Chapter 68

As the twelve main meridians were about to be fully unblocked, Ferren felt his body almost tearing apart, his face contorted in excruciating pain, rolling and scratching on the ground, yet he remained extremely conscious, showing no signs of fainting from the pain.

After all, Ferren's soul had once suffered the trauma of genetic fragmentation, so this level of pain had not yet reached his mental limit. However, the body was that of the assassin "Ferren," and even the most rigorous assassin training had never reached Ferren's current state, so it was not surprising that he could not help but twist and tear.

"Boom!!"

Just as Ferren was enduring the pain, the two intertwined true qi streams burst out of the twelve main meridians, rushed back to the Du Meridian, and then smoothly entered the Ren Meridian's Guanyuan point (Dantian). At this moment, the two streams of true qi unexpectedly began to mix and merge. As the true qi gathered more and more in the Dantian, the impact on the meridians became smaller and smaller. Unfortunately, Ferren's meridian walls were already on the verge of collapse.

"Phew, phew... It's okay, it's okay..." Ferren secretly sighed in relief. He could feel the two streams of true qi slowly blending together, forming a warm current, like the sun in early winter, harmonizing with the moon's light, making him feel extremely comfortable and invigorated.

"Phew—" Ferren exhaled again, "What a close call, what a close call. I almost wasted a life-saving light ball. Now, I just need to wait for the tiny, invisible tears in the meridian walls to heal, and the second level of the Black Gold Technique will be complete."

When Ferren returned to his senses after exiting the internal view, he found that many black, foul-smelling substances had oozed out of his acupoints, emitting a terrible stench. Ferren quickly rushed to the adjacent bathroom, turned on the shower, and washed himself thoroughly, which made him feel slightly better.

After several more washes, until he was completely clean, Ferren left the training room and returned to his bedroom to rest.

The next morning, Ferren discovered that the numerous wounds in his meridian walls had healed. However, when he slightly used the Black Gold True Qi, he noticed a small issue. The Black Gold True Qi's penetration into the organs and meridians was not as strong as before. In short, Ferren's speed in deploying the Golden Bell Cover was slower than before. Previously, it took him 0.3 seconds to fill his meridians with Black Gold True Qi to create a protective effect, but now it took 0.5 seconds. Of course, this decrease in speed was very subtle, and only he could feel it.

However, the fusion of the Black Gold True Qi and the Wu Sha True Qi was not entirely bad. At least, the rapid growth characteristic of the Wu Sha True Qi was inherited by the Black Gold True Qi. When Ferren tested his skills in the morning, the true qi had only circulated three times, but the growth was equivalent to ten times the growth of the past. This was not something that could be achieved simply by unblocking the meridians.

Thus, Ferren naturally called the current true qi "Wu Sha Black Gold Qi." Unfortunately, the Black Gold Technique had only two levels, and even with the rapid growth of true qi, it could only achieve the effect of "unblocking meridians and protecting the body," and could not advance further.

After breakfast, Ferren and Song Kui arrived early at the Hong Kong Island headquarters, where even the SDU, PTU, and G4 were present. Since this was the last British Royal Jewels Exhibition, important figures from the UK had also come to join the event, so the involvement of the G4 was not surprising.

After the leaders gave a few more instructions, everyone formed a team and set off for the exhibition center. The journey from the headquarters to the exhibition center took only about seven to eight minutes, thanks to the convenient transportation, so they arrived quickly.

It must be said that when Ferren and the others arrived at the exhibition center, there was not a single soul in sight, as they had arrived an hour and a half early to set up the venue.

The Flying Tigers were responsible for controlling key points outside the venue, half of the PTU was in charge of security inside the venue, and the other half, along with the G4, went to the hotel to pick up the VIP guests.

As for the team responsible for picking up the jewels, they had already been secretly dispatched. Ferren and his Special Task Force did not even have the qualifications to enter the venue and could only guard the outer perimeter with the garrison forces.

Finding a spot by the roadside to park the car, Ferren leaned against the seat and asked the woman in the passenger seat, "Madam, why are we here? To enjoy the view of Victoria Harbor?"

Xie Yixin replied seriously, "Of course, to keep a sharp eye out for the armed group's attack!"

Ferren laughed and pointed to the heavily guarded exhibition center, "Are there such fools in the world? Under such heavy military presence, only the American Delta Force would be foolish enough to break in."

The woman was puzzled, "Delta Force? Isn't it the largest, best-equipped, and wealthiest special forces unit in the world? What do you mean by that?"

Ferren widened his eyes, "Haven't you heard of the Battle of Mogadishu?"

"I've heard of it, but I only know that the U.S. military operation failed," Xie Yixin said, "I don't know the details."

