Traveling back thirty years to Conan, intercepting Princess Eri

Not long after the truck left, two figures slowly emerged from behind an abandoned two-story building by the roadside.

One of them was the young man with a spider tattoo on his left eye that Lin Xiuyi had met in the tunnel before.

He helped the thief who had just been kicked off the car by Lin Xiuyi. The thief's right leg was slightly bent, and his face was full of pain, obviously he had fallen hard.

"This is troublesome. The boss planned for so long, but in the end, it all fell into our hands. We didn't get the Terracotta Warriors, and we even exposed our whereabouts."

The thief flexed his injured right leg, his voice tinged with anxiety.

"If the boss investigates, we'll definitely be in big trouble."

The young man known as "Spider" chuckled lightly, his tone calm, showing no sign of panic despite the plan's failure.
"The boss only suspected that the Terracotta Army might hold the secret to immortality, so he wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to get his hands on it and study it while it was being exhibited in Japan after leaving China."

"Not being able to get the Terracotta Warriors now only means we've lost one lead; naturally, we should continue our search for Pandora."

Upon hearing the name "Pandora," a hint of awe flashed in the thief's eyes, and he said nothing more.

They had long heard of the legend of Pandora, the target of the boss's lifelong pursuit, which was said to hold the secret to immortality.

In comparison, the Terracotta Army, which is only possibly related to immortality, is indeed of negligible value.

"What should we do with that idiot who hired us, the antiquities collector?" the thief asked. "He knows part of our plan, and if the police catch him, he might leak information."

“Of course we have to deal with it.” Spider’s lips curled into a cold smile. “As a collector obsessed with antiquities, he has a lot of rare treasures in his possession, and the boss is very interested in those collections.”

"We should take this opportunity to visit his collection room. This will not only resolve this potential problem but also allow us to acquire a batch of treasures—a win-win situation."

"So... shall you go or shall I go?" the thief asked.

He is currently injured in his right leg and has difficulty moving around, but if the spider speaks, he has no choice but to bite the bullet and go for it.

“I’ll do it.” Spider nodded, his gaze falling on the thief’s injured right leg, his tone tinged with impatience. “Your injury… you should get it treated somewhere first, so it doesn’t affect the later operations.”

"...Just a few days of rest will do the trick, nothing serious," the thief waved his hand, then suddenly grabbed his hair and pulled hard.

Shockingly, he actually tore off a lifelike human skin mask, revealing a completely different face.

Her once rugged features became softer, and a faint scar appeared at the corner of her eye, making her look completely different from before.

"Fortunately, I was prepared today and had an extra face. Even if the police see me, they won't be able to find out my real identity."

The spider glanced at him, a slight smirk playing on its lips, thinking to itself: "This face of yours might not even be your true appearance."

But he didn't say those words aloud. He simply said, "Whatever. I'll deal with that collector. You find a place to hide and wait for my message. Then we'll meet up and go investigate Pandora's trail together."

"Okay." The thief nodded, leaned against the wall, and limped deeper into the abandoned warehouse, soon disappearing into the night.

Spider stood still, looking up in the direction the truck had gone, the spider tattoo on his left eye gleaming eerily in the moonlight. He found a working phone booth by the roadside, dialed an encrypted number, and said respectfully, "Boss, the Terracotta Army project has failed. We were intercepted by the police and couldn't get our target."

"But don't worry, I've already made arrangements for what to do next. I'll go deal with that collector now and take his collection with me."

"In addition, we will immediately turn our attention to investigating Pandora's trail, and we will not delay your important business."

A low, hoarse laugh came from the other end of the phone, carrying a hint of authority.

"It's alright. The Terracotta Army was just a test target; we won't force it if we can't get it. The key is the clues about Pandora. We must hurry up and investigate, and not let others get there first."

"You decide what to do with that collector's collection. Take the useful items back to the base, and sell the useless ones to raise funds."

"In addition, eliminate all potential risks of leaking our whereabouts, and don't give the police any chance to track us down."

"Yes, boss," Spider replied respectfully, then hung up the phone.

After hanging up the receiver, Spider's eyes grew even colder. He turned and walked in the opposite direction from the port, his figure quickly disappearing into the vast night.

……

Meanwhile, Lin Xiuyi, driving a truck and escorted by Officer Furukawa, gradually approached the port.

The port lights were faintly visible, and the Chinese transport ships had already docked at the pier. Staff were waiting on the shore to receive the Terracotta Warriors.

Although Lin Xiuyi was focused on driving, the doubts in his heart never dissipated.

"Are you still thinking about that thief?" Hattori Heizo saw through Lin Xiuyi's thoughts. "I think this matter is not simple. The other party must have a backup plan. We can't let our guard down. After the terracotta warriors are handed over, we must immediately track down the thief's whereabouts. Maybe we can find the organization behind him by following him."

“Yes, that’s what I think too.” Lin Xiu nodded, looking out the window. “That thief was quite skilled, and the one I fought in the tunnel earlier, neither of them are ordinary desperados…”

Officer Furukawa, whose car was following closely behind the truck, overheard their conversation on his walkie-talkie and said in a serious tone,
"I have notified the police officers along the route to thoroughly search the nearby abandoned buildings and bushes for traces of the thieves."

"In addition, I also had someone check the truck's route to see if any other suspicious vehicles were following it."

"Once we reach the port, let's meet with Minister Chibo and discuss the follow-up investigation plan."

The truck slowly drove into the port area, the lights on the shore grew brighter, and the figures of the Chinese staff became clearer.

Lin Xiuyi slowly stepped on the brake, and the truck came to a steady stop at the dock.

He pushed open the car door and got out, his eyes scanning the surroundings as he warily observed every movement.

Hattori Heizo helped the unconscious driver out of the car, while Officer Furukawa immediately contacted medical personnel and Ikenami Takeshi to report the current situation.

The Chinese staff quickly stepped forward and nodded slightly to Lin Xiuyi and the others: "Thank you for your hard work. We are the Chinese staff responsible for receiving the Terracotta Warriors. Please cooperate with us to check the condition of the Terracotta Warriors." (End of Chapter)