In that brief window of opportunity—a mere ten seconds created by the little boy's crying and Xia Zhining's "family reunion"—
In the crowd, one of his accomplices, who was already in position, suddenly cried out "Ouch!" and deliberately knocked over a box of cheap gravel used as counterweight on the stall.
With a loud crash, gravel tumbled to the ground, causing several people nearby to scream and scatter.
Almost simultaneously, an even louder cry of surprise rang out from another location: "Who dropped their wallet?! So much money!"
The combined commotion drew most people's attention away.
In that split second!
The stall owner standing next to the stone-cutting machine took action.
Under the pretext of "protecting valuables," he swiftly covered the newly unearthed imperial green jadeite worth millions with a thick velvet cloth that he had prepared beforehand.
A universe hidden in a sleeve!
Under the cover of the velvet cloth, the opening of a specially made slippery bag with a hidden mechanism in his sleeve opened silently, and the top-quality genuine stone, still damp and cool to the touch, slid smoothly into the depths of his wide sleeve.
Almost simultaneously, another hand reached out from a hidden compartment under the stall and pulled out a B-grade fake stone whose skin color, cut size, and even the location of the floating flowers were meticulously imitated, and stuffed it under the velvet cloth at the same speed.
The entire process was smooth, discreet, and dazzlingly fast, taking no more than five seconds in total.
"Boss! Let me hold onto your treasure for you, it's too messy here!"
"Please take care of your family matters first!"
The stall owner spoke loudly without changing his expression, as if he were doing his job dutifully.
He quickly wrapped the fake stone in a velvet cloth, stuffed the real stone into an inconspicuous ordinary canvas bag, and handed it to an accomplice who had just "helped" to lift the rubble box.
The accomplice took the bag without hesitation, turned around and plunged into the crowd that was slightly crowded and chaotic due to the commotion, disappearing in a few flashes.
The true form of the Imperial Green Jade has already shed its shell.
Meanwhile, Xia Zhining was "wholeheartedly" holding onto the little boy, acting out a melodramatic scene with Gu Huaiye, a story of a loving mother searching for a good doctor and raising money to treat her son's illness.
He seemed completely absorbed by the children and the surrounding chatter, seemingly unaware that the priceless jade behind him had been switched.
The stall owner caught a glimpse of this scene out of the corner of his eye, and his tense nerves relaxed slightly as he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
It's done.
But to his utter surprise, there was a pair of small eyes that were a hundred times sharper than those of humans and had an extraordinary obsession with the "sparkling treasure," which had been staring intently at the stone the whole time!
The crow, who was perched on the beam, bristled with feathers the moment the velvet cloth was covered and the real stone disappeared!
It can see it clearly!
That dazzling treasure that made its heart race and that it dreamed of owning was replaced with a tattered counterfeit!
[Stealing stones! The scoundrel stole Xiaxia's stones! And he even tried to fool the crow with junk!]
His love of money combined with his fierce anger and protectiveness of his master caused Boss Crow to instantly enter a silent, berserk state.
[Hey Bee, someone's stealing our stuff! Chase them!]
Instead of cawing angrily as usual, Boss Crow, relying on his superior intelligence, took to the air and relentlessly pursued the thief who was carrying the real stone, thinking he had succeeded, and was rapidly moving away.
Several wasps followed.
Tracked from high altitudes, silently and stealthily.
Where the real stone is, Ya Ya's discerning eyes can see clearly.
This "mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind" drama has only just begun.
The thief, who thought he had succeeded, had become a "cicada" targeted by Boss Crow.
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