212: Chapter 212 Arrival in Dubai

At a little past two in the afternoon local time, the plane landed in Dubai.

The sun hung low in the west, baking the tarmac until it turned a bleached white. Heat waves surged up from the ground, and one could feel the sweltering steam even through the cabin glass.

Li Xin stood up from his seat, his back feeling a bit stiff. After a flight of over a dozen hours, even though the Gulfstream seats were very comfortable, he wasn't lying down, so his lower back still ached. He stretched his shoulders, hearing his joints pop twice.

The cabin door opened, and a blast of hot air rushed in, dry and carrying the scent of diesel and runway asphalt. He squinted as he stepped onto the airstairs; the sunlight was too blinding.

Three black Rolls-Royces were parked at the bottom of the airstairs. Standing next to the extended version in the middle was a man in a white robe; he was slender, with graying hair that was combed meticulously. Seeing Li Xin descend, he stepped forward quickly, hands clasped in front of him, and bowed slightly.

"Mr. Li, welcome back to Dubai."

Li Xin nodded. "Ahmed, it's been a while."

The butler smiled, the wrinkles at the corners of his mouth deepening slightly. "The last time you were here was in February; it's been nearly four months."

He stepped aside, gesturing for him to proceed. "There is ice water and towels in the car; let's get in first."

Li Xin bent down and sat in the back seat. After the door closed, the heat wave outside was shut out. The car's air conditioning was set high, and the chill seeped into his skin. He leaned back against the seat and let out a long breath. After days of trekking back and forth between temples and ancient castles, his shoulders had been tense, and now he could finally relax.

Ahmed handed over a bottle of mineral water from the front seat, fine beads of condensation clinging to the bottle.

"Mr. Li, the collectible artifacts you acquired in India are quite numerous. I have already arranged for them to be transported and diverted according to your instructions."

"Good, tell me, how exactly did you arrange it?"

"The first batch went to Zurich via air freight, transported in temperature-controlled containers throughout; they have already been warehoused, and the receipt is on the desk in your suite. The second batch went to Singapore via sea freight; fake container labels were used during loading, and it arrived at the port last Thursday. It is currently sealed in the underground vault. The third batch went to Hong Kong, using a bonded warehouse for transit; it just arrived this morning and hasn't been unpacked yet."

Li Xin unscrewed the bottle and took a sip. "Any mishaps on the way?"

"None." Ahmed's tone was certain. "Each shipment had independent security escorts, and no one person handled the entire process along the chain. Customs only scanned them as ordinary metal products, so it didn't attract any attention."

"There were quite a few religious artifacts among them; those things are hard to declare."

"Handled separately." Ahmed looked back at him, lowering his voice slightly.

"That portion was sent through a private jet channel. I used a cargo plane under our company's name to fly directly from Mumbai to Dubai, with no transfers in between. After landing, it went directly into the vacuum compartment in your suite, without passing through any third-party hands."

Li Xin didn't ask any more questions. He leaned back in his seat and looked out the window. The car had driven out of the airport area and onto the main road. On both sides of the road were high-rise buildings, their glass curtain walls reflecting the sun, shining brilliantly white. Several buildings were under construction, the arms of tower cranes suspended in mid-air, standing out sharply against the background of the blue sky.

Ahmed handed over a tablet from the front again; the screen was lit up, displaying dense tables.

"This is the summary account of all the various artifacts currently held. As per your request, they have been divided into three separate ledgers. One records weight and distribution, one records origin and warehousing date, and the third records the physical photos and seal numbers corresponding to each shipment."

Li Xin took the tablet and scrolled through it a few times. The first page contained some ancient gold coins, just a few thousand of them. Below, it was noted in fine print which dynasty the gold coins belonged to, their collection value, and so on.

In India, he had found millions of ancient gold coins, along with countless treasures, all of which had collection value. It's just that he couldn't release too many at once, lest it affect their value. He looked at it for a few seconds and then placed the tablet on his lap.

"The data is correct."

Ahmed nodded. "The suite at the Burj Al Arab is ready, the presidential suite on the top floor. The temperature-controlled compartment has been pre-cooled to sixteen degrees. Your Star of Travancore and the small pieces of jewelry you brought back with you can be warehoused at any time."

"What is the schedule for tonight?"

"Six-thirty at the underwater restaurant; the chef has adjusted the menu according to your preferences, featuring Wagyu beef and truffles, paired with a bottle of 2009 Romanée-Conti. At eight-thirty, we have a yacht excursion, equipped with a temperature-controlled wine cellar and an open deck. If you are tired, we can change it to tomorrow morning."

Li Xin thought for a moment. "Just proceed as you said. No need to change it."

"Very well."

The motorcade drove through the city, following the coastline in the direction of the Burj Al Arab. The sea was on the left, shining blue. Nearby, a few small yachts drifted leisurely, and in the distance, one could see the silhouettes of cargo ships, gray and hazy, shrinking into tiny dots where the sky met the sea.

The car stopped at the hotel entrance. A doorman ran over to open the door, and Ahmed was already waiting on the side, holding an old-fashioned copper key.

"The top-floor elevator goes directly there, so you don't need to go through the lobby."

