Behind the door William McKinley opened was a large warehouse, with multi-tiered shelves lining every wall and boxes piled high on the floor, reaching all the way to the ceiling. It was clear that this had once been a place teeming with goods.
But now, it has become a chilling emptiness—
All the shelves were empty, covered only with a thin layer of dust; the spaces on the walls where paintings and calligraphy used to hang were now just marked with a few light-colored squares, the actual works of art gone; on the floor were only a few overturned cardboard boxes, containing nothing but some foam paper…
"This...this is impossible!"
William McKinley's smile, which had been a mixture of pride and obsequiousness, shattered like glass. He screamed in shock and rushed into the room, frantically searching everywhere like a headless fly.
"This corner... wasn't there a huge Ming Dynasty vase just now? How come now there's only a base left, and nothing else?"
"Inside this glass display case... there was a very valuable Buddha head left by my great-grandfather! The glass case itself wasn't damaged, but the Buddha head inside has vanished!"
"And here, these shelves... nothing's left! Absolutely nothing!"
William McKinley clutched his head, frantically searching through the warehouse, nearly tripping over the piles of boxes and debris. He was in a complete panic!
The commotion coming from William McKinley's side naturally attracted a lot of attention. Members of the McKinley family, a large group of servants, and even the distinguished guests who had attended the banquet after the auction noticed something was amiss and quickly came to investigate.
When a large group of people appeared at the warehouse entrance, everyone was stunned to see the completely empty warehouse.
The McKinley family's collection of Oriental treasures is no secret within the circle; its value and quantity are enviable. How could they all suddenly disappear?!
"What...what's going on?!"
"The entire warehouse is empty... What happened?"
All the distinguished guests were stunned by the scene before them. They couldn't help but whisper among themselves. Lin Jicheng stood at the door, looking around at the flustered and helpless William McKinley. Her calm expression gradually faded, replaced by a cold anger.
“Mr. William McKinley—”
Lin Jicheng's voice was no longer gentle; he spoke slowly and deliberately, enunciating each word:
"Is this what you call the 'Oriental Antique Warehouse' that your family has accumulated over many years?"
Lin Jicheng slightly raised his chin, his tone filled with annoyance at being mocked:
"An empty warehouse? Is this how the McKinley family shows its respect for its distinguished guests?!"
"No, no, Ms. Lin, you've misunderstood, that's absolutely not true!"
William McKinley was so anxious he was incoherent, and his forehead was covered in cold sweat:
“There has absolutely been a terrible theft here, and all of our family’s precious Eastern artifacts have been stolen!”
“During the auction, our family staff took out many artifacts and put them on the stage for bidding. You saw that, Ms. Lin!”
William McKinley slapped his forehead, clutching his hair in anguish, trying to think calmly:
"After the auction, our staff came back and put the auctioned items back in the warehouse, planning to pack them all up and send them to you, Ms. Lin, after the banquet... The warehouse was still in good condition at that time!"
"In the few hours while we were attending the banquet... someone looted the entire warehouse!"
"Yes, that must be it!"
William McKinley finally realized the truth and cried out in despair!
"You mean... after the auction, your family's staff also sent the auctioned items back to the warehouse for packing?"
Lin Jicheng grasped the key point:
"Doesn't that mean that all the bronze artifacts I just bought at the auction, such as the imperial celadon glazed jar with dragon relief, the cloisonné enamel narcissus basin with lotus scroll design, and so on..."
"They've all disappeared?!"
"……this……"
William McKinley's face was ashen; his chest heaved violently as if he were about to suffocate. He slumped against the wall, his spine seemingly ripped away, and slammed heavily against the cold surface.
“Yes…yes, according to our previous auction process, all the cultural relics…”
"We were just trying to pack up our esteemed guests for easy transport, which is why... we encountered such a horrific theft..."
"theft?"
Lin Jicheng repeated this word with an expression full of disbelief:
"According to you, these artifacts were stored in McKinley Castle for hundreds of years and were always in good condition. But just a few hours before I paid to take the artifacts I bought with me, they all disappeared!"
"That's several hundred million euros... I spent several hundred million euros just buying Chinese cultural relics tonight! Are you trying to make me throw all those hundreds of millions of euros down the drain?!"
"Is there really such a coincidence, Mr. William McKinley?"
William McKinley was sweating profusely, trembling like a leaf under the other party's intimidating aura, but still managed a trembling guarantee:
"I guarantee with the reputation of the McKinley family that I have absolutely no intention of being perfunctory or deceiving you!"
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