Reborn Treasure Appraiser: I Really Didn’t Want to Be an Expert

Chapter 342 The Grasshopper Hand

The eight plainclothes officers were divided into two groups: two posing as food and drug administration officials and two as firefighters.

They come every year before the start of winter, and the merchants treat it as a routine safety inspection and are quite cooperative.

And so it went, one after another.

Lin Sicheng was even faster, quickly surveying the entire cold storage area in about two hours.

Looking at the densely packed symbols on the notebook, he rested his chin on his hand and pondered silently.

There are few medicines, but many fruits and vegetables. Most of the cold storage facilities are at normal pressure. A few are at negative pressure, and none are at positive pressure.

The key point is that the humidity is extremely high.

Storing cultural relics in such an environment not only fails to protect them, but also has the opposite effect.

So this place is just where that woman produces nitrogen?

It should be impossible.

Tomb raiding is a skilled job; raiding a tomb every two or three years is considered highly efficient. If the only purpose is to produce nitrogen, there's no need to rent a storage facility in such an expensive location, and Qi Song certainly doesn't need to come so frequently.

There are two possibilities: First, the artifacts placed here do not require positive pressure.

This type does exist, but it is relatively rare: for example, metalware that already has defects, paper or silk artifacts that already have mold spots, and ceramics with extremely high salt content.

However, these are all methods used to reversibly slow down the corrosion rate of damaged cultural relics before restoration, employing air pressure. If a group of tomb raiders were this professional, what would they even be doing raiding tombs?

That leaves only one possibility: Wang Chun sent his men to transfer the goods away.

It's not impossible: police officers are human, not gods. And that woman has more than just Qi Song, Ren Danhua, and Yu Jichuan under her command.

Sending a stranger, and with a clever plan, it's not impossible to smuggle the goods away right under the police's noses.

After a moment's thought, Lin Sicheng closed his notebook: "Captain Yan, should we retreat?"

A sharp "Ah!" came from the earpiece tucked into his collar, followed by Yan Wenjing's voice: "Not here?"

"Possibly!" Lin Sicheng nodded. "Even if it is, it's not very valuable!"

The reason why ceramics have such a high salt content is due to one thing: poor craftsmanship. Even if there is salt, it's not worth much.

This is especially true for metal artifacts with defects and textiles and paper artifacts with mold. It's fair to say that even if it were given to Lin Sicheng, he would have to watch helplessly as it rotted away.

It's not that it can't be repaired, but that there's no machine available, and even less so, no assistant to help him.

There are probably fewer than two places in the whole country that can repair such things, and are willing to do so. To tomb raiders, these things are practically junk. There's no need to invest so much money to rent a cool, nitrogen-filled storage room.

"Teacher Lin, should we look again?" Yan Wenjing was still a little unwilling to give up. "This time, you'll lead the team yourself!"

Lin Sicheng shook his head: No organization conducts safety inspections twice.

They came looking for cultural relics and stolen goods, not to alert the perpetrators.

"Captain Yan, there's no need. Let the two teams continue; who knows, they might find something in the remaining half of the warehouses they haven't searched yet."

"Teacher Lin, can't you smell it either, like the earthy smell of unearthed artifacts?"

Lin Sicheng looked helpless.

His nose is quite sharp, but even so, it's not to the point where he can distinguish the muddy smell of fruits and vegetables from the muddy smell of unearthed artifacts.

"Captain Yan, why don't you bring a police dog?"

If he could use police dogs, he would have brought them over long ago. Why bother with all this sneaking around and hiding things?
There was no other way but to comply.

He was about to report to the headquarters, and picked up his police mobile phone. A beep came from the walkie-talkie: "Captain Yan, there's a situation."

Yan Wenjing was greatly encouraged.

Zooming in on the surveillance footage, there are many people at the entrance of the cold storage.

Half of them were team members, all eight plainclothes officers in two groups. The other half were merchants, more than ten men and women, who were blocking the entrance to the cold storage.

Yan Wenjing gripped the walkie-talkie: "What's going on?"

"Team Leader Yan, it's the North Water Company. They won't let us open the storage tank, saying we have to wait for instructions from the leadership. They also said that even if the tank is opened, we can't open the containers: they're full of high-end seafood specially prepared for government receptions. If anything goes wrong, they can't afford to take responsibility..."

"Bullshit."

This is a cold storage room. Inside are seafood wrapped in ice. If you open the storage room, it will spoil and will go bad on the way back.