Li Xin got out of the car and followed Ahmed through an inconspicuous side door into a private elevator. The elevator was very quiet while running; he could barely feel it rising, only the numbers on the indicator light were changing. Upon reaching the top floor, the door opened to a corridor, not long, with a dark wooden door at the end.

Ahmed opened the door with the copper key and stepped aside.

"Mr. Li, please."

Li Xin walked in. The living room was large, with floor-to-ceiling windows occupying an entire wall, offering a panoramic view of the entire Persian Gulf. The sea surface shimmered like broken silver in the afternoon sun. Nearby, one could see the silhouette of the sail-shaped artificial island, and in the distance, the continuous coastline. Further out, it was impossible to distinguish the sky from the water.

On the coffee table in the middle of the living room were three stacks of documents, stacked neatly. Next to them was an open silver briefcase, lined with black velvet and partitioned into compartments of varying sizes. The Star of Travancore, that giant diamond, was lying in the largest compartment, light falling on it and refracting a small patch of crystalline white.

Ahmed stood next to the coffee table and did not sit.

"If you are not tired, you can take inventory of the small items you brought back now. The large items have already been warehoused and sealed. These three ledgers correspond to the warehousing receipts and actual photos of each vault."

Li Xin sat down on the sofa, took the top ledger, and flipped through it, looking at the photos and descriptions of the various treasures.

When he flipped to the ledger for Orchha, he paused for a moment, seeing a close-up of a significant religious artifact: a pure gold statue of Vishnu, one meter tall and weighing fifty kilograms, sealed in an independent safe on the third underground level in Zurich.

He flipped another page, didn't look closely, and closed it.

"Have the items all been verified?"

"I verified them personally. The entire process was recorded, and the video data is stored on your private encrypted server. The ledgers here are just paper backups; no electronic copies are stored."

"Good."

Li Xin stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window. A white yacht on the sea was turning around, leaving an arc-shaped wake in the sunlight. He stood there for a while, feeling the tense muscles in the back of his neck slowly relax.

"Dinner will proceed as originally planned."

"Very well." Ahmed retreated to the door. "I will come to pick you up at six-twenty."

After the door closed, the living room quieted down. The air conditioning was running at low power, emitting an almost inaudible hum. Li Xin stood by the window for a while longer, then turned and went into the bedroom, took a quick shower, and came out wearing a light-colored linen shirt.

At six-thirty, Ahmed appeared at the door on time. The two passed through the private passage and went down to the underwater restaurant. The entire restaurant was submerged beneath the sea surface. Outside the curved glass dome was all seawater, with schools of tropical fish swimming leisurely—blue, yellow, silver—while lights shone down from the ceiling, creating shimmering spots of light in the water.

The chef came over personally to introduce the menu, speaking entirely in English with a slight French accent. The Wagyu beef was seared just right, slightly charred on the outside and still pink on the inside; when cut, the juices seeped to the bottom of the plate.

The truffles were shaved thinly and curled around the meat. As the heat steamed them, the aroma dispersed, perhaps a bit too intensely. The bottle of Romanée-Conti was decanted just right; it was soft on the palate, the astringency of the tannins was very light, and the finish carried a hint of sweetness from dried fruits.

Li Xin ate slowly, occasionally pausing in between to glance at the school of fish swimming outside the glass. Ahmed sat beside him, occasionally mentioning the recent market situation and gold price trends in Dubai, his tone plain and straightforward, without beating around the bush.

After finishing dessert, the two left the restaurant and went up to the pier. A three-story white yacht was docked at the shore, its lights fully illuminated, lighting up the surrounding water. Staff in uniforms stood by the gangway, waiting with hands hanging by their sides.

"Mr. Li, we can depart at any time."

Li Xin boarded the yacht and walked to the top deck. The sofas had light beige leather surfaces, and a low table was placed in the middle, on which sat a bottle of wine that had already been opened and two crystal glasses. He sat down, took the wine bottle, and glanced at the label—an '82 Lafite. The bottle body bore the old winery's label, the edges slightly yellowed.

Ahmed sat down opposite him and poured himself half a glass. "This bottle has been stored for quite a few years; it was just taken out of the wine cellar the day before yesterday. See if it suits your taste."

Li Xin picked up the glass, swirled it, and didn't rush to drink. The yacht had left the shore by this time; the sound of the engine was very low, almost covered by the sound of the waves. The lights on the shore were slowly receding, and the silhouette of the Burj Al Arab was glowing in the night, like a lighthouse floating on the sea.

"The journey in India," Ahmed said, holding his wine glass, his tone casual, "everything went smoothly?"

"It was alright, a bit more troublesome than expected."

"I heard that place has a very strong religious atmosphere, but there are many places where outsiders cannot enter."

Li Xin took a sip of wine and didn't respond. The layers of the wine melted in his mouth; the first sip carried a bit of blackcurrant acidity, followed by the aged fragrance of the wooden barrel, and the finish had a hint of leather flavor. He only spoke after swallowing.

"It was all fine. I had friends there, and the journey was quite interesting."

Ahmed tactfully didn't pursue the matter further. He picked up his own glass, took a sip, and changed the subject.

"The manor in Shenzhen..."