Chapter 243
The second night was just as quiet.
After staking out for four or five consecutive nights, they hadn't seen a single soul.
Zheng Tongwei couldn't help but complain to Shen Nanchu,
"Sister Nanchu, these guys are real cowards, not showing their faces at all."
Shen Nanchu, however, was very calm. Sitting in the office and sipping hot tea, she said slowly,
"Don't rush. The other party is definitely waiting for an opportunity."
"Since Zhang Jianjun was caught last time, they must have their guard up and won't make a move so easily."
Zheng Tongwei nodded.
"Alright, I'll lead the men to keep a close eye out."
If they made a great contribution this time...
Hehe~~~
Just thinking about it made Zheng Tongwei feel delighted.
...
They waited for a full week. Shen Nanchu had finished all the cultural relic appraisal work on hand, but there was still no movement at the warehouse.
Shen Nanchu understood in her heart.
Catching Zhang Jianjun last time had alerted the enemy; they were waiting for her to leave.
Since the relic appraisal was done, Shen Nanchu had no reason to stay at the Cultural Relics Bureau. She could only say goodbye to Director Guo and prepare to return to school for classes.
However, early the next morning after she left the bureau, she was woken up by a call from Zheng Tongwei.
"Sister Nanchu! This is bad! Those five artifacts in the warehouse are gone!"
Zheng Tongwei's voice was filled with anxiety. Even through the telephone receiver, one could feel his panic.
Shen Nanchu instantly sobered up. She hung up the phone and hurried to the Cultural Relics Bureau.
When she arrived at the warehouse, Director Guo and Zheng Tongwei were standing at the door, both looking grim.
The lock on the warehouse door was intact, and there were no footprints on the ground. The spot on the shelf where the five artifacts were originally placed was now completely empty.
"I've checked carefully. The doors and windows haven't been forced, and there are no traces left in the warehouse. It's like... like they just vanished into thin air."
Zheng Tongwei frowned, his tone full of disbelief.
Shen Nanchu walked into the warehouse, squatted in front of the empty shelf, and carefully inspected the floor and the edges of the shelf.
She ran her fingers over the warehouse door and found no signs of prying; she then checked the walls and ceiling of the warehouse, finding nothing unusual.
This could not have been done by ordinary people.
Shen Nanchu stood up, her face darkening. She summoned the system in her mind,
"System, this vanishing of artifacts into thin air isn't something the technology of this era can achieve, right?"
"Great Host, you are right."
The system's voice rang in her mind.
"I detected residual system energy fluctuations in the warehouse. It should be the work of another system holder."
Shen Nanchu's heart tightened, and the first person she thought of was Jiang Shuyi.
In this era, the only person Shen Nanchu knew who had a system was Jiang Shuyi.
She immediately locked onto the real culprit.
"Was it Jiang Shuyi?"
"Yes, Great Host. The residual energy fluctuations match the system energy on Jiang Shuyi," the system answered affirmatively.
Shen Nanchu fell silent. She crossed her arms, her brows furrowed tightly.
Jiang Shuyi was the female lead of this book. According to the original plot, she should be a kind and upright person. Why would she steal artifacts?
And what did it have to do with the system?
Shen Nanchu didn't know that because of her intervention, the original plot had deviated. Out of jealousy for everything Shen Nanchu had, Jiang Shuyi had long since turned dark and gotten involved with Pei Zhengwei, the two of them acting in collusion.
Seeing Shen Nanchu's silence, Director Guo grew even more anxious.
"Nanchu, what do we do now? If we can't get those three one-of-a-kind pieces back, it will be a massive loss for our Cultural Relics Bureau!"
Shen Nanchu gave Director Guo a look telling him to stay calm.
"Director Guo, rest assured, I will definitely get the artifacts back."
What could Jiang Shuyi be stealing the artifacts for?
It must be to sell them for money or smuggle them abroad. As long as they kept an eye on her, they would find clues.
"Brother Zheng, please help me keep an eye on Jiang Shuyi. If you notice her making any unusual moves, tell me immediately."
Jiang Shuyi?
What did this have to do with Jiang Shuyi?
Zheng Tongwei didn't ask. "Alright, I'll go right now!"
Shen Nanchu looked at Director Guo again.
"Director Guo, let's keep this quiet for now to avoid alerting the enemy. Once there is news, we'll keep in touch."
Director Guo nodded; it was the only way for now.
He looked at Shen Nanchu, his eyes full of trust. "Nanchu, I'm leaving this to you. I believe you can definitely solve it."
Shen Nanchu didn't say anything more and turned to leave the warehouse.
Walking out of the Cultural Relics Bureau's gates, she looked up at the sky. The sunlight was glaring, but her eyes were icy cold.
Jiang Shuyi, Pei Zhengwei... It seemed this storm wouldn't end so easily.
Originally, Shen Nanchu hadn't planned on going after Jiang Shuyi so quickly.
She didn't expect Jiang Shuyi to deliver herself to her doorstep.
Then she couldn't be blamed for her subsequent actions.
After all, if people don't cross me, I don't cross them.
A dark glint flashed in Shen Nanchu's eyes.
She lifted her feet and walked toward Jinghua University.
Having taken such a long leave of absence, it was about time she showed her face at school.
...
On the university campus, rumors about Shen Nanchu were still circulating.
Shen Nanchu returned right at noon.
She simply went back to her dorm to rest.
Qin Rong saw that Shen Nanchu had returned from the Cultural Relics Bureau and deliberately spoke in a passive-aggressive tone.
"Some people spend a few days at an agency and think they're so amazing, but didn't they still come back with their tail between their legs?"
"If you ask me, she just doesn't have any real skills and couldn't be of any help, so she got kicked back."
Wei Lili, another girl in the dorm who was Qin Rong's lackey, chimed in,
"Exactly. Not coming to class every day, her grades are definitely going to slip. Let's see how she cleans up the mess when she fails her exams!"
Hearing Qin Rong's veiled insults, Shen Nanchu merely sneered.
This woman didn't even have the guts to point at her nose and curse her directly to her face.
Too cowardly.
Shen Nanchu walked up to Qin Rong, her eyes icy, her aura suddenly turning sharp.
Qin Rong cowered a bit, her eyes flashing with panic,
"Shen, Shen Nanchu, what, what do you want?"
"I wasn't talking about you, I, I was talking about someone else."
"Tsk!"
Shen Nanchu scoffed, her eyes filled with mockery,
"I didn't expect that not only is your courage small, but your brain is small too, always doing foolish things like burying your head in the sand."
Qin Rong shuddered, her lips trembling, unable to say a single word.
Shen Nanchu only felt it was a buzzkill,
"Next time, if I hear words I don't like again..."
"I'll let you know how hard it is to write the word 'mistake'."
Qin Rong couldn't help but tremble.
Shen Nanchu's eyes were terrifying.
Watching Qin Rong shaking like a leaf, Shen Nanchu found it incredibly boring, turned around, and went back to her bed to sleep.
Looking at the silhouette of Shen Nanchu sleeping, Qin Rong's eyes were filled with resentment, but she didn't dare utter another word.
The surrounding classmates were also intimidated by Shen Nanchu's aura, and no one dared to gossip about her anymore.