190: Chapter 190 The Crisis of Yu Zang

Early the next morning, Li Xin did not go out.

He stayed holed up in the study for the entire morning. He flipped through maps and reviewed various materials, while the system panel remained lit, clearly displaying the locations of those several secondary Treasure Trove sites before his eyes.

He had originally planned to just extract them along with the rest yesterday.

But somehow... he had encountered inexplicable interference.

Fine, that meant he would just have to make another trip. There was nothing to complain about, it was just... a little troublesome.

Ten meters underground beneath the old barracks west of the castle, 200 kilograms of gold coins were buried.

Three kilometers to the north, 8 meters beneath a disused guard post, over 600 kilograms of silverware were buried.

Five hundred meters east of the city wall, there was a hidden compartment underground containing 400 kilograms of jewelry.

Adding it all together, it was a full 1.2 tons.

It didn't look like much, but since he was so professional, he had to extract it!

Around lunchtime, Liu Mo came over.

Li Xin asked, "You're here, sit down. Have you eaten? Want to have something together?"

Liu Mo pulled out a chair and sat down, his posture straight. "I've eaten, Boss. What are the arrangements for tonight?"

Li Xin didn't even look up, just picked up a bite of food by himself.

"The same as last night," he said calmly after swallowing his food. "Same time, same place."

Liu Mo nodded, and after a pause of a few seconds, he asked, "The security perimeter... the same as usual?"

"The usual is fine. It will be much easier tonight than the last two nights. The castle side is a bit chaotic right now, and the patrols are panicked by rumors of ghosts, so inspections likely won't be strict."

After listening, Liu Mo didn't say anything more, just nodded slightly, understanding.

"Understood." He replied softly, then added, "Then I'll go prepare."

"Alright, you go ahead."

At 9:00 PM, everything was arranged, and they prepared to head out.

Surendra was watering flowers in the yard and asked when he saw him: "Mr. Li, are you going out again tonight?"

"Yeah, just going out for a walk."

"Then please be careful, the old city isn't very safe at night."

Li Xin nodded, "Rest assured, with bodyguards around, nothing will happen."

Walking out the gate and arriving at the alley entrance, Liu Mo was already waiting there, driving a gray SUV.

Getting into the car, they headed straight out of the city. There were few cars on the road, and the streetlights were dim. The clouds in the sky tightly covered the stars.

Not long after, they arrived at the forest, the same old spot as before. Liu Mo parked the car behind a small hill and then checked the surroundings.

"Boss, everything is normal nearby. I'll go over there to keep watch."

"Go ahead."

Li Xin got out of the car and scanned the surroundings.

"AI System, initiate Extraction. Three secondary Treasure Trove sites, extract all at once."

"Extraction initiated. Initial rate 50 tons/hour. Target: three secondary Treasure Trove sites, total weight 1.2 tons. Estimated time: about 2 minutes."

"Target energy field intensity rating: C (scattered spirit remnants), estimated interference level: mild."

The progress bar began to jump. Quickly, 10%, 20%, 30%.

His temples didn't ache. His ears didn't buzz. There were no voices in his head.

Li Xin stood in place, his gaze fixed on the panel. The forest was very quiet, a light breeze brushed his face, and insects were chirping in the distance.

Liu Mo's voice came through the earpiece.

"Perimeter is normal."

"What about the direction of the castle?"

"Quiet. No movement."

The progress jumped to 60%.

There were headlights in the distance that flashed once and then went out. Liu Mo's voice.

"There is a car on the east side. One car. 800 meters away."

"What kind of car?"

"Can't see clearly. Lights are off."

"Keep observing."

The headlights didn't light up again. There was no engine sound either. Li Xin stared in that direction, his hand still pressed on the ground.

The progress jumped to 80%.

"Extraction complete. All three secondary Treasure Trove sites cleared. 200 kilograms of gold coins, 600 kilograms of silverware, 400 kilograms of jewelry. Cumulative gold: 6832.7057 tons."

