688: Chapter 683 Is he really a thief?

Shen Yan reminded him in a relaxed tone.

Moretti no longer hesitated, leaning on his walking stick, and was the first to enter the passage.

Shen Yan and Chen Guangke followed closely behind.

The moment they stepped into the passage, the stone door behind them slammed shut, isolating all the noise outside.

The passage was pitch black, but soft, motion-sensing floor lights illuminated the ground beneath their feet.

The path was rugged, and the air was damp and cold.

After walking for about ten minutes, light appeared ahead.

A naturally formed coastal sea cave opened up before their eyes.

Outside the cave was the surging ocean, with black reefs resembling ghostly silhouettes.

It was at this very moment.

Splash—

The seawater in front of them seemed to be lifted by a giant beast, and a massive black outline silently broke the surface.

It was a small submarine.

Completely black, with smooth lines, it exuded a sci-fi sense of oppression.

On the hull, a silver-white wolf head emblem flickered faintly under the moonlight.

Moretti was completely stunned.

He leaned on his walking stick, looking up at the behemoth, his mouth slightly agape, forgetting even to breathe.

He had imagined countless possibilities for escape.

Speedboats, helicopters, even gliders.

But he never dreamed that a submarine would be waiting for him here like a ghost.

The submarine's hatch opened, and a man dressed in a black combat uniform poked his head out, giving Shen Yan a salute.

"Boss, the 'Sea Wolf' has arrived as ordered."

Shen Yan nodded.

"Mr. Moretti, please."

"This sea area will be locked down soon. Traveling underwater is the safest option."

Moretti mechanically turned his head to look at Shen Yan.

At this moment, he finally understood.

This young man before him was not some petty thief coveting his treasures.

A thief couldn't pick his locks, evade his systems, much less... summon a submarine to meet him.

This was a major figure whose power surpassed his imagination.

"Who exactly are you?"

Moretti's voice trembled slightly.

"A collector."

Shen Yan smiled faintly.

"Coincidentally, I am also very interested in another one of your collectibles."

"The Key of Solomon, it's in your hands, isn't it?"

Moretti's pupils constricted to pinpricks.

The space inside the submarine was not large, but the facilities were complete.

The warm, dry air chased away the chill from the passage.

Chen Guangke handed Moretti a cup of hot water. After drinking it, the old man's complexion looked slightly better.

He was settled in a private rest cabin, seemingly needing time to process everything that had happened in the last hour.

In the control cabin, only Shen Yan and Chen Guangke remained.

The submarine smoothly submerged into the deep sea, and countless streams of data silently swept across the display screens.

The clamor of the outside world seemed to have been completely abandoned.

"Yan Zi."

Chen Guangke finally couldn't hold back and spoke.

"I still don't understand."

"Why are we helping him?"

"He is a thief, a world-renowned grand larcenist."

"Is it worth taking such a huge risk for some 'Key of Solomon'?"

Shen Yan looked out the porthole at the deep, dark water, where nothing could be seen.

"Guang Ke, what do you think a thief is?"

He suddenly asked an unrelated question.

Chen Guangke paused.

"Someone who steals things is a thief."

The answer was simple, direct, and aligned with the understanding of the vast majority of people.

"Then what if the thing being stolen was itself stolen in the first place?"

Shen Yan turned his head to look at his good brother.

"Why do you think someone like Moretti has been able to evade capture for decades without ever being arrested?"

"Is it truly because his methods are so brilliant that no one can match them?"

Chen Guangke frowned. He vaguely felt that what Shen Yan was about to say would overturn his perception.

"The intelligence I possess is not just the location of the star of ishtar."

Shen Yan's voice was very calm.

"It includes the detailed provenance of every single piece in Moretti's thieving career."

"Do you know why he is called 'The Phantom'? It's not just because he appears and disappears unpredictably."

"It's also because after every theft, almost none of the original owners dared to actually report it to the police."

"Why?"

"Because they dared not."

A hint of mockery played on Shen Yan's lips.

"Moretti's first target was a scepter of an ancient Egyptian Pharaoh, named 'Tear of the Nile,' which was sold for an astronomical price in Geneva thirty-five years ago."

"That auction caused a global sensation."

"The buyer was an American oil tycoon who wished to remain anonymous."

"And that scepter originally belonged in the National Museum in Cairo."

"It was 'taken' from the museum ruins during a regional war ten years ago."

"The oil tycoon bought it through black market channels for less than five hundred thousand US dollars, then whitewashed its identity, put it up for a top global auction, and manipulated the price to thirty million US dollars, turning it into a piece of legitimate artwork with a 'clear provenance.'"

"Moretti took it from the tycoon's impregnable vault the night after the auction ended."

"And then what?" Chen Guangke pressed.

"Then, the tycoon publicly claimed the scepter was accidentally lost during transport and offered a one-million-dollar reward for its recovery."

"Did he dare report to the police that his 'clearly sourced' scepter had been stolen?"

"He dared not."

"Because if the police launched an in-depth investigation, the scandal of how he obtained the scepter back then would be completely exposed."

"Where did that scepter finally appear?"

"Three months later, someone found a box at the entrance of the Cairo National Museum."

"Inside was the 'Tear of the Nile.'"

"No note, no information, as if it had grown legs and returned on its own."

Chen Guangke's breathing hitched slightly.

He seemed to be starting to understand.

"Take the star of ishtar, which we acquired tonight, for example."

"System intelligence shows it was indeed lost from the Metropolitan Museum."

"But before it was collected by the museum, it belonged to an old Jewish family in Europe."

"During World War II, that family was sent to a concentration camp, and all their assets were embezzled by a Nazi officer, including this necklace."

"After the war, that officer transformed himself into a so-called 'art preservationist' and 'donated' this necklace to the Metropolitan Museum, gaining fame and status for himself."

"The descendants of that Jewish family had been petitioning for decades, trying to reclaim their ancestors' heirloom, but were rejected every time on the grounds of 'insufficient evidence' and 'legal donation.'"

"Three years ago, the necklace was stolen from the museum."

"Now, it is in our hands."

Shen Yan took the necklace out of his pocket. The brilliance of the diamonds flowed with a cold yet captivating color in the dimly lit cabin.

"Do you still say Moretti is a thief?"