North American riot police: Start by arresting P. Diddy!

Chapter 246 The auction begins

After hanging up the phone, Murphy cautiously looked at the Asian man in front of her who was eating scrambled eggs with tomatoes, her eyes filled with disbelief.

Half an hour earlier, he and Connor followed Nikita and Luni, trailing this mysterious man who called himself "Wu Jing".

But the other party seemed to have noticed their following all along, yet showed no sign of anything amiss, and eventually led them into a secluded, deserted alley.

Those who had followed Luo Xia before were all exceptionally ambitious and naturally didn't take ordinary opponents seriously.

Seeing that the other party was so confident, they were not afraid at all and followed them in with a swagger.

Nikita went directly up to the other party and questioned what they had just stolen, even making threats.

Connor and Murphy, armed with loaded pistols, blocked the alleyway's exit from the left and right.

However, when faced with the threat, a strange smile appeared on the baby face of this Eastern man, and he struck with lightning speed.

Luni, who had trained with the KGB ballet company, couldn't even withstand a single move and collapsed instantly; Nikita was caught off guard and was knocked unconscious by a chop to the neck.

Although the Irish brothers were reasonably skilled and armed, their opponent's speed and strength far exceeded their expectations. He was able to dodge bullets at close range like Rorschach and subdue the two men in the blink of an eye.

When the four men awoke from their coma, they were found bound and gagged and locked in an abandoned warehouse.

The Asian man was leisurely eating his takeout when he casually tossed his phone to them, demanding that they contact the boss behind the scenes to personally ransom the man.

He acted so confidently, not even bothering to hide his real name, seemingly without any fear of his identity being exposed and attracting retaliation.

In desperation, the four, having failed in their initial attempt, could only shamefully dial Rorschach's number and request backup.

At this moment, they were bound tightly like lambs to the slaughter, slumped in the corner of the warehouse, watching helplessly as the man continued to enjoy his scrambled eggs with tomatoes.

"Hey buddy."

Connor, the most impulsive of them all, couldn't help but speak up, glancing tentatively at Wu Jing: "We have no grudge against each other, I just wanted to ask what you took. Was it really necessary to tie us up like this?"

Wu Jing glanced at him indifferently, his chopsticks still moving: "It's a key card for the top floor. Don't you know what it's for?"

"Access card?" The group exchanged bewildered glances. "You're going to steal something?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Jing raised an eyebrow in slight surprise.

He carefully examined the four people, and after confirming that the confusion on their faces was genuine, he couldn't help but chuckle and say, "So your boss didn't tell you anything?"

“I didn’t say that,” Connor answered honestly.

"interesting."

Wu Jing put down his chopsticks, seemingly lost in thought: "It seems your boss is protecting you. If he knew what was hidden in that building, none of you would leave alive after 2 a.m. tonight."

After saying that, he continued to enjoy his Chinese takeout, ignoring the four people who were tied up.

It must be said that although Canada is freezing cold, the Chinese community here is quite large, and the Chinese food is more authentic and genuine than in other European and American countries.

Seeing Wu Jing enjoying his meal so much, Connor couldn't help but swallow hard.

Strangely enough, although this Easterner was ruthless, he didn't seem like a heinous criminal when he talked to him.
Not long after, the roar of a car engine suddenly rang out from outside the warehouse, growing louder as it approached.

Connor and the others immediately perked up, and their previously listless posture straightened up again.

Wu Jing, who was flipping through the newspaper, frowned slightly, turned his gaze toward the source of the sound, but his expression remained calm.

In his opinion, although these four people were quite skilled, they were still significantly inferior to him, and their boss was probably not much better.

However, this idea was completely shattered by what followed!
"Bang! Sizzle—"

The heavy roller shutter iron door was punched through from the outside, leaving a huge dent. Then, the seemingly ordinary hand grabbed the sheet metal and yanked it outwards, tearing the entire door apart and revealing a pair of sharp eyes and a cold face outside.

"You are."

Wu Jing's pupils suddenly contracted, and he blurted out, "Rorschach Butcher?!"

As a seasoned special agent, he was naturally very familiar with this notorious Western super-wanted criminal.

Who would have thought that the boss behind these four minor characters was actually this terrorist!
Wu Jing instinctively sprang up from his chair, adopting a defensive stance and warily watching this dangerous figure.

