In the blink of an eye, it was already approaching eight o'clock in the evening.
After storing all the stolen antiques and artworks in the vault, Xiao Ran was ready to take people out of the art museum and return to the hotel.
When the group of them returned to the lobby on the first floor of the Art Museum, they saw several familiar old friends.
The other parties were Thomas, the director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the director of MOMA. They were standing in the museum hall, looking dusty.
Apparently, these old friends had just arrived from New York and had arrived at the Philadelphia Museum of Art before even going to the hotel.
Why are they here? Do you even need to ask?
Seeing these old friends, Xiao Ran chuckled.
At the same time, Thomas and the others also saw him and came over immediately.
After the two parties met, they naturally exchanged polite greetings.
Immediately afterwards, Thomas said impatiently:
"Sean, where is Raphael's "Portrait of a Young Man"? Can you let us admire it?"
"That's a famous painting that can rival the Mona Lisa. I didn't expect it to be hidden in Philadelphia. It's a miracle!"
"In addition to this famous painting by Raphael, we also want to appreciate the other top antique works of art."
Before he finished speaking, the director of MOMA and the director of the National Museum of the United States also echoed a few words.
Xiao Ran looked at these old friends, then smiled and nodded.
"Of course, gentlemen, but if you want to appreciate "Portrait of a Young Man" and other top-notch antiques, you'll have to wait until tomorrow."
"Not long ago, we had locked those stolen antiques and artworks into the vault, and now it is inconvenient to take them out for everyone to enjoy."
"Tomorrow morning, we will start the follow-up identification and cleaning work here. At that time, everyone can come over and appreciate those priceless top antiques and artworks."
"Also, I have something to do when I return to the hotel. I have an appointment with a heavyweight. I can't miss the appointment, so I can only arrange it for tomorrow morning."
Thomas and the others were stunned for a moment, then sighed in unison.
"Alas! It looks like we have to suffer all night, and this night will not be easy!"
"Will we be able to see Raphael's famous painting tomorrow morning? This will take more than ten hours. I guess I have to count the seconds."
"Hahaha"
There was a burst of laughter at the scene, and Xiao Ran and the others all laughed.
Immediately afterwards, Thomas said expectantly:
"Sean, how have you considered the trade request I made before?"
"If you are willing to trade "Portrait of a Young Man" to our museum, you can do whatever you want."
Before he finished speaking, several other museum curators suddenly became anxious.
"Sean, our museum also wants to collect Raphael's "Portrait of a Young Man". The price will definitely satisfy you."
"Whether it is a cash transaction or an exchange for top-notch Chinese antiques and art from the collection, we can accept it."
The director of the American National Museum said hurriedly.
Immediately afterwards, the director of MOMA will also make an offer.
Xiao Ran raised his hand in time to stop the other party, and then said with a smile:
"Gentlemen, it is too early to talk about this matter now. How to deal with "Portrait of a Young Man" is a very troublesome matter."
"Among other things, how to deal with the Polish government's claims is a headache for me. The Polish ambassador has already arrived in Philadelphia with his people."
"I have to think carefully about how to deal with this famous painting and then make a decision. Everyone should wait patiently for a few days!"
Hearing what he said, Thomas and the others could only nod.
There is no way, who let this famous painting comparable to the "Mona Lisa" be in Xiao Ran's hands!
At this time, they only have this famous painting in their eyes.
They didn't care much about the antique artworks Myers and McCann had stolen from several of their museums!
The reason is simple. Any museum that acquires Raphael's "Portrait of a Young Man" will instantly reach a new level and add one of its most important treasures!
How could they be willing to miss such a God-given opportunity!
As for the Poles, Thomas and the others are not even considering them!
They also knew that Xiao Ran was waiting for a price!
The so-called dealing with the Poles is just an excuse!
After chatting for a few more words, Xiao Ran said goodbye and left, preparing to return to the hotel.
Timothy and Frank, as well as Thomas and others who had just arrived, were sent out together.
After Xiao Ran got in the car and left the museum gate, Thomas immediately asked curiously:
"It's so late, this guy Sean rushes back to the hotel to meet some big shot. Isn't he the director of a certain museum?"
Before he finished speaking, Frank already whispered the answer.
"It's Ivanka. Ivanka arrived in Philadelphia this afternoon. She should have been sent by the president."
"In addition to Ivanka, Sean's girlfriend's father, Professor Pierre of the Louvre, also came to Philadelphia"
"ah!"
Thomas and the others exclaimed and froze on the spot.
In the blink of an eye, a look of surprise flashed in their eyes.