Yan Wenjing suddenly became suspicious: Could it be that he had a guilty conscience?

Lin Sicheng neither confirmed nor denied: Beishui Company is the largest frozen seafood importer in the country, the only seafood company in China with an Olympic catering supplier license, and a seafood supplier for key reception units under the State Council Reception Office, such as Guoyi, Jingxi, and the State Guesthouse.

Diplomacy is no small matter, and the stricter the regulations in such organizations, the more difficult it is to enforce them rigidly. Without orders from higher-ups, subordinates really wouldn't dare open the warehouse.

Of course, it's also possible that they were using the guise of a mutton to sell dog meat. For Wang Chun, it wouldn't be too difficult to send some money and pull some strings to rent two warehouses under the name of the North Water Company.

They were almost at the office area when Lin Sicheng turned a corner: "Captain Yan, I'll go take a look too."

They were in the same area, not far apart, only about a hundred meters away. Meanwhile, Yan Wenjing quickly checked again:
There are seven warehouses in total, which are not part of the logistics center, but are self-built warehouses of Beishui Company. The dozen or so people blocking the entrance, all of whom are named, are employees of Beishui Company.

It seems it really was a misunderstanding.

Yan Wenjing immediately sought instructions, and the superior's instructions were simple: make the performance complete. Since it was a security inspection, there was no reason to only check private individuals and not state-owned enterprises. Even if it was just for show and empty talk, they had to keep up the act until dark.

As a result, neither side would give in, and a stalemate ensued, attracting an increasing number of onlookers.

There wasn't much to see, and Lin Sicheng wasn't interested in watching the excitement, so he planned to take the two bodyguards to Shilihe for a stroll first.

There should be a place where Wang Chun has a collection of goods. As for how to find it, Lin Sicheng hasn't figured it out yet. He'll have to go and take a look first.

He quickly changed his mind, and even as he lifted his foot, he suddenly stopped.

A faint, unpleasant odor drifted into my nose.

It doesn't smell like fruit, nor like the grassy smell of vegetables, nor like the seafood smell of aquatic products.

It smells like spoiled cooking oil, with a faint odor of urine. And if you smell it closely, there's even a hint of rotten cabbage?

The key point is that it feels very familiar, like I've smelled it many times before.

Lin Sicheng sniffed hard a few times: No, this smells like a tomb, and it must be a large tomb.

To be more precise: it smells like lacquerware.

It's not modern paint, but ancient lacquer: the waxy smell is the rancid smell unique to tung oil after oxidation, the urine smell is amine gas produced by the decomposition of enzyme proteins in laccase residue, and the rotten cabbage smell is dimethyl sulfide produced by the reaction of cinnabar and urushiol.

If it's a piece passed down through generations in a normal environment, the smell would have dissipated long ago; you wouldn't even be able to taste it, let alone smell it. But if it's lacquerware excavated from a completely sealed, oxygen-free ancient tomb, this strange smell will take at least six months to a year to dissipate.

Raw quarry goods?
Lin Sicheng twitched his nose and moved slowly.

It's gotten a bit stronger; the smell is coming from this direction...

found it……

It wasn't far, very close to where he had been standing before, only seven or eight meters away. Now it was even closer, only four or five meters. Two men in their thirties stood outside the crowd of onlookers, one wearing camouflage and the other wearing "Xiangguoyuan" work clothes.

One was holding a coil of rope, and the other was pulling a small cart; they were both dressed as stevedores.

Without a doubt: these two artifacts either just came out of a tomb or a warehouse storing lacquerware, and they were definitely unearthed very recently.

Strangely, the two of them stared straight at him... their gazes were even stranger, as if they knew him.

Moreover, it carries the implication that "someone who should never be here has suddenly appeared here."

Lin Sicheng's eyelids twitched: Oh no... These two are Wang Chun's men, and they know him.

But how is that possible?

At least I put on makeup. Even if it wasn't a complete makeover, unless someone has a very strong impression of me, it's impossible for them to recognize me after just a few glances.

Moreover, the police had done so much preventative work beforehand that even Wang Chun had never seen him. How could her subordinates possibly have seen him?

At the time, the police didn't even know Wang Chun's real name; they only knew she was the woman who had been set up in Panjiayuan. They took precautions, not only blocking the surveillance footage from Zhao Xiuxian's shop but also destroying the surveillance footage from Qianjinlu and Xidan Shopping Mall.