Li Xin closed the panel and prepared to return.

It was too smooth, so smooth that he felt a bit unaccustomed to it.

Li Xin looked around. The forest was still pitch black, and he couldn't see anything clearly. The wind had stopped, and the insect chirping had quieted down.

"Liu Mo, come back, it's time for us to head back."

"Alright, Boss."

Liu Mo walked over. "Boss, are we heading back this quickly?"

Li Xin nodded in response. "Nothing left to do, let's go back."

"Alright, let's go."

The two of them walked back. When they reached the car, Liu Mo suddenly stopped.

"Wait a second."

"Hmm? What's wrong?" Li Xin asked, puzzled.

Liu Mo crouched down and picked something up from the ground. It was a brand-new nylon rope, with not much dirt on it.

"Boss, this isn't ours."

Li Xin took it and examined it. The rope was very new, with a clean cut, as if it had just been cut.

"Is there anything else around?"

Liu Mo said a few words into the earpiece. Several people started searching the forest.

A few minutes later, the security guard A-Qiang ran over from the east. He was carrying a bag in his hand, canvas, army green, and bulging.

"Team Leader Liu! Someone dropped a bag of stuff 300 meters east of the forest!"

Liu Mo took it and unzipped it. Inside were several tools. A folding shovel, a pickaxe, a coil of rope, several pairs of gloves, and a metal detector.

The shovel and pickaxe had labels on them. White ones, with Chinese written on them.

"Excavation Tool Set", "Stainless Steel", "Thickened".

Li Xin crouched down and looked. The labels were newly printed, the gloves were also new and had no dirt on them. The metal detector was a cheap item, the kind that costs a few hundred bucks online.

"Could this be the stolen goods left behind by that treasure hunting group?" He frowned slightly and said.

Liu Mo's expression darkened.

"Who did this?"

"Most likely that group of Eastern Europeans. I heard they were treasure hunting outside the castle yesterday; they probably didn't get anything and were frustrated. Seeing us come here, they deliberately wanted to attract police attention to us to cause us trouble."

"They must have mistaken us for fellow treasure hunters. How should we handle this now?"

Li Xin stood up and looked around. The forest was pitch black, and he couldn't see anything.

"Clean all traces off the tools."

"And then?"

"After that, transport this batch of items to the side of the stronghold where local treasure hunters often stay. Do not leave any fingerprints; we cannot have even the slightest trace."

Liu Mo's eyes lit up.

"Borrowing a knife to kill, creating chaos?"

"Not borrowing a knife to kill. It's 'returning the item to its owner'. Whoever wants to steal the Treasure Trove, the tools should be in their hands."

Liu Mo nodded. He took out several pairs of gloves from the car and distributed them to the others.

"Put them on. Don't leave any fingerprints."

The few people crouched on the ground to clean the tools, wiping the shovel, pickaxe, and metal detector to remove fingerprints, tearing off the rope labels, and wiping every item in the bag one by one.

Li Xin stood by and watched.

A-Qiang finished wiping the shovel and handed it to Liu Mo. Liu Mo took it and confirmed there were no traces.

"Alright, pack it back in."

They packed the tools back into the canvas bag. Zipped it up.

Liu Mo stood up.

"Where is the local treasure hunters' stronghold?"

A-Qiang immediately responded: "I know, it's in the northern old city, in an old building. They gather there every night."

"Deliver it quietly, don't let anyone find out."

A-Qiang carried the bag and left. Another person followed him. The two disappeared into the darkness.

Li Xin got into the car.

"Let's go."

Liu Mo started the engine and turned the car around.

"I don't know if the police will believe it."

"Whether they believe it or not doesn't matter. With these tools dumped on them, the police will naturally keep an eye on them and investigate. Being able to cause them trouble is enough."

"The Boss still thinks things through thoroughly. Now they'll have a headache." Liu Mo nodded, then immediately asked.

"However, how should we handle that group of Eastern Europeans?"

