159: Chapter 159 Transferring Flowers to Trees

On the first day, he didn't go out.

Sitting in the study, he faced the computer and looked up information. The Japanese Military bank gold reserve vault was located underground in Nihonbashi, Tokyo. The security level was very high, with the Self-Defense Forces stationed there. He couldn't get in, nor did he need to. The Transfer Card ignored space, security, and monitoring; he could operate it from home.

The problem was how to operate it. The system said "specify the target"—did he just need to say the name, or did he need more precise information?

He opened the system panel. AI System was dozing in the corner.

"AI System."

[Hmm?]

"How do I specify the target?"

[Just say it. The system will automatically lock on.]

"Japanese Military Central Bank vault, New York Fed Japanese Military reserve vault, all the gold."

[Locked on. All Japanese Military gold reserve vaults. Official data: 847 tons. Actual stock: 847 tons. Does this meet expectations?]

"Yes."

[Target specified. Second target?]

"Tokyo National Museum. All the cultural relics looted from various places."

AI System was silent for a few seconds.

[The Tokyo National Museum holds a huge number of Chinese cultural relics; some are registered, some are not public. Are you sure you want to swap all of them?]

"All of them."

[Target specified. Third target?]

"Kyoto National Museum, Nara National Museum. The Imperial Household Agency, all looted cultural relics, all of them."

[Target specified. Other targets?]

Li Xin thought for a moment. "Can you find the secret gold reserves hidden across the Japanese Military that aren't in official records?"

[Yes, it will take two days.]

"Then search for them; find as much as you can."

[Understood.]

Li Xin leaned back in his chair and lit a cigarette. The weather outside the window was nice; sunlight shone into the courtyard, and the shadows of the dwarf pines fell onto the gravel. Yamashita Kyoko brought in tea, placed it on the table, and glanced at him.

"Mr. Li is in a good mood today."

"It's alright."

She smiled and stepped out.

Li Xin picked up the teacup and took a sip. The tea was sencha—bitter, astringent, but hot. He held the cup and looked at the courtyard outside the window.

AI System popped up a notification.

[Countdown: 165 hours, 32 minutes, 11 seconds.]

The next day, he began the operation.

Sitting in the study, he closed the door and drew the curtains. The system panel unfolded before his eyes, golden light circling in rings. AI System reported the numbers.

[Japanese Military gold reserve vault: 847 tons. Swap initiated.]

An image appeared on the panel. It wasn't real-time; it was a simulation generated by the system. The vault was underground with off-white walls. On metal shelves were rows of gold bars, 12.5 kilograms each, stacked neatly. The lighting was cold white, reflecting off the gold bars.

Li Xin stared at the image, feeling nothing in his heart.

"Start."

[Swapping.]

The image began to change. The gold bars disappeared one by one, replaced by yellow mud of the same size and weight. The appearance was identical, the weight was identical, and even the surface luster was the same. The system said that basic testing equipment couldn't tell the difference unless destructive testing was performed.

Li Xin looked at the yellow mud, and the corners of his mouth twitched.

847 tons of gold turned into blocks of yellow mud; the Japanese Military's official reserves became a joke overnight.

[Swap complete. 847 tons of gold have been transferred to the designated location: the cave at the northern foot of the Qilian Mountains.]

"Continue, Tokyo National Museum."

[Chinese cultural relics in the Tokyo National Museum. Total: approximately 110,000 pieces. Including calligraphy, paintings, bronzeware, ceramics, Buddha statues, ancient books, etc. Some are Important Cultural Properties. Swap initiated.]

The image switched to the museum's storage room: off-white shelves, with cultural relics displayed one by one. Bronzeware, porcelain, Buddha statues, calligraphy, and paintings were densely packed.

Li Xin looked at those items. Some he could recognize at a glance as being from China. Some he couldn't tell, but the system labeled them very clearly—"China: Shang and Zhou Bronzeware," "China: Tang Dynasty Buddha Statue," "China: Song Dynasty Porcelain."

He started to feel a tightness in his chest. These things had been sitting here for decades, even a century. They wouldn't return them, nor would they acknowledge them; they just left them there as if they had always been theirs.

