Chapter 223 The Pathetic Thief

Chapter 223: Chapter 219: The Pathetic Thief

As soon as the awards were handed out and the winners came down from the stage, some people emerged from the crowd of tourists and approached them.

After learning the permanent passes couldn’t be transferred, these people quickly surrounded the top five prize winners.

The permanent passes couldn’t be transferred, but the meals at the Lin Xian Village Restaurant could be shared, especially since this meal package included a jar of Medicinal Cuisine.

Nowadays, the Medicinal Cuisine was almost impossible to buy. Even if someone wanted to sell theirs, it would be snatched up by someone else within Lin Xian Village.

The largest crowd gathered around Bian Ling. Their goal wasn’t the Medicinal Cuisine, but the Stone Dragon Carving he held.

Though they didn’t know what it did, they knew it had been carved at the Stone Workshop and wasn’t sold to the public.

In Lin Xian Village, items not for public sale were generally considered extremely rare and incredibly powerful.

"Everyone, everyone, I’m not selling. Please stop crowding around me."

Bian Ling wasn’t short on money. He’d received a considerable sum from the state when he retired from the military. He had even quit the job he was assigned after changing careers and started making a lot of money as an outdoor live streamer.

His fans were the ones who had encouraged him to come and participate in the Lin Xian Village competition this time.

’It was a good thing I came after all,’ he thought. ’Lin Xian Village really does have a lot of incredible things. It’s been a real eye-opener.’

"One million! Mr. Bian Ling, I’m willing to offer one million for that Stone Dragon Carving of yours."

"Two million! I’ll pay two million!"

"Five million!"

"..."

"Ten million!"

The nearby tourists who heard the bids instantly lost their cool. They hadn’t paid any attention to the first-place prize before.

But now someone was offering ten million for it, and their eyes turned red with envy. ’That’s financial freedom right there!’

As for the contestants who hadn’t bothered competing for first place, they were filled with regret upon hearing the price.

’If I’d known the first-place Stone Dragon Carving was worth so much, why the hell did I hold back? The prize I ended up with seems completely worthless now.’

Bian Ling hadn’t expected them to bid so aggressively, either. An offer of ten million had already been made.

This made it clear to him that the Stone Dragon Carving he held was an absolute treasure. There was no way he could sell it.

"Everyone, everyone, there’s no need to keep bidding. I’m definitely not selling."

"Mr. Bian Ling, here’s my business card. If you ever want to sell, you can contact me."

"Here, let’s add each other on WeChat. It’s more convenient to stay in touch that way."

Bian Ling exchanged contact info with many people, all while carefully guarding the box containing the Stone Dragon.

As the tourists dispersed, the Lin Xian Village Bow and Arrow competition, which hadn’t generated much buzz initially, quickly went viral online after the price of the Stone Dragon Carving prize was leaked.

"Fake! It has to be fake! How could a stone carving sell for ten million?"

"I was there. Some boss made the offer on the spot. Too bad the winner didn’t sell."

"AHHH! I’m so full of regret! I had a chance to enter this competition, but I passed it up."

"I’m entering next year. See? This is all my gear—bows and arrows. I need to start practicing hard."

"..."

Online, the exorbitant price of the Lin Xian Village prize sparked an archery craze.

When some top archers heard the news, they were filled with even more regret.

They hadn’t paid any mind to the Lin Xian Village prizes before.

For people who don’t visit Lin Xian Village, the prizes it offered held no appeal at all.

But now that the first-place prize could sell for ten million, the competition was a completely different story.

When Bian Ling left Lin Xian Village, more people approached him, wanting to buy the Stone Dragon Carving he was holding.

After turning them down, he looked quizzically at the carving in the box. It was about the length of his little finger and the width of two fingers.

A dragon carved from some unknown type of stone, it looked remarkably lifelike and was quite beautiful.

After taking it out of the box, he was a little puzzled; the feeling he’d had in Lin Xian Village was completely gone.

