Chapter 139
The exhibition had once been housed within a towering office complex.
By the time Suzy and Thomas arrived, floodwaters had already swallowed the building up to the sixth floor.
Fragments of broken signage drifted lazily across the surface, faintly marking the levels where exhibitions had once drawn crowds and attention.
Their raft bumped softly against a submerged ledge. They climbed off, working quickly to deflate it and conceal it in a shadowed alcove, hidden from sight. Once satisfied, they turned toward the stairwell and began their ascent.
Suzy still carried the guidebook she had brought with her. Though its pages were damp and curling at the edges, the text remained legible—just enough to guide them.
According to her research, the exhibition halls began on the tenth floor. Everything above that had been occupied by tech companies and research firms before the disaster.
Without hesitation, they made for the tenth.
The seventh floor offered little of interest. Most of the offices had belonged to internet startups—empty shells now, stripped of anything valuable. At best, there might have been a few overlooked items tucked away in drawers, but nothing worth the time or risk.
"We’ll split up later," Suzy said as they climbed. "I’ll start from the tenth floor and work my way up. You head down from the top."
"Alright," Thomas replied. "Stay in contact."
They parted in the stairwell, their footsteps fading in opposite directions.
Thomas continued upward without another word.
Suzy reached the tenth floor and pushed open the heavy door to the exhibition hall.
"Be careful," he called down from the landing above.
She glanced back, offering him a small, confident smile. "You too."
Then she stepped inside.
Just as she had anticipated, the tenth floor had once hosted a jewelry exhibition.
The building had long since lost power. Darkness filled the vast interior, swallowing detail and depth alike. Yet the silence worked in her favor—without electricity, the security systems lay dormant. No alarms. No barriers.
She moved forward and switched on her flashlight.
The beam cut through the darkness, and she drew in a sharp breath.
This was no ordinary exhibition space. It felt more like a private museum.
At the center of the hall stood a massive display case, commanding attention even in the dim light.
Encased within layers of blast-resistant glass was a complete set of ruby jewelry, its surface catching the flashlight’s glow and returning it as a deep, luminous red.
A necklace. Earrings. A bracelet. A ring.
A full set—perfectly preserved.
The color was astonishing—so rich, so saturated, it seemed almost fluid. Imperial red.
The kind of quality reserved for only the most elite auctions.
Suzy stepped closer, her pulse quickening as she read the label beneath the display:
Imperial Red Ruby Set.
Beneath it, the valuation stretched into a long string of zeros.
The brilliance of the piece matched that number—intense, almost overwhelming.
Everything she had gathered before—every risk, every find—felt insignificant in comparison to this single treasure.
So this... this was what true high-end wealth looked like.
"I’ve hit the jackpot..." she murmured, her fingers brushing lightly against the glass.
But even as the words left her lips, she knew better than to linger.
This was no place to lose focus.
Thomas wasn’t here. This was her best chance.
Instead of acting immediately, she first located the cameras.
Even though the power was out, she destroyed them anyway—just in case.
Once she was sure, she focused, and the entire ruby set, along with its protective case, vanished.
Stored safely.
One down.
She turned, sweeping her flashlight across the hall.
The space was divided into sections:
Rare artifacts. Precious gems. Various gold. Antique jewelry.
And several isolated VIP displays.
Suzy’s eyes gleamed.
She moved first toward the gem section.
Display cases lined the walls, displaying all kinds of impeccable craftings.
Each piece glowed softly under her light. Not as dazzling as the imperial set, but there was a lot of them. And quantity mattered.
Collect.
Collect, collect, collect.
She moved swiftly, her hand brushing past each display—items vanishing one after another.
Her movements grew faster, smoother.
By the time she finished the gem section, she turned to gold.
This section was even more breathtaking.
An entire wall of display cases.
The most striking piece—a gold and pearl necklace, each bead perfectly rounded, evenly colored, like a pool of gold and warm milk.
Eight figures.
She counted the zeros again.
Before the disaster, a place like this would’ve been guarded tighter than a vault.
Now, she took it without hesitation.
Next, a pair of diamond earrings, glowing in a rainbow of colors under the flashlight.
Then pendants, cabochons, more earrings—even a half-human-height gold statue, carved from a single block.
Her hands were almost numb from collecting, but the smile on her face only grew wider.
This had to be enough to upgrade her storage space.
The colored gemstone section dazzled just as brightly.
Rubies. Sapphires. Emeralds. Cat’s eye. Tourmaline.
Full stones.
Colors shimmered in the dark.
At the center—a sky-blue sapphire set.
The necklace alone held over a dozen stones, each the size of a fingernail, pure and intensely saturated.
She swept it into storage.
In the antique section, the energy felt even more refined––ancient Chinese pieces!
Qing dynasty gold filigree with kingfisher feather inlay.
Ming jade carvings.
Song pendants.
Even ancient jade pieces dating back to the Warring States and Han periods.
She handled these with extra care.
Her storage would definitely favor these.
...
Before she knew it, she had cleared most of the tenth floor.
Only lower-quality items and replicas remained.
These pieces had once been destined for auction—accessible only to the wealthy elite.
And now, they were all hers.
Standing in the center of the hall, Suzy couldn’t help but smile.
What a windfall.
She took a deep breath, steadying herself.
Calm down.
This was only the tenth floor. There were still the eleventh... twelfth...
She moved on. The beam of her flashlight cut into the next hall.
A sign at the entrance read: Gold and Silver Exhibition.
Her lips curved upward instantly.
The light swept forward, and she sucked in a long breath.
More gold.
Everywhere.
Gold as far as the eye could see.
Another jackpot.
Without hesitation, she headed straight for the massive central display.