"Start."

[Swapping.]

The cultural relics disappeared one by one, replaced by high-fidelity replicas. The system said the appearance, material, and basic test data were completely consistent; unless carbon-14 dating was performed, they wouldn't be discovered.

Li Xin looked at the replicas. The pent-up feeling in his heart eased a little, but not much.

[Swap complete. 110,000 cultural relics have been transferred to the designated location.]

For the next three days, he sat in the study from morning till night. Kyoto National Museum, Nara National Museum, the Imperial Household Agency—he swapped them one by one. AI System searched the background for secret gold reserves hidden across the Japanese Military, finding several locations totaling over 400 tons. Some were in underground fortifications, some in private collections, and some in temple crypts.

Li Xin didn't care about the source; he swapped them all.

Over 400 tons of gold replaced with yellow mud. Those private collectors, temples, and shrines—no one knew their vaults were already empty.

On the fifth day, AI System reported a piece of news.

[Countdown: 72 hours. Remaining targets: None. Continue searching?]

"Continue. Until you find them all."

[Understood.]

On the sixth day, AI System scanned a signal in Hokkaido. An underground fortification, 50 meters deep, hiding a large quantity of gold bars. The origin was unknown; the system judged it to be looted by the Japanese Military during World War II, sealed after the war, with all those who knew about it dead—no one knew.

Li Xin didn't hesitate and swapped it immediately. 120 tons.

On the seventh day, AI System scanned two signals in Kyushu. One in Fukuoka, 30 meters underground, hiding 80 tons of gold bars. One in Nagasaki, 45 meters underground, hiding 60 tons.

He swapped them all.

When the countdown ended, AI System reported the total.

[Transfer Card swap summary. Gold: 847 tons (official reserves) + 400 tons (hidden reserves) + 120 tons (Hokkaido) + 80 tons (Fukuoka) + 60 tons (Nagasaki) = 1507 tons. Cultural relics: approximately 280,000 pieces. All transferred to the cave at the northern foot of the Qilian Mountains. The entire process was traceless and undiscovered.]

Li Xin sat in the study, looking at the line of text.

1507 tons of gold. 280,000 cultural relics.

He took a cigarette from the drawer and lit it. His hand was steady. That pent-up feeling in his heart was finally gone.

"AI System."

[Hmm.]

"Thanks."

AI System didn't speak.

Li Xin stood up and walked to the window. Tokyo Tower was still lit. The lights in the distance connected into one, with no visible changes. But he knew that the vault underground was empty. The cultural relics in those museums were all replicas. No one knew. Maybe in a few years, maybe a few decades, maybe they would never be discovered.

He stubbed out his cigarette and turned to walk out of the study.

Yamashita Kyoko was tidying up in the living room. Seeing him come out, she smiled.

"Mr. Li, what would you like to eat tonight?"

"Anything. Keep it simple."

"Alright."

He changed his shoes, pushed open the door, and walked into the courtyard.

The sea breeze blew from the distance, carrying a salty taste. The leaves of the dwarf pines swayed in the wind, and the halo of the stone lantern flickered on the ground.

He stood in the courtyard for a long time.

Early the next morning, he flew back to China.

He didn't tell anyone; only Chen Hu came to pick him up and drove him back to Shenzhen.

On the way, Chen Hu glanced at him through the rearview mirror.

"Boss, how was the harvest this trip?"

"It was alright." Li Xin smiled.

Chen Hu didn't ask again.

Arriving at Shenzhen Bay No. 1, Li Xin went upstairs, took a shower, and lay on the bed. He opened his phone and scrolled through his moments.

Yang Hong posted a photo of the company team building, a group of people standing by the sea, smiling brightly.

Luo Maifa posted a photo of barbecue skewers with the caption: "Old place tonight, who's coming?"

Qiang Zi didn't post, and Tie Zhu didn't either.

Li Xin put down his phone and closed his eyes.

AI System flickered on the panel.

[Zhuzi.]

"Hmm."

[What do you plan to do next?]

"Wait."

[Wait for what?]

"Wait for them to find out."

He turned over and pulled the quilt over his head.

Outside the window, the night in Shenzhen was still long.