Mu Lin released his true energy to resist the force, but the energy continued to slowly approach him along his spiritual consciousness. Without careful examination, Mu Lin sensed it might be some kind of invisible bacteria.
Mu Lin released his own primordial energy to resist this force, yet the energy continued to slowly approach him along his spiritual sense. Without careful examination, Mu Lin sensed that this must be some kind of bacteria invisible to the naked eye.
Mu Lin quickly summoned his true fire. A faint purple flame shot through the darkness along an invisible straight line, swift and mesmerizing, heading straight for the pottery jar containing the organs. As it reached the jar, it vanished almost instantly inside. A faint smell of burnt hair rose in the air.
The fire not only killed the bacteria crawling toward him along his spiritual sense but also reduced the organs inside the jar to ashes. For the first time, cold sweat broke out on Mu Lin’s forehead. He had never encountered anything that could invade him through his spiritual sense. In all his experiences and knowledge, such aggressive bacteria were exceedingly rare.
But these things had been stored here for many years. If they were truly such aggressive bacteria, they should have caused major disturbances long ago. Why had no problems arisen here until now? Perhaps his spiritual sense had disturbed them, just like the things on the coffin lid—his spiritual sense acting as a catalyst. Once activated by his spiritual sense, the bacteria began attacking the activator. Or maybe they weren’t aggressive at all? Perhaps they were beneficial bacteria, like the energy-storing black gemstones, offering great advantages to the activator?
Recalling tonight’s events, Mu Lin shuddered inwardly. These artifacts, over 5,000 years old, held many strange and bizarre secrets. If he hadn’t already cultivated true fire, he might have met his end here tonight. He heightened his vigilance and cautiously tested the other jars containing organs, but nothing unusual happened.
Mu Lin was both surprised and unwilling to accept it. How could this be? Why was only one jar so peculiar while the others were completely ordinary? He inspected them again carefully, but still found nothing out of the ordinary.
He had finally stumbled upon something interesting, only to destroy it himself! There must be more jars like this elsewhere. Mu Lin knew that as a public museum with limited funding, some artifacts were temporarily stored in the homes of private collectors.
Without further delay, he turned and headed for the administrator’s office upstairs. Sure enough, the computer records showed another batch of artifacts stored at the estate of a private collector who owned a farm not far from here.
After shutting down the computer, he prepared to gather his things and leave, only to find that Little Scamp was missing. Extending his psychic senses, he discovered the little troublemaker was still downstairs, busily stuffing junk into his storage space. Since the space was small, he kept taking things out and putting them back in, visibly frustrated by the abundance of treasures on the floor.
Mu Lin couldn’t help but laugh. It seemed the little guy had been so deprived that he wasn’t even picky about the museum’s items. While Mu Lin only took things useful for his research, Little Scamp grabbed anything shiny—no wonder he couldn’t fit everything.
Downstairs, Mu Lin casually swept the pile of items troubling Little Scamp into his own ring. Then, using his spiritual sense, he yanked the wires from the circuit breaker, plunging the entire building into darkness.
With his psychic senses, Mu Lin could see everything as clearly as in daylight, and Little Scamp was clearly a creature with night vision. The two swiftly removed the items they had installed earlier and slipped away before the museum guards could restore the power.
The next day, when the Y government received the museum’s report, they were stunned. Many of the museum’s artifacts had been acquired by Y’s so-called collectors through smuggling, theft, and looting when other countries were still poor or unaware of their cultural significance. Now, many nations were demanding the return of their lost artifacts under UNESCO agreements.
The Y government and museum had always employed various tactics—denial, delay—to refuse repatriation. Now, nearly all the important artifacts had been stolen. Whether other nations would believe this, or even Y’s own media, was uncertain.
The museum’s security systems were among the most advanced in the world. The doors and windows were intact, and surveillance footage showed no anomalies. Yet, during a mere half-hour blackout, thieves had spirited away countless artifacts under everyone’s noses—an undeniably bizarre tale.
When the Y government finally held a press conference, only domestic media attended. Y’s media sensationalized the museum heist, calling it the greatest and most mysterious theft of the 20th century. But while Y’s media played a solo act, international outlets showed little interest, offering only brief coverage before moving on.
Some foreign media even suggested the Y government had staged the theft to divert attention. This accusation stirred up a hornet’s nest. The Y government declared the offending media persona non grata, but domestic outlets grew skeptical, given the government’s past misdeeds. Almost as if coordinated, they simultaneously stopped reporting on the incident, fearing it might be another government-orchestrated farce.
This outcome was entirely unexpected for the Y government. The museum was one of the world’s top three, and now its most significant artifacts had been virtually emptied. Yet there were no leads on the thieves. The plan had been to use the media to raise awareness, track the artifacts, and then trace the thieves—while shifting public focus. Instead, the effort drew only mockery, forcing the government to handle the investigation quietly.
