The heavy door was pushed open, followed by a second door, and then a third, smaller door. William McKinley swiped his password, fingerprint, and iris scan several times before finally leading everyone into the actual Western art warehouse.
Indeed, just as William McKinley said, the security system of this warehouse is far superior to that of the Oriental Art Warehouse!
The lights came on one by one, illuminating the larger and more magnificent temperature and humidity-controlled treasure room.
Here, paintings by Rembrandt and Vermeer hang on the walls, and ancient Greek pottery and Renaissance sculptures are displayed in glass cabinets. Some classic books lie quietly in temperature- and humidity-controlled bookshelves, as if they are breathing peacefully.
Looking at it this way, the entire warehouse is completely filled with all kinds of things, which is in stark contrast to the previously empty Eastern warehouse!
William McKinley, Duke von Demeyer, and other distinguished guests finally breathed a sigh of relief. William McKinley, in particular, was so tense that he almost collapsed, his legs giving way.
"As you can see, our Western art warehouse remains completely intact!"
William McKinley wiped the cold sweat from his face and quickly tried to calm everyone down:
"It seems the theft from the Oriental Art warehouse was an accident. We will definitely find a way to resolve it and give everyone an explanation!"
"I've already sent people to check the surveillance footage and notified the police. I think we can definitely..."
"etc!"
Before William McKinley could speak, Lin Jicheng suddenly interrupted him, taking a few steps forward to examine a painting hanging on the wall closely, her brows furrowing deeper and deeper.
"I think this painting is called 'Girl Reading,' right?"
"yes……!"
Duke von Demia also came over and took the initiative to introduce himself:
"This painting is an original by Fragonard; I just bought it for over twenty million euros..."
"But……"
Lin Jicheng pulled out a magnifying glass from somewhere and pointed to a detail on the screen, saying:
"This painting is exquisite, but there are hidden synthetic fibers beneath the canvas!"
"This is the result of industrial production in the late 20th century, how could it possibly appear in a painting from hundreds of years ago?"
boom!
These words were like a bomb exploding indoors!
The crowd instantly stirred, and even Duke von Demia cried out in disbelief—
"How is this possible?!"
Turning to look at William McKinley, who was equally pale, Duke von Demia simply snatched the magnifying glass from Lin Jicheng's hand and carefully examined the painting before him—
"This canvas is indeed made of synthetic fibers..."
After seeing what was before him clearly, Duke von Demia spoke in disbelief:
"even……"
"This painting also uses industrially produced cobalt blue pigment... This is definitely not something an 18th-century painter would have used!"
"Oh my god!"
A chorus of gasps erupted from the crowd!
"In other words... this painting is a fake, it's not an authentic work by Flagner at all!"
"How could this be?! The McKinley family auctioned off so many items, and some of them were fake!"
Duke von Demier's expression was grave, and those around him began to panic.
Duke von Demier is known for his in-depth knowledge of historical art. If he says there is a problem with this painting, then it really might not be an authentic piece!
All the distinguished guests exchanged bewildered glances, then, like hungry tigers pouncing on their prey, they immediately pounced on the paintings and sculptures they had just purchased at the auction, examining them meticulously—
"Is this sculpture of mine an original?... Why does the texture of this marble not seem like it's from the Renaissance period?"
"I feel like the brushstrokes in my painting are too deliberate, and it doesn't seem to be at Monet's level..."
"My God, the canvas of my painting is also made of synthetic fibers; it's definitely not an original from the 17th century!"
"My God, is the polishing of this pottery not quite right?"
Instantly, the entire scene descended into chaos!
Screams and questions rose and fell; the art collection room, which was originally a symbol of family honor and wealth, was instantly transformed into a fake authentication site!
"This isn't right...this isn't right!"
William McKinley's attempts to persuade everyone were in vain:
"Please calm down, everyone... I can guarantee that at least the painting I have here is genuine. I'm just as sure based on my decades of research on cultural relics..."
"Child, you can't guarantee anything at all!"
Duke von Demia shook his head solemnly:
"Your art collection room may contain many genuine works, but it has definitely also acquired a considerable number of forgeries... For example, this painting I have here, 'Girl Reading'..."
The surrounding guests were in complete chaos. Although their appreciation skills were not always top-notch enough to distinguish between real and fake at a glance, the fact that a considerable number of high-quality counterfeits that were indistinguishable from the real thing had already been mixed into the scene was fatal enough!
William McKinley and all his family members froze on the spot, their faces turning from deathly pale to ashen.
They themselves had no idea that so many fakes had somehow infiltrated this heavily guarded collection room! This was even more terrifying than a simple theft from the family!
If it were simply a case of the Oriental art collection being completely looted, then the McKinley family would be the victims; however, if a large number of forgeries were mixed in with the genuine articles and then auctioned off at the prices of the genuine articles—
That would be a major blow to the McKinley family’s reputation and would lead to a complete loss of credibility!
"Scam...you're scamming me!"
De Rothschild, online, angrily held up the original Renoir painting he had bought for a hefty price:
“I have always trusted the McKinley family’s reputation in the field of cultural relic preservation, which is why I was willing to spend the money to buy it…”
"Furthermore, you only displayed the exhibits from the stage; we didn't have time to examine them carefully on-site..."
"What's the meaning of this whole thing, McKinley?!"
“I need to reassess all our family’s collaborations and commissions with the McKinley family… not just this painting, but all of them…”
Duke von Demier also shook his head with a grim expression. He even took out his phone and started contacting his private secretary...
The scene descended into utter chaos, with shouts of despair, doubts, and William McKinley's futile explanations all mixed together, turning the once tranquil art collection room into a scene more chaotic than a bustling market!
Lin Jicheng coldly observed everything before her. In her pocket, her phone vibrated slightly; a message had just arrived—
From Lin Yi:
'Young Miss, the mission is complete. All artifacts have been transported to the designated location!'
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