During each operation, in addition to a command vehicle, there were also technical reconnaissance personnel accompanying the team. It was impossible for Ren Danhua or the Yu siblings to secretly take photos without being detected by the technical reconnaissance personnel.

On the other hand, if Wang Chun had met her and known that the young expert Ren Danhua was so eager to recruit was the same guy she had swindled at Panjiayuan, she could easily guess that Ma Shan was the one she had gotten involved with.

Given this woman's caution, she would have vanished long ago, instead of being so suspicious and testing me again and again.

Did you see a ghost?
Just as he was filled with doubt and uncertainty, Lin Sicheng had a sudden inspiration: one of them was on the phone, staring at him with both eyes, muttering to himself.

He was only five or six meters away; it would be hard for him not to hear: "That's the expert at shaving heads... isn't he only in his early twenties?"

Another one looked around, as if searching for something in the crowd.

I understand: these two don't know me; there are other people who do, and they're nearby.

Lin Sicheng glanced around, his eyes suddenly narrowing: a little further away, a man was holding a cell phone.

He wasn't tall and was easily lost in the crowd. He wore a mask, so his facial features weren't visible, but occasionally he would peek out, revealing a pair of almond-shaped eyes with slight wrinkles at the corners.

His eyes held a hint of suspicion, a touch of realization, and a hint of horror...

Lin Sicheng's heart skipped a beat: Yu Jichuan?
If he's here, then what about Yu Jiyao, or perhaps Ren Danhua?
Lin Sicheng's eyes swept quickly across the room, and he was taken aback.

Found it: It's quite far away, about twenty meters away. At the corner of the aisle, there stands a woman wearing a white coat and a mask.

Although facial features are not visible, those peach blossom eyes, those narrow corners of the eyes, and the terrified light in the pupils leave an exceptionally deep impression.

Lin Sicheng didn't know what to say.

The strange deputy branch secretary, Wen Jing, was both eccentric and cryptic: one lost track of the person while tailing him, and the other, who was setting up surveillance in the monitoring room with technical investigators, was caught off guard by a key figure right under his nose, yet he didn't even notice?

But sometimes things just happen by chance: suddenly something changes, and a North Water Company pops up?
Not only were there many of them, but their attitude was also unusually tough, and they caused quite a commotion. Both Yan Wenjing and the technical investigators were completely drawn to the work of these dozen or so people from the North Water Company.

As luck would have it, Yu Jichuan and Yu Jiyao were mixed in with the onlookers, completely concealed.

Is Ren Danhua here too?

"I can't worry about that anymore..." Lin Sicheng adjusted his glasses, his voice barely audible: "Captain Yan, I've been exposed!"

Yan Wenjing's eyelids twitched: "Exposed? How come I didn't know?"

Lin Sicheng sighed: Sure enough, he didn't notice at all.
“Two of Wang Chun’s men: the one in camouflage with the rope, and the one pulling the cart from Xiangguoyuan…and two more: Yu Jichuan, about fifteen meters from the ten o’clock position, wearing an overcoat…and Yu Jiyao, about twenty meters from the one o’clock position, wearing a white coat…”

At first, Yan Wenjing was still suspicious: with so many people watching the excitement, how did Lin Sicheng know that these two were Wang Chun's men?
But then, upon hearing two familiar names, he was startled: Yu Jichuan and Yu Jiyao. Didn't they run away? How did they end up here?

Following Lin Sicheng's directions, the moment Yan Wenjing found the person, the hairs on his body stood on end: in the enlarged surveillance footage, a man and a woman stared intently at Lin Sicheng, their eyes filled with surprise, suspicion, fear, and panic.

Every time Lin Sicheng met these two, Yan Wenjing was the one leading the group. Even if they were wearing masks, or even if their entire faces were covered, Lin Sicheng could still recognize them.

He wanted to slap himself: Yan Wenjing, what the hell are you good for?
"What are you all standing there for? Arrest them... If they resist arrest, shoot them. I'll take responsibility..." Yan Wenjing roared, threw down the walkie-talkie, and picked up the police mobile phone.

My fingers trembled as I dialed the number: It's over... Is it really over this time?
If Wang Chun runs away, he'll be lucky to even get a prison guard position, let alone become a team leader...

They were using a general channel. The moment Lin Sicheng said they were exposed, the eight plainclothes officers reacted immediately: one in camouflage, one from Xiangguoyuan, one in a trench coat, and one in a white coat.