The following night, after resting all day, Mu Lin and Little Scamp drove to the private collector’s farm. They parked some distance away and proceeded on foot to avoid drawing attention.
By incinerating the bacteria crawling toward him along his spiritual sense, he simultaneously reduced the organs inside the jars to ashes. For the first time, Mu Lin broke into a cold sweat. He had never encountered anything capable of invading him along his spiritual consciousness. From all he had experienced and learned, such aggressively invasive bacteria were indeed rare.
Yet these items had been stored here for many years. If these bacteria were so aggressive, they should have caused chaos long ago. Why had everything remained fine until now? Perhaps his spiritual consciousness had disturbed them, just like the substances on the coffin lids—his spiritual sense was merely a catalyst. Once activated by his consciousness, the bacteria would attack the activator. Or maybe these weren’t aggressive bacteria at all, but rather some kind of energy-storing organisms, beneficial to the one activating them, like black gemstones?
Reflecting on the night’s events, Mu Lin shuddered. These artifacts, over 5,000 years old, indeed had many strange aspects. If he hadn’t cultivated true fire, he might have met his end here tonight. He heightened his vigilance and continued testing the other jars containing organs, but nothing unusual occurred.
Mu Lin felt both surprised and reluctant. How could this be? Why was only one of them strange while the others were ordinary? He carefully checked again, but nothing unexpected happened.
He had finally encountered something interesting, only to destroy it immediately! There must be other jars containing organs elsewhere. Mu Lin knew that due to financial constraints, public museums sometimes temporarily stored artifacts at private collectors’ homes.
Without further delay, he turned toward the manager’s office upstairs. Sure enough, the computer displayed information about another batch of artifacts stored at a private collector’s farmhouse not far away.
After shutting down the computer, he prepared to leave, only to find Xiao Laipi missing. Using his spiritual sense to search, he found the creature still downstairs, rummaging through debris, stuffing everything into its storage space. Due to the limited space, it kept taking things out and putting them back in, frustrated by the abundance of treasures on the ground.
Mu Lin chuckled. It seemed the little creature had been scared by poverty, not even hesitating to take these items. While Mu Lin searched for items useful to his research, Xiao Laipi simply collected anything pretty, explaining why it couldn’t fit everything.
Going downstairs, Mu Lin casually gathered all the items Xiao Laipi was struggling with and stuffed them into his ring. Then he directed his spiritual consciousness to the circuit breaker, yanking the wires out, instantly plunging the entire building into darkness.
Using his spiritual sense, Mu Lin could see everything around him as clearly as daylight, and Xiao Laipi was obviously a creature capable of night vision. The two quickly removed the previously installed equipment and slipped away before the guards could restore power.
The next day, Y country’s government was taken aback upon receiving the museum’s report. Many artifacts housed in the museum had been smuggled, stolen, or looted from other countries when those nations were poor and hadn’t yet recognized their cultural relics’ importance. Now, many countries were demanding their artifacts back from Y country according to UN cultural heritage agreements.
The Y government and the museum had consistently used various tactics—denial, delay, and refusal—to avoid returning the relics. Now, nearly all these important artifacts had been stolen. Whether other countries would believe this or even Y’s own media remained uncertain.
The museum had the world’s most advanced security systems, with no damage to doors or windows and no abnormalities in surveillance footage. Only during the half-hour power outage did thieves manage to transport so many artifacts under everyone’s noses—an undoubtedly bizarre story.
When Y country’s government finally held a press conference, nearly all attendees were local media. Y’s media outlets exaggerated the museum theft, calling it the biggest and most bizarre heist of the century. However, international media showed little interest, offering only brief coverage before falling silent.
Some foreign media even speculated that the Y government staged the theft to divert attention, truly stirring up a hornet’s nest. The Y government declared those outlets unwelcome, but domestic media remained skeptical, given the government’s previous misconduct. Almost as if by mutual agreement, everyone stopped reporting on the incident, clearly fearing it might be another government-orchestrated drama to shift public focus.
This outcome surprised the Y government. The museum was one of the world’s top three, and now nearly all its important artifacts had been completely removed. Yet there were almost no clues about the thieves. The government had hoped to use the media to draw public attention, help locate the stolen artifacts, and trace the thieves, while simultaneously diverting media focus. Unexpectedly, it received only ridicule instead of any response, leaving them no choice but to assign personnel to investigate.
The next night, after a day’s rest, Mu Lin and Xiao Laipi drove to the private collector’s farm where the artifacts were stored. At a distance from the farm, they got out of the car and prepared to walk the rest of the way to avoid drawing attention.
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