"Squeak—crash—"

With a sickening metallic twisting sound, Rorschach ripped the roller shutter to shreds with his bare hands.

He strode in, first glancing at Connor and the others who were tied up, and after confirming that they were only bound and not injured, he looked at the crew-cut Eastern man with interest.

"I heard you want to talk to me."

He shrugged casually, pulled a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and sized the other man up for a moment before smiling. "I'll give you a chance since you didn't hurt my friend. But..."

He exhaled a smoke ring. "I hope you can say something of value."

Wu Jing's expression changed.

He had come here alone and originally intended to negotiate with the other party's leader to discuss cooperation.

But upon learning that the other party was Rorschach Butcher, that thought immediately vanished.

This guy is a complete madman—he acts erratically and without regard for the consequences.

Although the other party is clearly at odds with the US federal government, this does not mean that he will cooperate with other camps.

After a long silence, Wu Jing finally shook his head and took the initiative to make amends: "I'm sorry, this is a misunderstanding. I didn't know they were your people."

As he spoke, he strode over to Connor and the others, untied them, and did so with swift and sincere movements.

Seeing that the other party was so sensible, Luo Xia raised an eyebrow and approached with a cigarette in his mouth: "Brother, you seem like a straightforward person, so just say what you have to say. You didn't call me all this way just to give me the cold shoulder, did you?"

Wu Jing chuckled and waved his hand, "It's a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding. I thought it was someone from another organization, I didn't expect it to be Mr. Butcher himself. Let's pretend this never happened, let's be friends."

After saying that, he took out a cigarette case from his pocket and used the most common social custom among Easterners—offering cigarettes—to ease the atmosphere.

Rorschach is truly at a loss now.

He was initially furious when he received Connor's call, but the current situation was unexpected.

"Hmm," he looked the mysterious Eastern agent up and down, then cut to the chase and asked, "If I'm not mistaken, you should be an agent sent by the East to seize the [Divine Staff], right?"

Wu Jing smiled but did not give a direct response.

This is not hard to guess, since at this time, there would be no one else active near that building except for agents from various countries and intelligence brokers.

Rorschach nodded, then suddenly grinned: "Rorschach Butcher. You might not believe it, but I've always had a good impression of your country. It seems we're on the same page this time."

Wu Jing's expression froze, and his eyes suddenly turned horrified.

Because the Germanic-looking man in front of them spoke fluent Chinese! He even used the retroflex ending?! "You..."

"Okay, come on, let's chat slowly."

Luo Xia, as if they were old friends, put his arm around Wu Jing's shoulder and turned to Connor, who was about to leave, and called out, "Hey, go to a Chinese restaurant, book a table, and get a case of Moutai. I want to have a good drink with my half-brother from the East."

"Moutai?" Connor scratched his head and left looking bewildered.

In the blink of an eye, only Wu Jing, who was tense all over, and Luo Xia, who was overly enthusiastic, remained in the warehouse.

--------

It was late at night, at 1:30 a.m.

This should have been a time of utter silence and the city asleep, but outside that iconic building in downtown Toronto, the lights were on, and dozens of seemingly unassuming yet subtly concealed bulletproof cars were neatly parked.

One by one, prominent figures arrived, their expressions solemn.

Among them are high-ranking leaders of terrorist organizations, top agents from intelligence agencies of various countries, financial oligarchs who control the economic lifeline of a certain country, and various powerful figures in the underworld.

The reason so many influential figures could gather together in the dead of night was naturally for the legendary "Divine Staff".

At the entrance, a curly-haired doorman was yawning boredly, mechanically checking the invitation.

Suddenly, a man getting off the bus and adjusting his cuffs caught his full attention.

"Holy shit Rorschach Butcher?! This guy actually came too?"

The doorman was instantly wide awake and tensed up.

Not only him, but all the invited guests gathered at the door took a half step back in unison, and the bodyguards also instinctively reached for their weapons at their waists as if facing a formidable enemy.

It's worth noting that just 24 hours earlier, the terrorist attacks in San Francisco had shocked the world.

That insane act of destroying an entire aircraft carrier fleet with nanobombs made everyone remember this ruthless madman.

What's most chilling is that just the morning before yesterday, the news was reporting on him causing a scene at the White House, so how did he suddenly appear in Toronto?
Their drive and energy are simply outrageous.

