightening his collar, he snorted coldly, "I am now going to see Raymond Cole and humiliate him face-to-face! He thinks he's impressive, doesn't he? Let's see how he will keep up that facade!"Zachary chuckled, "Yes, exactly! People like him need to be given a slap in the face! As hard as you can! Don't worry—I'll be right behind you. If he gets physical, I'll rush in to help. If he doesn't dare to start a fight, you just insult him as much as possible!""Good plan!" Jacob nodded since he was concerned that Raymond might get physical when pushed too far.And with his body, there was no way he could beat anyone…Spreading his arms, he exclaimed, "Come! I'l
Mick inspected every video to see who was getting the most views, and he then paid out of his own pocket to use paid advertising to get the video viral.It cost five thousand and it hurt, but reaching the trending page was definitely worth it.Mick was quite shrewd too, making sure that the paid advertising was focused locally. After all, he knew all too well that five thousand didn't buy many clicks, and clicks from elsewhere might be too sporadic to gain any worthwhile attention.As he worked in Antique Street, he naturally had to come up with a plan to promote himself in this place, ideally presenting himself as a master appraiser.That way, his fame would slowly extend throughout the province and perhaps Eastern Oskia, and eventually the country.As such, focusing on Aurous Hill was the best idea.Moreover, he also had another idea—if Jasmine Moore happened to see this video, she would see him in a new light.When that happened, he could look forward to getting really rich!
Soon, the video of Mick's staged act was uploaded to the online group, and everyone eagerly watched it as soon as it was done uploading.Mick certainly set a new bar with his acting as none of them could see that it was an act.Moreover, everyone could see that the bronze sculpture looked like the real deal, and they might have been swindled if it were them.As such, they couldn't help being impressed as Mick had easily seen through Billy's con, and he was the definition of a pro in that video.No matter how Billy had packaged it, there was no tricking real experts like Mick Crane. Just a quick glance and he had seen through that it was a postmodern replica, matched with a base from the Renaissance era to misdirect and beguile.With that, many fellow antique dealers changed their opinion of Mick.After all, Vintage Deluxe's business had been declining after Mick took over as manager, and people were presuming that his skills were lacking.But now, they were all shown that he had
"Amazing, Mr. Crane!""It's Mr. Crane who shines through, in the end! His eyes see through everything!""I guess Miss Moore made the right choice firing Raymond and appointing Mr. Crane! Mr. Crane is infinitely better!"Mick was immediately thrilled to see them fawning over him, and he laughed, "You flatter me—I'm merely sharing my personal perspective on this. In this trade, anyone who knows would understand how hard it is to get the good stuff in this age of technology.""There are plenty of people who hold ulterior motives and change their tactics knowing that there are always those scheming to get their hands on vintage treasures, so they just have to make it. That is how they started making counterfeits of everything, from scrolls to sculptures to statues, each of them so real just to trick those fools who think they could get rich overnight!""Exactly!" Someone promptly agreed. "There's never a lack of any such fools, and I just happened to meet one. I had this piece of jade