The man in the Oval Office of the White House is about to step down.
This is to seize the last opportunity and gain benefits for yourself!
As a thousand-year-old fox, Thomas and the others instantly understood Ivanka’s purpose!
The next moment, the MOMA curator immediately changed the topic.
"Timothy, since the stolen antique artworks discovered today are stored in the vault of your museum, you should be able to open the vault, right?"
"Now that Sean has left with his people, if you don't open the vault and let us get over our addiction first, it will save us the suffering, and that guy Sean won't know."
Not only him, Thomas and others also echoed.
However, Timothy smiled bitterly and shook his head.
"No chance at all! Gentlemen, the vault where the stolen antiques and artworks are stored is an independent vault and is very strong."
"There are three sets of numbers for the password to open the vault. I have one set, Frank from the FBI has one set, and the other set of numbers was set by Sean himself. No one knows."
"In other words, if you want to open the independent vault, all three of us must be present and enter the password at the same time."
"Not only that, Sean has also installed surveillance cameras and alarm devices inside and outside the vault. If technical means are used to open the vault, he will know immediately."
"The safes containing stolen antique artworks all have seals on them. Sean's lawyer put them on them. There are also seals on all the painting tubes and boxes. The protection measures are very tight!"
"I even suspect that Sean set up some self-destruct mechanisms when he stored the stolen antiques and art. He can do such a thing, and I don't dare to take the risk!"
Not surprisingly, Thomas and the others were completely stunned and froze on the spot with their mouths open.
At the same time, they were also shocked.
After being stunned for three to five seconds, they finally woke up.
Immediately afterwards, Thomas and others burst out a series of swear words.
"Fake! This bastard Sean is too damn cunning and difficult to deal with! He's just a freak!"
"Damn it, this cunning bastard is obviously guarding us, but we can only be led by his nose!"
Looking at Thomas and the others who were a little frustrated, Frank and Peggy all smiled bitterly and shook their heads, with helpless expressions on their faces.
At this time, they didn't know that their every move was being watched by others.
In the night sky more than a hundred meters above their heads, a small drone the size of a palm was staring down at them.
All their movements were captured by the small drone.
at the same time.
Xiao Ran, who was sitting in the bulletproof SUV, was watching the real-time surveillance footage from the drone on his mobile phone.
What appeared on the mobile phone screen was Timothy and Frank standing at the entrance of the art museum.
When Timothy and the others turned around and walked into the museum, Xiao Ran immediately switched to another real-time surveillance screen.
What appeared on the phone screen this time was an infrared night vision surveillance picture.
The picture showed the interior of a vault. It was dark and quiet inside, and not even a ghost could be seen.
Needless to say, this vault shrouded in darkness contained Raphael's "Portrait of a Young Man" and other stolen antique works of art.
After making sure that the vault was safe and there were no problems, Xiao Ran put away his phone.
Immediately afterwards, he picked up the walkie-talkie and said:
"Sam, inform all the guys that from now on, everyone will be on the highest alert and stay alert for me."
"It's no exaggeration. Everyone is our potential opponent now. Everyone wants to kill us and kick us out so that they can get more benefits."
"Even the cooperating Gardner Museum and Philadelphia Museum of Art, as well as the FBI and Philadelphia police, are also our potential enemies and may assassinate us."
"Before we deal with this batch of stolen antiques and art, everyone must remain vigilant and be ready to deal with various emergencies. When this matter is resolved, every guy will be rewarded!"
As soon as the words fell, Sam responded immediately.
"Copy that, Sean, I'm going to notify all the guys right now and ask everyone to be on alert."
Then, he passed on the order.
Immediately afterwards, a burst of excited cheers came from the intercom.
Obviously, Xiao Ran's promised reward impressed everyone.
In a blink of an eye, the motorcade had arrived near the hotel.
At this moment, Marvin's voice suddenly came from the intercom.
"Sean, please be more careful. We just used a small drone to find two Chevrolet Suburbans parked at the intersection closest to the hotel."
"After investigation, it was found that the license plates of the two Chevrolet Suburbans were fake. There seemed to be people in the cars, but the number of people and the specific situation could not be clearly seen."
Xiao Ran paused for a moment, then picked up the walkie-talkie and said:
"Copy that, Marvin, just keep the inside of the hotel safe."
"Sam, let everyone be careful and report the news to the detectives from the crime team who are leading the way and ask them to investigate."
"The two Chevrolet Suburbans may be Ivanka's escorts. They are here to attack the front line."
"Copy that, Sean."
Sam and Marvin responded in unison.
