After awakening her X-ray vision, the beautiful CEO couldn't sit still any longer.

Ye Tian met his gaze and spoke calmly:

"I felt something was wrong during the auction."

Its craftsmanship resembles ancient methods, but the wear and tear on some details makes it look like it was artificially aged.

There's also a problem with the gemstone's reflection.

Ye Tian paused, seemingly thinking: "Now it seems that it doesn't even have the most basic mechanical reaction."

"Either it's completely damaged, or..."

"Either it's a fake," Lynx said, giving him the answer in a chilling tone.

"Eight million US dollars for a fake."

The hyena scoffed from the side, its mockery and dissatisfaction evident in its tone, "And there are people fighting over it."

The lynx ignored him, its gaze still fixed on Ye Tian's face.

"Since you knew it was a fake from the start, why did you keep raising the price?"

He was clearly still upset about Ye Tian's crazy behavior at the auction.

Ye Tian tugged at the corners of his mouth, revealing a faint smile:

"I was bidding reasonably at your instruction. Where was the crazy bidding?"

Moreover, the competitor kept raising the price over the phone, clearly knowing something.

I just feel that, whether it's true or false, this thing could be bait to lure out the mastermind behind it all.

Now it seems my guess was right.

Those who caught up were all man-eating demons and monsters.

Ye Tian shrugged, his tone carrying a veiled, seductive undertone:

"Now that we're being watched, I feel the risk of bringing back something that looks like a fake to sea for delivery is too great."

If your commander knew that you brought back a fake, what would he do to you?

I'm afraid you're in grave danger.

Ye Tian took half a step forward, lowered his voice, and made his tone more earnest:

"Why don't we find a safe place first and figure out exactly what this thing is and whether it has any value?"

It's better than being like a blind man, wandering aimlessly on someone else's turf, constantly at risk of being killed.

The lynx fell silent.

Ye Tian's words make sense, and the current situation is indeed like that.

The signal was suppressed, and enemies with submachine guns were behind them, ready to kill them and steal their treasure.

Heading to the dock or airport now would be tantamount to walking into a trap.

However, changing the plan without authorization, especially if there is a possible leak from an insider, is equally dangerous.

Just as he was weighing the pros and cons, the encrypted communicator in his inner pocket, which should have been disabled, suddenly emitted a very slight and regular vibration!

Lynx's eyes sharpened, and he quickly pulled out his weapon.

No numbers or text were displayed on the screen, only a sequence of rapidly flashing, specific colored dots.

This is the highest level emergency backup protocol activation signal.

Without using public frequency bands, it utilizes the extremely concealed penetrability of the underlying hardware of the device to make one-way calls via shortwave pulses.

He immediately pressed a tiny button on the side that was almost integrated into the casing.

The communicator emitted a soft "beep" sound, and a voice came through.

The voice was heavily encrypted and altered, making it impossible to discern age or gender; it possessed only a mechanical coldness and an unquestionable authority.

"Group A, situation is known."

Interference with the command line is an unexpected but controllable risk, and the original plan has been changed.

Proceed immediately to the city's sewer system, transfer station number seven.

The coordinates have been pushed to your vehicle's equipment via a backup protocol.

The lynx frowned and did not respond immediately.

The voice continued, devoid of any emotional fluctuation, issuing commands:

"There we have a safe house and basic analysis equipment there."

Take the target items and all personnel, clear existing tracking traces, and deal with all uncontrollable tails.

"Using clean protocols to ensure there is no risk of further leaks during the transfer process is an order."

Cleaning protocol? The lynx's pupils contracted almost imperceptibly.

This codename signifies the highest level of operational authority and also the most thorough cleanup.

It's not just about shaking off the pursuers, but about physically eliminating all clues and personnel that could expose the operation.

This includes local informants or partners they may have used, but not cleanly enough.

This requires a swift and decisive approach, sparing no expense and leaving no loose ends.

"Received." Lynx finally responded, with only two short words.

The call ended, and the communicator screen went dark, as if the command just now had been an illusion.

But the lynx knew this wasn't something to be discussed; it was an ironclad order that had to be obeyed.

Some at higher levels don't want this operation, especially the mapping instrument, to cause any further trouble.

They would rather kill the innocent than let the guilty go free.

He raised his head, his gaze sweeping over each person in the car with their varied expressions, finally settling on Ye Tian and Wang Yuyan's faces, his voice as cold and hard as iron:

"New instructions: Go to the sewers, transfer station number seven."

The higher-ups provided a safe house and equipment; all traces were cleaned up, and immediate evacuation was ordered.

Upon hearing this, the hyena and viper's expressions remained unchanged; they simply checked their weapons and equipment silently, a silent sign that they had accepted the order.

In the dim light, Wang Yuyan exchanged a quick glance with Ye Tian.

Just as the lynx turned around and ordered the driver to find the nearest sewer entrance and had someone clean up the vehicle tracks.

As she tidied her handbag, she leaned slightly towards Ye Tian and whispered quickly, in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"The 'clean protocol' means leaving no survivors, including any potentially exposed or used local informants."

Some in their upper echelons wanted to quell the unrest quickly, preferring to kill the innocent rather than punish the guilty.

Ye Tian nodded almost imperceptibly, his face still expressionless.

Leaving no survivors meant their situation was even more dangerous.

But he has not yet found the mastermind behind it all, nor has he gotten the answers he wanted.

He couldn't leave yet, so he had to stay and play with them for the time being.

However, once inside the enclosed sewers, one is no longer in the open environment.

It can indeed temporarily isolate you from most of the tracking, but it also means you've completely entered the other party's territory and surveillance range, making it much harder to escape then.

But Ye Tian couldn't care less about that now; nothing ventured, nothing gained.

A short while later, the driver returned and pointed to a dark, shadowy path outside the dilapidated wall:

"That's the nearest access point to the maintenance well. There's no surveillance there, and the entrance has been disguised."

"Let's go." Lynx waved his hand.

Everyone quickly got out of the car, carrying only the necessary equipment and the instrument case, and followed the driver, disappearing silently into the darkness.

Finding the maintenance manhole cover, painted with a dark gray camouflage paint that almost blends into the wall, was not difficult.

The hyena skillfully pried it open with its tools, and a colder, damper smell rushed out.

The faint sound of flowing water and deep echoes came from below.

Lynx was the first to take the lead, climbing down the slippery metal ladder.

Then came Ye Tian, ​​followed by Wang Yuyan, with the hyena bringing up the rear.

The driver remained on board, tasked with cleaning up the vehicle tracks and then leaving on his own.

The manhole cover slammed shut above their heads, completely blocking out the murky sunlight.

The beam of light from the emergency flashlight pierced the darkness, illuminating the narrow, slippery concrete passage beneath our feet.

And the old water stains on the walls on both sides.

The air was icy cold, and inhaling it filled my lungs with a strong dampness.

The sound of dripping water could be heard intermittently ahead, along with the sound of wind passing through pipes in the distance, and the rustling sound of some kind of animal fleeing.

It's more complicated and oppressive here than I imagined.

The lynx navigated the maze-like forks in the road with the help of an inconspicuous miniature navigation device on its wrist.

The group moved forward in silence, with only the sounds of footsteps, dripping water, and slightly heavy breathing echoing in the enclosed space.

Ye Tian helped Wang Yuyan up; she didn't seem afraid at all, but rather appeared very calm.

But occasionally, the knuckles of her fingers, which were supporting Ye Tian's arm, would turn slightly white.