"If they want to play, then we'll play along with them. Find someone to anonymously report that group of Eastern Europeans. When the police are targeting the local treasure hunters, secretly tip them off and shift all the blame onto the Eastern Europeans. Let both sides suspect each other and fight internally. By the time they realize they've been tricked, we'll have already left."

"The Boss's move is brilliant, both sides suspecting each other and fighting internally, while we watch the show from the sidelines." Liu Mo's eyes lit up, a wicked smile on his lips.

"Hehe~ Boss, when I get back, I'll immediately arrange for people to stir up trouble on both sides and incite them to fight."

Li Xin nodded slightly: "Remember, don't leave any handle for them to grab. We still have to stay in India for a while, it's not worth getting into a bunch of trouble."

"Understood, I will handle it well, it definitely won't cause us any trouble."

Returning to the villa, Li Xin went upstairs, took a shower, and lay down on the bed.

Liu Mo sent a message: "Boss, those things have been handled, it will definitely give them a surprise."

"Good, just arrange it as you see fit."

"A-Qiang took photos, do you need me to send them to you?"

"No need, I'll wait to watch the show."

The next morning, just after Li Xin finished breakfast, Liu Mo arrived.

He was holding a tablet in his hand, suppressing a smile on his face.

"Boss, take a look."

On the tablet was a news story in Hindi, accompanied by a picture. In the picture, several policemen were standing in front of an old building. On the ground was a canvas bag, with the zipper open, and the tools inside were visible.

Liu Mo translated.

"The police received an anonymous tip and found suspected grave robbing tools near a residence in the old city. It is currently under investigation."

"What about the local treasure hunters?"

"Three people were taken away, the same ones who appeared near the forest last night. They were shouting that they were wronged, saying someone framed them."

"What about the Eastern Europeans?"

"They were watching the fun from the sidelines. As a result, the police asked them why they had been staying around the castle for so many days, and they were also taken back for questioning."

Li Xin smiled.

"What happened in the end?"

"Both sides received a slap on the wrist. The local treasure hunters were detained for questioning, and the Eastern Europeans were warned. There was no evidence to convict either, but they were both hassled for an entire day."

"Very good, it's time for us to leave too."

Liu Mo put away the tablet.

"When are we leaving?"

"Early tomorrow morning, departing for Madhya Pradesh, Orchha."

"Alright, I'll go arrange it right away."

After speaking, he turned and left.

Li Xin sat in the yard, drinking a cup of tea.

The sunlight was nice, shining on the fountain, making the water spray sparkle. The flowers in the garden were in full bloom—red, yellow, purple.

Surendra walked over.

"Mr. Li, leaving so soon? There are still many places in Jaipur you haven't seen."

"I'll come again next time. Help me keep an eye on the movements of that group of Eastern Europeans."

Surendra nodded.

"Rest assured. If there is any news, how should I contact you?"

"Just call my security's number."

Surendra put his hands behind his back and bowed slightly.

"Thank you for these past few days."

"You are a distinguished guest, it is only right."

Li Xin stood up and shook his hand.

"Until we meet again."

"Until we meet again."

Early the next morning, the motorcade set off.

Three cars. Li Xin sat in the middle one, a gray SUV. One car in front and one behind, carrying security.

The cars drove out of the old city and onto the highway. Outside the window was a grayish-brown wilderness, with mountains in the distance, hazy and gray.

Liu Mo was driving, glancing at Li Xin through the rearview mirror.

"Everything is arranged in Orchha. The place to stay is an old house, left by the British, very quiet, and the environment is quite nice."

"Fine."

"There is also a castle there; you can go take a look when you get there."

Li Xin didn't speak.

He looked out the window.

The wilderness was running backward. Utility poles retreated one by one.

The car drove for two hours and entered Madhya Pradesh. On both sides of the road were farmlands, green and lush, with people working in the fields, bent over.

Li Xin leaned back in his chair, eyes closed.

He was thinking about the next step in his mind.