"You guys actually made a move? My God, why couldn't you have done it this morning? The rooster head would've been taken out by now," Coco lamented.
"You're not blaming us?" Jack Chen asked, surprised and relieved.
Sitting on the sofa, waiting to watch his "friends" turn on each other, William cursed under his breath, "Damn it, what kind of twisted logic is this? At the very least, shouldn't she be worried about her teacher getting into trouble?"
Coco sighed regretfully. "What a shame. If we had the rooster head along with the rabbit head we found yesterday, we could've sent two national treasures back to the country."
"Haha!" William, who was already in a foul mood from not getting to see a betrayal unfold, burst into laughter when he heard her mention the rabbit head.
"And what are you laughing at now?" Coco asked, annoyed.
"I'm laughing at how stupid you are," William mocked her. "If I were you, I'd go home and check if the rabbit head is still there. Because this morning, someone personally handed both the rabbit and rat heads to me. Not only that, but tomorrow, the horse, pig, and dog heads will be in my possession as well. Along with the rooster head, I now have ten of the twelve zodiac statues. Haha, how pathetic! Some people's dreams have been shattered, and they've even been betrayed by their friends."
"Ah!" Coco stared at Jack Chen, who was avoiding her gaze, as were the other two men and one woman. Realizing William was right, she yelled, "You bastards!" before storming out of the room.
Watching the annoying girl leave, William laughed heartily.
"Now that the irrelevant people are gone, let's talk about our business," William said, narrowing his eyes as he looked at the four people in front of him.
"Go ahead," Jack Chen said tactfully, planning to agree with whatever William wanted for now, intending to figure things out after leaving.
"Did you hand over Da Vinci's Rose to that fat guy Lawrence?" William asked.
"How do you know about that?" Before Jack Chen could respond, Bonnie spoke up. "Are you working with Lawrence?"
"Shut up, Bonnie!" Jack Chen quickly stopped her from saying anything more. He didn't want to provoke William into sending them to the police or, worse, teaming up with Lawrence to eliminate them.
"Mr. Devonshire, you're too late. We've already sold the Rose to Lawrence."
"Heh, no big deal," William shrugged. Although it was a bit disappointing, he wasn't too regretful. That painting had a clear auction record and a known owner. It wasn't worth risking too much to acquire it.
Besides, it wasn't like he didn't already own Da Vinci's work. He briefly wondered whether he should retrieve the paintings he had left in Rosslyn Chapel. He had almost forgotten about them over time, unsure of how to preserve them properly. Deciding that he'd better move them back home, he made a mental note.
After finishing his thoughts about the painting, William squinted at the group. "What about the golden eagle box, the Pharaoh's scepter, and the Tsarina's scepter? Don't tell me you didn't swipe those treasures while you were at it."
"F!" The four of them cursed internally, glaring at the smiling William. After exchanging glances, Jack Chen finally said, "On the black market, those three treasures could easily sell for at least ten million dollars. I'll sell them to you for half price."
"Heh, that silly girl touched the rooster head, and with your fingerprints all over it, I wonder how many years you'd get for stealing antiques worth millions of pounds. How about we find out?" William said with a wicked smile.
The group froze, stunned by William's shamelessness. After a few minutes of tense silence, Jack Chen realized there was no way out. They had been caught red-handed, and they feared William would involve Coco as well. On top of that, the room felt filled with a sharp, invisible danger, making him uneasy.
"Fine, I admit defeat. You got us fair and square. I'll give them to you for free, just please don't drag any innocent people into this."
"Good, I like dealing with smart people. But that's not enough. Do me one more favor, and we'll call it even," William said, clapping his hands.
Suddenly, Bonnie let out a terrified scream.
"What's wrong?" Jack Chen, Alvin, and Ayu quickly looked in the direction Bonnie was pointing.
Out of the shadows, less than two meters from Bonnie, a figure dressed entirely in black, wearing a hood and looking like a ninja, stepped out. He bowed to William and said, "What are your orders, sir?"
"Good God, is that a ninja?" Alvin said in horror, staring at the black-clad figure.
Although Jack Chen had warned them that there were experts protecting William in the room, seeing the black-clad ghost appear just two meters from them was a shock. Everyone but Jack Chen was visibly trembling, their foreheads breaking out in a cold sweat.
"Raizo, go with them to find The Immortal."
"Yes, Mr. Devonshire," Raizo responded, then retreated a few steps back into the shadows. A moment later, he vanished entirely.
Bonnie rubbed her eyes, trying to process what had just happened. It was understandable that she hadn't noticed him earlier, but now, after watching him closely, she saw him disappear right in front of her eyes.
Disbelieving, she walked over to where Raizo had vanished, waving her hand in the air, searching for him. She even pulled back the curtains and looked around, but there was no sign of him.
"What's going on? Where did he go?" Bonnie asked, turning to Jack Chen, the most skilled of their group. "What happened? Are we dealing with something supernatural?"
"It's not that he vanished. It's just that his speed is too fast. Using the shadows and furniture to his advantage, he moved away in an instant," Jack Chen shrugged. "Don't ask me how it works. I don't know. All I saw was a faint shadow disappearing to your left."
"Then, if he wanted to kill us, we wouldn't stand a chance," Bonnie said, her voice trembling.
"Don't be ridiculous. We don't have any grudges against Mr. Devonshire, and we're even giving him three treasures for free. Why would that ninja want to kill you?" Jack Chen said, laughing as he looked at William. "Right, Mr. Devonshire?"
William didn't answer Jack Chen directly. Instead, he said, "You'll help me find The Immortal. The clues are in the photos, notes, and paintings left by Catherine's ancestor. All I want are the snake head, goat head, and something inside a large tree on the ship. Everything else you find will be yours. Any objections?"
"Of course, we don't need the items. You can just pay us in cash," Jack Chen replied without hesitation.
"Boss?" Alvin and Ayu looked at Jack Chen, surprised.
"We'll discuss this outside," Jack Chen said, shaking his head. Then, looking back at William, he added, "Lawrence offered us a hundred thousand dollars per bronze head. If you want to hire us to find the snake and goat heads, my price is two hundred thousand dollars. We'll help you with the rest, or I'd rather go home and sleep."
"Haha, Mr. Chen, you really are a smart man. No problem."
William stood up and shook Jack Chen's hand. "You're free to explore the castle, but if my men catch you stealing anything, you won't like the consequences. And don't even think about double-crossing me. If you disappear, my people will find your families."
"Understood, understood," the four of them nodded quickly, realizing they had crossed paths with a dangerous man this time.
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