Ignoring the wary and suspicious looks around him, Luo Xia straightened his clothes and reached out to help another woman out of the car.

The next second, Genri stepped out of the car in a black, tight-fitting combat suit.

Yes, this time he didn't go it alone; he brought Root along. The reason was simple: after obtaining the [Staff], Root needed to conduct technical verification immediately to determine its authenticity.

In the entire organization, only Harold and Root were capable of this technical task. Rorschach, of course, did not want the physically disabled Harold to take the risk, so he had to send Root himself.

But the girl seemed to be enjoying herself.

After tossing the invitation Harold had obtained to the doorman, the two strode into the building.

Rorschach's appearance was like a bombshell; the representatives of the various factions who were negotiating stopped talking and took a step back in unison.

“Witt~”

Rorschach raised his hand to summon Caitlin, who had already sneaked in disguised as a waitress, and snapped his fingers: "A salsa martini."

Caitlin visibly flinched, the tray in her hands trembling slightly, but she still managed a professional smile.

He had an expression that said, even though he had encountered a ruthless terrorist, he still had to serve him.

Clearly, after being coached by Anna, her acting skills have improved significantly.

Linked to Gen's arm, Rorschach swaggered around the room, wine glass in hand.

Although he knew the chip was hidden in this building, this was his first on-site inspection since he arrived a few days late.

The entire first-floor lobby has been transformed into an auction venue, with a giant crystal chandelier hanging from the dome that is more than ten meters high, and fully armed security personnel surrounding the area.

Especially at the elevators and some entrances and exits, there are professional guards in sharp suits standing guard, with high bulges at their waists and obvious outlines of guns.

It is worth mentioning that almost none of the guests present were wearing formal evening wear; they all opted for tactical clothing that allowed for easy movement, clearly indicating that they were all prepared for a potential armed confrontation.

What's even more intriguing is that such a high-profile auction didn't have any security checks.

In other words, anyone present can bring weapons into this place!
Rorschach casually found a seat and sat down. From his perspective, apart from Caitlin, who was disguised as a waitress, Anna and John had also disguised themselves as ordinary guests and blended into the crowd.

As for Harold and Clyde, they continued to serve as electronic support personnel.

They should be in a safe house a few blocks away right now, monitoring the scene in real time through earpieces.

“Something’s strange,” Rorschach muttered to himself after looking around.

"What's wrong? Did you notice something amiss?" Gen asked, puzzled.

Luo Xia shook his head slightly, his brows furrowed: "There's no one from the Counterterrorism Bureau. That's not right."

He scanned the room. "Not only the Counterterrorism Bureau, but also no federal agents—not a single CIA or Homeland Security agent showed up. This is not in line with their usual domineering style."

Before the operation, Harold had obtained a list of federal law enforcement agents entering Toronto through a backdoor in the machine. They had memorized many of the faces, but none of them showed up tonight, which was very unusual.

Just then, Rorschach suddenly caught a glimpse of a familiar figure.

Jack, dressed in a sharp suit, slowly walked out of the restroom, wiping his wet hands with a tissue.

Strangely, when he saw Rorschach, he didn't pretend not to see him. Instead, he subtly shook his head at him, making a hidden warning gesture.

Rorschach suddenly had a bad feeling, and alarm bells rang in his mind.

Unfortunately, Scarlett was under federal investigation due to the San Francisco incident and was unable to obtain internal intelligence.

Harold

He touched the miniature communicator in his ear and lowered his voice: "Can you find any Federation personnel on the outer streets?"

A few blocks away, Harold, who was monitoring all the street footage, stared at the screen in deep thought: "Strange. There really isn't one."

His tone suddenly turned serious, "Rorschach, be extremely careful. The area was teeming with Federation spies during the day, but they vanished suddenly during the auction. They must have changed their plans. If anything seems amiss, abandon the objective immediately and evacuate! Remember, your safety is the top priority!"

Luo Xia nodded slightly, remaining silent, but his eyes held a hint of wariness.

Having clashed with the Federation multiple times, he was well aware of their modus operandi. Their sudden disappearance was not a sign that they had given up on the fight for the Staff of God, but rather that they had other plans and were brewing a larger operation.

Before he could think it through, a symphony suddenly began to play.

A dazzling spotlight shone in the center of the hall, and the auction for the [Staff] officially began.

(End of this chapter)