Ferren realized that the movie "Black Hawk Down," based on the real events, had not yet been released in the year 2000. He shrugged, "In short, it was a disaster. Over a hundred mixed special forces, including Delta, SEALs, and Rangers, entered Mogadishu during the day and were greeted by countless guns from Somali civilians and militiamen. They were lucky to escape."

Xie Yixin was stunned, "How many guns were there?"

"Many, many guns," Ferren said, not bothering to elaborate, "Imagine a top-notch special forces soldier facing seven or eight AK-47s at once. What can he do besides run for his life?" He pointed outside, "Now, it's the same situation outside. Do you think any armed group would be as foolish as the Americans?"

The woman was almost speechless and realized that nothing might happen today, but she stubbornly said, "Maybe the armed group is already hiding inside the venue or has sneaked in through the drainage or ventilation pipes!"

"Ha, if you can think of it, do you think the on-site commander can't?" Ferren sneered, "If I were in charge, I would strike at the storage location or during the transportation of the jewels."

Xie Yixin retorted, "The jewels arrived in Hong Kong last night. Do you know where they are stored? Let me tell you, it's in the underground vault of Standard Chartered Bank. Even with the key and proper procedures, it takes half an hour to enter or exit. If you get locked inside, even with the strongest hydrofluoric acid, it would take several buckets of water to corrode the steel gate!"

Ferren felt a sense of unease after hearing Xie Yixin's description. Although the steel gate was thick, it was not entirely embedded in the wall, and there were always seams where the hydrofluoric acid could easily corrode. However, robbing the jewels during transportation would be more practical.

"What if the criminals attack the armored car?" Ferren asked.

"That's even less likely," the woman said, almost gleefully, "The route is kept secret, and I heard that Standard Chartered Bank will dispatch multiple armored cars to confuse the criminals."

Ferren was stunned, "Then how will the people picking up the jewels know which car to follow?"

Xie Yixin pouted, "They have their ways, and it's not something we can interfere with." She was also a bit annoyed about having to stay outside the venue in the sea breeze.

"But what if one of the people picking up the jewels is an insider for the criminals? Or what if the criminals learn the details of the armored car from another source?" Ferren mentioned a significant possibility, which he had thought about before but had no substantial evidence to support, so he hadn't mentioned it in formal settings.

"How could that be?" The woman waved her hand dismissively, "Ferren, don't be so distrustful of your colleagues. There aren't as many bad apples in the police force as you think!"

"I hope so!" Ferren nodded silently but suddenly remembered the restaurant on Faminglin Road that was closed for renovation. He quickly pulled out a map, studied it, and then slapped his forehead, "Damn, I'm such an idiot, I didn't even think of it!"

"What didn't you think of?" Xie Yixin asked curiously.

Ferren didn't bother to answer her, threw the map into her lap, and called out to Chou Zhaqiang, who was smoking nearby, "Zhaqiang, get in the car!"

Chou Zhaqiang threw away his cigarette and climbed into the back seat. Before he could sit down, Ferren started the car.

"Screech—"

The sound of the tires screeching against the ground drew the attention of his colleagues. Dai Yan quickly called Ferren's phone, concerned, "Sir Ferren, what's going on?"

"Nothing, just cover our positions!" Ferren instructed and hung up.

Xie Yixin glared at Ferren, waiting for an explanation, as leaving their post was a serious matter. Chou Zhaqiang also asked, "Sir Ferren, what's going on?"

"Madam, please find the location of the exhibition center and count how many roads lead to it!" Ferren said while driving.

Xie Yixin replied, "What's the point of counting? There are two roads, Harbor Road and Exhibition Road. What's the big deal?"

"What's the big deal?" Ferren's eyebrows almost shot up, "Just two roads, two snipers can cover all directions. No matter which direction the car comes from, the snipers can stop the armored car. When the armored car can't reach Exhibition Road, the heavily guarded North Building won't be of much use."

"On the contrary, the South Building of the exhibition center is not completely sealed off. If I were a criminal, besides arranging two snipers, I would have the rest of the people in several cars circling around Exhibition Road and Harbor Road, ready to strike at any moment!" Ferren explained his thoughts to Xie Yixin and Chou Zhaqiang while keeping an eye on the passing vehicles.

Xie Yixin, though not as quick-witted as Ferren, was not a tactically clueless female superior: "This plan is quite novel, but isn't it too risky? Will they really do it? Even if they manage to steal the jewels, can they escape?"

Ferren sneered, "Don't forget, this is Victoria Harbor, with plenty of speedboats. The criminals can head straight to the sea and stop at a port in Tsim Sha Tsui or Kowloon Bay. The Marine Police might not even find them, let alone you and me!"

At this moment, Chou Zhaqiang called out, "Sir Ferren, the car in front has passed by twice, with the license plate FF2366!"

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