He put the stone carving back in the box and planned to buy a cord tomorrow to wear it as a pendant.

Outside the hotel where he was staying, a few people hid in the shadows of the ornamental trees, watching the hotel entrance.

"Did you find out? Where is he staying?"

"Room 201 on the third floor. There are a lot of cameras inside, which will be a problem."

"Boss, why don’t we wait for him to leave, then make our move and steal it?"

"Delays breed trouble. Once we get the thing, we can take the money and be long gone."

Who would have thought that a prize from Lin Xian Village would have someone offering ten million for it.

That price was enough for them to take the risk and ignore the law.

After discussing for a while, these men decided to make their move after three in the morning.

Of course, before they acted, they had to take care of the hotel’s camera problem.

Back in Lin Xian Village, a few people were gathered around Lin Feng, asking about the Stone Dragon Carving.

Hu Xia asked in confusion, "I don’t see anything special about this stone carving?"

After the Stone Workshop produced these carvings, Lin Feng had given one to each of them as a decorative piece.

They never paid them any mind. If not for the Bow and Arrow competition and the high price people were offering, they would have never known their value.

"Hu Xia, have you not noticed? Your whole disposition changes when you’re holding the stone carving."

Hu Xia shook her head. She really hadn’t felt it; she just thought it was pretty.

"Shiyun, did you feel anything?"

"A little, but the effect isn’t strong."

Zhao Shiyun picked up the stone carving she wore as a pendant. If Lin Feng hadn’t told her it was a valuable item, she wouldn’t have worn it at all.

Among these people, Zhou Jun had experienced the greatest effect.

Lin Feng said with a sigh, "Just know that it’s a valuable item. If it ever shatters, remember to come get another one from me."

When this thing’s life-saving protection effect is triggered, the entire stone carving shatters.

Its true value isn’t in its warding properties, but in that protective effect.

Lin Feng had experimented with it himself. When faced with a fatal danger, the item would shatter instantly.

Against non-fatal threats, cracks would appear on its surface.

However, this thing is only effective within the bounds of Lin Xian Village, so its importance isn’t that great right now.

When the territory of Lin Xian Village expands further, the effect of the Stone Dragon Carving will become even better.

People on the outside have no clue about this and are just bidding recklessly.

Although the Stone Dragon Carving is a good item, its limitations mean it isn’t really that valuable.

"Brother Lin, can you spare one for my family?"

"Outside of Lin Xian Village, this thing is useless. Don’t even think about it."

After hearing this, Zhou Jun finally understood why when he let others examine it, they only thought it was a pretty stone carving.

He looked at the Stone Dragon in his hand. ’So this thing only works inside Lin Xian Village!’

Lin Feng paid them no more mind. He went over to the fishery to check on it and make sure everything was in order.

Otherwise, if the fish arrived tomorrow and he mutated them, only for them to escape, he’d be a laughingstock.

...

At three in the morning, several men bypassed the main entrance, using a ladder to climb into the hotel through a hallway window.

An accomplice who had gotten inside earlier had already covered the camera before they entered.

"Hurry up, no dawdling. Once we get the thing, we’re leaving."

The men hurried toward Room 201, but the commotion they made had already woken Bian Ling.

Although the men had seen Bian Ling’s profile online, they hadn’t taken it seriously. It was easy to boast on the internet.

’If he was really that skilled, why would he be a streamer? That’s a joke.’

Bian Ling quickly got out of bed and arranged the blankets to make it look like someone was still sleeping there.

At the same time, he pulled a collapsible baton from the backpack by his bed.

Barefoot and silent, he moved into the corner that would be obscured when the door opened.

’He silently counted five people making noise outside and quickly formulated a plan.’

When he saw a thin metal hook slide through the gap under the door, he knew he was dealing with a professional lock-picker.

He placed his baton against the security latch, blocking the hook.

"Boss, it’s no good. Something’s blocking the latch, I can’t open it."

