Chapter Thirty-Eight: Stealing the Sky and Swapping the Sun

“…Now.”

When Xiao Ran’s cold, resolute voice—like the countdown of death itself—rang out in everyone’s earpiece, a bold, oppressive red number began its relentless march across the main screen of the mobile command vehicle.

[03:00]

The moment had come for Operation “Picture Frame”—the Damocles’ sword suspended above their heads finally fell.

…

[02:58]

Art Center, top floor, Special VIP Suite A-1.

Within the ventilation duct.

“Gecko” and “Lynx” moved without the slightest hesitation. Like two silent feathers, they slid down the pre-secured high-strength nanofiber ropes, landing precisely on the Persian carpet below—so soft it swallowed all sound.

[02:45]

Their roles were clear; their movements seamless.

“Lynx” took point on security. Like a true feline, she slipped soundlessly behind the door, weapon raised and trained on the entrance, prepared for any contingency.

“Gecko” went directly for the target. But he did not touch the painting immediately. Instead, he retrieved a peculiarly shaped device—the Quantum Watermark Scanner—from his tactical pack.

He carefully aimed the scanner’s probe at the seemingly unremarkable antique painting hanging on the wall.

“Commencing live quantum watermark scan…” His voice was low and steady. “Acquiring the unique real-time dynamic key… Data uploaded!”

…

[02:10]

Inside the mobile command vehicle.

Lin Feng’s gaze had never been more focused as he stared at the string of dynamic keys, as complex and shifting as a star map, streaming live from the scanner to his screen.

“Chief Xiao,” he said urgently into his comms, “I need absolute silence.”

He was about to undertake the most technically demanding and critical step of the entire plan—

The final “activation” and “synchronization”!

Within a narrow window of time, he had to use the real painting’s live key to “awaken” the quantum watermark on the flawless replica he’d prepared—breathe life into its slumbering “quantum star map,” so it would mirror the original’s frequency and trajectory perfectly.

It was like bestowing a soul upon a perfect clone.

[01:30]

“Synchronization complete!” Lin Feng’s voice came over the channel.

In the VIP suite, “Lynx” sprang into action. She received the flawless replica—its “soul” only now truly infused—through the ventilation duct.

Meanwhile, “Gecko” produced an octopus-limbed anti-gravity suction tool, and with extreme care, detached the original from the pressure-sensitive hook on the wall.

[00:45]

“Lynx” hung the flawless replica back on the wall.

“Gecko” then began the equally crucial final step—erasing all trace of their presence.

He produced a UV detector no bigger than a sunglasses case and meticulously scanned every inch of carpet and corner they had traversed. The screen revealed invisible footprints and microscopic fibers fallen from their tactical suits.

He then used a static-charged vacuum, like a mini vacuum cleaner, to painstakingly eliminate these most telling traces.

They worked like the best heart surgeons conducting a transplant.

Professional. Precise. No margin for error.

…

[00:15]

Fifteen seconds left on the countdown!

The infiltration team had finished their task and were about to secure the original to the extraction line for exfiltration.

But—

Just then—

Outside the suite door, came the measured tread of footsteps.

On Lin Feng’s monitor, a real hotel cleaner in uniform, pushing a janitorial cart and humming a tune, approached—about to swipe his card and enter for routine cleaning.

“Damn it!” Lin Feng hissed. “He’s coming in! If he swipes, Anderson’s backend will receive a ‘non-scheduled entry’ alert! We’ll be exposed immediately!”

Every heart in the command center leapt to their throats.

Fifteen seconds left.

What now?

Kill him? Impossible—that would trigger the alarm.

Stop him? Equally impossible—any anomaly would arouse suspicion.

Through the crack under the door, “Gecko” and “Lynx” saw the figure approaching. Cold sweat beaded instantly on their foreheads.

Was all their effort about to unravel at the very last moment?

…

[00:05]

At that razor’s edge, as despair closed in—

Xiao Ran’s calm, chilling, godlike voice sounded:

“Perimeter Team C!”

“Go!”

“Before he swipes—‘accidentally’ overturn your garbage cart right in front of him!”

“Remember—make it messy enough that he’ll need at least five minutes to clean up!”

[00:03]

The real cleaner reached the suite door.

He pulled his access card from his pocket, preparing to—

Just as his hand neared the reader—

Crash!

A thunderous noise.

…

A side corridor for employees—another, larger garbage cart, piled high with food waste, suddenly careened out of control and slammed forcefully into the cleaner’s cart.

A deluge of garbage—wine, cream cake, greasy soups—erupted like a volcano, drenching the unfortunate cleaner from head to toe.

“Ah—my God!” he screamed, his voice nearly blowing the roof off.

Our C Team agent, disguised as a cleaner, took a perfect tumble, crying “Oh no!” as he fell, his face the very picture of innocence and panic.

…

[00:01]

Inside the VIP suite.

“Gecko” and “Lynx” seized the chaos-born opportunity.

They quickly secured the bag containing the original painting to the extraction line.

[00:00]

Countdown: zero.

“Withdraw!” Lin Feng’s voice rang out.

The two, like shadows, were pulled up into the vent by Wang Zhe, who had been waiting there.

Almost simultaneously, Lin Feng struck the enter key.

In the suite, all security systems instantly reverted to normal.

…

Inside the suite, the flawless counterfeit of “Storm at Sea” hung quietly on the wall, as if nothing had ever happened.

Outside, the hapless cleaner raged in Hebrew at the mess and at our “innocent” C Team agent.

…

A few minutes later.

Art Center, basement level three, central waste processing tunnel.

The C Team “cleaner” tossed a black bag marked “High-Risk Kitchen Refuse” into the huge compactor.

But the bag was not compressed. Instead, it slipped onto a secret conveyor and was carried hundreds of meters away to an ordinary, waiting garbage truck.

In the mobile command vehicle, Xiao Ran was already in the front passenger seat.

Her encrypted communicator buzzed.

A C Team agent’s voice, tinged with relief and a trace of laughter, came through:

“Reporting to Her Majesty.”

“‘Picture Frame’ is in hand.”