The two groups from the North Water Company and the Logistics Center were arguing fiercely, spitting as they spoke. Almost no one noticed that the four drug inspectors and four firefighters who had been surrounding the group had left the crowd.

Lin Sicheng walked forward unhurriedly, first taking off his hat, then his glasses, and then taking out a wet wipe to wipe his face.

To be honest, the makeup artist's skills are quite impressive, but no one expected to run into an acquaintance today.

In fact, he had only known Yu Jichuan and Yu Jiyao for a short time, maybe two or three weeks at most, but these two people had a very deep impression of him.

Especially Yu Jiyao: born and raised in the martial arts world, and using her beauty to please others, she has seen countless people.

But Lin Sicheng, a young, wealthy, and exceptionally talented colleague, was practically the pinnacle of all the men she had ever met.

It is precisely because of curiosity that I pay extra attention. Often, without realizing it, the image of Lin Sicheng will come to mind.

Moreover, she saw the real person: it could be their height, their body shape, their walking posture, or even just a fleeting glance.

The moment you feel a sense of familiarity, you subconsciously connect it to Lin Sicheng; with just a little observation, you can recognize him…

Upon seeing that familiar face and that familiar smile, Yu Jichuan's eyes widened: Sure enough, Ji Yao hadn't mistaken him; this was Manager Lin.

But why is he here?

Yu Jichuan didn't understand it for a moment, but he at least understood that this was definitely not a coincidence.

Yu Jichuan was a little slow to react, but Yu Jiyao was quick: Why would a good person wear makeup?

And it was outside the eldest sister's warehouse?
Intercepting the competition, snatching goods, releasing food from the cage, stealing leftovers...

In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through her mind, and Yu Jiyao suddenly snapped to attention: What the hell am I standing there for? I have to call my older sister.
No, call my cousin.

They covered less than twenty meters in the blink of an eye. Seeing Yu Jiyao frantically pulling out her phone, Lin Sicheng smiled and said, "Miss Yu, we meet again?"

Yu Jiyao frantically dialed the number: "Don't come any closer... don't come any closer..."

But before she could finish losing, "smack!" a hand slapped her wrist, and the phone fell to the ground.

Immediately, a pair of pincer-like arms wrapped around her arms. Then, with a "snap," a pair of shiny objects were put on her wrists.

In an instant, Yu Jiyao's face turned pale, devoid of any color.

His eyes bulged out as if he'd seen a ghost: "A policeman... He's a policeman?"
The moment I opened my mouth and the words were on my tongue, "snap," a piece of tape was stuck to my mouth.

Lin Sicheng's eyes lit up: He had never seen Su Ye make a move before, but he didn't expect her to be so efficient.

They are all highly trained criminal police officers, and the elite among the elite. Adaptability and emergency response are just basic skills for them.

Adding Liu Guojun, nine burly men formed groups of three, encircling him in a triangle.

Yu Jichuan was unharmed; before he could even react, a pair of handcuffs appeared on his hands.

Camouflage and Xiangguoyuan were slightly more alert. Seeing several uniformed men approaching, they sensed something was wrong and instinctively tried to run. But just as Camouflage turned around, he was punched in the stomach.

Xiang Guoyuan reached into his waistband and lifted the hem of his shirt when a tiger pounced on him and pinned him to the ground. In the blink of an eye, he was surrounded by kneeling men.

One officer pressed down on the back, while two grabbed the hands. Once they had the person up, a plainclothes officer smacked him: a dagger lay on the ground, still sheathed.

After he took it out, and then pulled it out again, all ten handcuffs were on him...

Yan Wenjing was still on the phone reporting, her voice trembling as she listened to what her superior had said: "Teacher Lin, Deputy Branch Secretary Sun wants you to take the call..."

Lin Sicheng took out his phone, pressed the answer button, and, not knowing what the other end was saying, just hummed in response.

The incident happened suddenly, but it wasn't complicated: Lin Sicheng was right, and the police leaders were right too; these three siblings really did want to run away.

The only thing they hadn't considered was that Ren Danhua and her two siblings were bolder than they had anticipated: they actually planned to find some dirt on Wang Chun before they fled.

The key point is that it was too coincidental: they just happened to find out about the North Water Company, and just happened to have a dispute. This then led to a riot, and a lot of onlookers gathered around.

Just then, the two siblings arrived at the reservoir area.

By a twist of fate, by some strange twist of destiny... at this point, the only option is to move the arrest plan forward.