"Fuck! Don’t talk so loud! Are you trying to wake everyone up?

Is there another way?"

"We’ll have to break it down. One good kick should be enough to break a latch like this."

At the mention of breaking down the door, the men all frowned.

They had planned on a stealthy theft. Was this turning into a brazen robbery? If the police were alerted, escaping would be difficult.

The original plan was to secretly pick the lock, get the item from the room, and then quickly flee the country.

"Boss, make a decision, quick. The longer we stay here, the more likely we are to be discovered."

Although it was very late, who knew if the hotel receptionist downstairs would suddenly come up.

"This Wuyuan County has really developed nicely!"

"Yeah, it’s all because of the tourism driven by that Lin Xian Village. Who would’ve thought the impact would be so big."

"It’s past three, and there are still late-night food stalls outside."

Hearing the voices, the men froze. It seemed someone was coming up.

Bian Ling knew his chance had come. He deliberately backed up and made a slight noise.

"So late, and people are up getting snacks instead of sleeping."

Hearing the person in the room was awake, the boss knew it was a lost cause.

"Go, go, let’s get out of here."

Hearing the commotion outside, Bian Ling had no intention of letting them get away. He slipped on his shoes and ran for the door.

At the same time, he took down the clothes-drying rod from the bathroom.

It was an eighty-centimeter-long rod, with a bit of weight to it in his hand, probably stainless steel.

With two weapons in hand, Bian Ling’s entire demeanor changed.

He flicked the latch open with his baton. The main lock had clearly been picked by the men.

BANG!

"Call the police! Thieves!"

One man was already climbing out the window to get down, leaving three behind in the hallway.

Seeing Bian Ling charge at them, the three men’s minds went blank for a second before they realized what was happening.

"Bo—"

THWACK!

The man in front had just uttered one word before the baton struck him.

He followed up with a kick, sending the man stumbling back and blocking the path of the other two who were just snapping out of their daze.

The aluminum drying rod glinted silver in the light, a blur of motion as it swung and smashed onto another man’s head.

"Holy shit! There are actually thieves! Bro, I’m here to help!"

One of the three men who had just come upstairs heard the commotion and charged over with a fire extinguisher from the corner.

Who knows what was going through his head, but he immediately set off the fire extinguisher, spraying the three thieves clustered by the window.

"AHHH—"

One of his companions was frantically calling the police, while the other, who had found a mop from somewhere, also charged forward.

He looked incredibly excited, swinging the mop and whacking the men with it.

At this time, other hotel guests who heard the noise also came out of their rooms, holding all sorts of weapons.

One of them, an older woman, was holding a teapot and yelling as she walked.

"Move aside, move aside, I’ve got hot water in here!"

Bian Ling quickly stopped them, shouting, "Alright, alright, you two stop hitting them."

The two men, high on adrenaline, finally came to their senses and quickly backed away.

The three thieves who remained were now huddled in a corner, shivering.

It was unclear if they were shivering from the cold of the fire extinguisher or from the fear of the older woman’s hot water.

"Stay down and don’t move!"

Bian Ling glanced down from the window and saw that the other two guys had already gone down the ladder and disappeared.

"Has anyone called the police? Some of them got away."

"They’ve been called, they’ve been called! Are you guys okay?"

"We’re fine! Haha, I finally got to experience a situation like this! I’ve run through this scenario countless times in my head!" said the man with the fire extinguisher.

"Good thing I just had a big meal, or I wouldn’t have had the energy. Fighting really takes it out of you."

"Hey man, can you please not hold that mop like that? It’s not a red-tasseled spear, you know!"

At this point, the hotel staff also ran up. Seeing the situation in the third-floor hallway, they hurriedly tried to calm the guests down.

The three thieves were huddled in the corner, watched by a crowd of people holding various weapons, not daring to move an inch.

The police arrived very quickly. Bian Ling and the three guests who had helped went to give their statements.