Both bosses and Wang Chun are under surveillance and will definitely not escape. However, Ren Danhua and Qi Song, who have been on long-term surveillance, are likely to slip through the net.

More importantly, the library hasn't been found yet...

As they walked and talked, by the time Lin Sicheng hung up the phone, the four suspects had already been taken to the logistics center.

The three technical investigators stared intently at the screen: But it was all for naught. If there were any accomplices among the onlookers, they would have run away long ago.

Yan Wenjing's face turned ashen: Yan Wenjing, I gave you a chance, but you failed...

He gritted his teeth and gripped the walkie-talkie tightly: "Teacher Lin, we've found it. The passion fruit warehouses are D23 and D71..."

Lin Sicheng nodded.

The numbers are quite far apart, but not far apart either; they are separated only by an aisle and are diagonally opposite each other.

Eight plainclothes officers checked both rooms. Lin Sicheng checked the watch outside the door and found nothing unusual.

Now, all we can do is try to fix things after the fact.

After a moment's thought, Lin Sicheng went into the warehouse.

There were three layers of doors: one for sealing and buffering, one for air pressure transition, and one for blocking cold air. Upon entering the third layer, he first glanced around and then sniffed twice.

The two warehouses were filled with high-end fruits, with boxes stacked to the top: Sanhe melons, Sunshine Roses, and Dandong strawberries.

But the taste was off; there was very little ethylene, and the fruit flavor was extremely faint: this indicated that the warehouse had only been using nitrogen beforehand. Even the fruit had just been brought in.

On the contrary, the lacquerware has a strong smell.

Unfortunately, there was only the taste, but no actual food; it seems it had already been taken away.

Why didn't I smell it before?
Even with three gates, let alone Lin Sicheng, even bringing a police dog wouldn't be enough...

Lin Sicheng sighed and squeezed the microphone: "Captain Yan, the stuff isn't here!"

Yan Wenjing didn't speak, but a few strange sounds came through the earpiece: creaking and groaning... creaking and groaning...

Then came another roar: "Yao Xing, go find the person in charge of the logistics center and get me a single room!"

Lin Sicheng paused for a moment: "Captain Yan, don't be impulsive!"

"Thank you, Teacher Lin, I understand!"

What do you understand?
Lin Sicheng sighed and hung up the phone.

"go!"

The two special agents exchanged a glance.

Those sent by Wang Chun to stake out this place are at least his trusted confidants. Whether they have killed anyone is hard to say, but their crimes are certainly not minor.

Do you expect a criminal like that to talk after suffering some physical pain?
When pushed to the limit, they'll just bite indiscriminately.

They weren't worried about the criminals, but about Yan Wenjing: with such a huge blunder, he was in the heat of the moment, and he didn't know how to be gentle with his actions.

If anything goes wrong, even if they're just there for show, they'll be in deep trouble.

As for Lin Sicheng, he's not a policeman, so what does it have to do with him?
After a quick thought, the three of them hurried to the logistics center.

Just then, one of them was brought over and prepared to be locked in a single cell.

Yan Wenjing followed behind, his face gloomy and his eyes cold.

Lin Sicheng stood motionless in the middle of the aisle: "Captain Yan, if you dare to act recklessly, Vice President Sun can fire you on the spot!"

Yan Wenjing moved his lips, unsure how to defend himself.

Five minutes earlier, Deputy Chief Sun had warned him: if he dared to cause trouble, Lin Sicheng would handcuff him.

His eight men, along with the two special agents beside Lin Sicheng, could have rebelled on the spot.

Yan Wenjing's lips trembled slightly.

Lin Sicheng stared at him: "Don't rush, and your method isn't very effective, just like Ma Shan..."

The tone was soft, yet it pierced Yan Wenjing's chest like a knife.

His face turned pale, as if he had grasped at a straw: "Teacher Lin..."

Lin Si shook her head: He doesn't even know who this person is, how can he bluff?
It's possible to try and trick Yu Jichuan and Yu Jiyao...

He glanced at the suspect before him. It was the one from "Xiangguoyuan," thirty-five or thirty-six years old, with a robust build.

With calluses on his hands and spots on his neck, he was a typical tomb raider.

Wait, something's not right... This person's hands are cracked like tree bark.
This is... a grasshopper hand?

Lin Sicheng's eyes lit up: "Captain Yan, report to the leader, we're going to Shilihe... now!"

(End of this chapter)