Two days later, in the afternoon, Boston.
Xiao Ran and his group came out of the Gardner Museum and prepared to take the bus back to the hotel.
Just now, they successfully completed the transaction with the Gardner Museum.
Half of the 13 pieces of antique art stolen from the Gardner Museum in 1990 have been returned to the museum.
The other half of the antique artworks, including Vermeer's "Concert", fell into Xiao Ran's hands.
Peggy and others at the Gardner Museum originally wanted to exchange for half of the antique artwork, but Xiao Ran refused.
Whether it's Vermeer's "Concert" or Degas's "Dance Classroom", etc., Xiao Ran is ready to collect them for himself.
In desperation, Peggy and the others could only choose to exchange a few pieces of unowned and stolen art.
Among the antiques that were stolen without owners were several works by masters such as Poussin and Goya.
The Gardner Museum paid more than $100 million.
The top antique artworks that had been on display at the Yale University Art Museum were brought back yesterday.
After arriving in Boston, Xiao Ran immediately deposited those treasures into a bank vault.
After the matters in Boston are dealt with, all antiques, artworks and gold and silver treasures stored in Boston will be shipped to Beijing and Los Angeles respectively.
After coming out of the Gardner Museum, Xiao Ran shook hands with Peggy and others and said goodbye, then took Elaine and the others into the bulletproof SUV parked at the door.
The motorcade immediately started and slowly drove away from the Gardner Museum.
At this moment, Sam's voice suddenly came from the intercom.
"Sean, please go online on your mobile phone. As you expected, there are riots in Washington, and they are very serious."
"The protesters who gathered near the Capitol broke through the police blockade and rushed directly into the Capitol."
"It is said that the scene was very chaotic, and several people were killed. Those crazy guys have occupied the Capitol Building."
"The ongoing election results certification process in Congress has been suspended, and members of the Congress have been evacuated or hid in underground bunkers."
"ah!"
Xiao Ran and Yi Lian all exclaimed, and they were all shocked.
The next moment, Xiao Ran's eyes flashed with a look of gloating surprise.
Elaine and Fang Yufei quickly took out their mobile phones and started checking the news on the Internet.
Xiao Ran smiled, then picked up the walkie-talkie and said:
"Copy that, Sam, the riot did happen."
"This matter has nothing to do with us, everyone can just watch the show."
After finishing speaking, he also took out his mobile phone and started checking relevant news reports.
At this time, social networks and various news media are full of news about the riots on Capitol Hill.
Various pictures and videos from the riot scene have spread throughout the world in an instant.
Looking at the Capitol building that looked like a battlefield in the pictures and videos, Xiao Ran and Elaine were speechless and dumbfounded.
Especially in the eyes of Xiao Ran and Fang Yufei, there was more of a gloating smile that could not be concealed.
"These guys are so crazy. They dared to storm and occupy the U.S. Capitol. Isn't this tantamount to insurrection?"
"If this riot continues, the entire United States may be in chaos. Is there going to be another civil war in the United States?"
Elaine said with emotion and a little frightened.
Hearing this, Xiao Ran suddenly laughed.
"Those crazy guys, aren't they crazy! They actually dared to attack the U.S. Capitol. They are waiting to be reckoned with. They will probably be in bad luck!"
"It is indeed a bit unexpected that American society is so torn apart and that supporters of understanding the king are making such a fuss, but it is also very interesting, isn't it?"
While talking, Fang Yufei suddenly laughed.
"Xiao Ran, Elaine, look at this picture. A group of protestors actually occupied the office of crazy old lady Nancy."
"One of the old men was sitting on that crazy old lady's office chair with his legs up on the desk. That was so comfortable!"
"This guy is even crazier. He directly carried away the speaker's podium of the House of Representatives. He is simply crazy. This is a carnival!"
Fang Yufei laughed while showing the photos on social media to Xiao Ran and Yi Lian.
The moment they saw those photos, Xiao Ran and Elaine were both a little stunned.
The next moment, they also burst out laughing.
After a while, Xiao Ran and the others returned to the hotel.
After entering the presidential suite, Elaine and Fang Yufei immediately rushed into the living room, turned on the TV, and watched the news reports.
As expected, all channels were carrying news of the Capitol Hill riot, and it was all live.
The Capitol Hill and Capitol Building on the news footage looked like the scene of a huge carnival party.
Everyone watching these news was filled with astonishment and couldn't believe their eyes.
Of course, there are also many guys like Xiao Ran who are afraid that the United States will not be in chaos and want to celebrate with champagne immediately.
Xiao Ran put down the backpack he carried with him, read the news reports for a while, and then walked into the study.
After entering the study, he immediately took out his mobile phone and started calling Counselor Wang.
The call was connected in an instant, and Counselor Wang's voice came immediately.
"Xiao Ran, there was a riot in Washington. A large number of demonstrators rushed directly into the U.S. Capitol. Do you know about this?"
"Of course I know, Uncle Wang, we just saw the relevant news reports, but we didn't expect that a riot would really happen."
"Those supporters who understand Wang are simply crazy!"
Xiao Ran said with a smile.
To be on the safe side, he didn't gloat over the phone.
But there was such a flavor in his words.
Counselor Wang smiled softly and then continued:
"Because of this riot, Washington and surrounding areas should soon be under full martial law."
"The atmosphere in other cities is bound to become tense. What will you do next?"
Xiao Ran paused for a moment before giving the answer.
"I just finished the transaction with the Gardner Museum today and just returned to the hotel."
"According to the plan, I will trade with the Harvard Museum tomorrow, and the MIT Museum the day after tomorrow."
"After these two art transactions are completed, we are ready to leave Boston and return to Los Angeles."
"Now that the situation has changed, we have to hurry up to avoid long nights and dreams."
"I'm going to contact these two university museums later and try to get together to complete the transaction tomorrow."
"There are many treasures that need to be sent back to China this time. I would like to trouble you about the Air China charter flight. It will take off tomorrow night or the morning of the day after tomorrow..."
Next, Xiao Ran briefly introduced the situation.
However, he also stated that the premise is that the US government will not temporarily ban flights because of the Capitol Hill riot.
Or it can be said that he is ready to deal with these matters before the US government reacts and starts a massive manhunt.
As for the Consulate General, they naturally cooperated fully and provided him with as much help as possible.
After talking about business and chatting for a while, they ended the call.
Immediately afterwards, he called the director of the Harvard University Museum and the director of the MIT Museum respectively to discuss the transaction.
These two old friends both understand that the current situation is special.
They all agreed with Xiao Ran's proposal to complete the transaction between them as soon as possible.
After reaching an agreement, Xiao Ran agreed with them on the time and place of tomorrow's transaction before ending the call.
Later, he called David and Sam over to discuss the next arrangements.
After David and the others came in, he immediately got to the point.
"Sam, please ask the guys to check if the FBI agents and police people guarding the hotel downstairs are still there?"
"There are riots in Washington. I guess those guys downstairs have all evacuated to guard key departments such as the city government and the Capitol."
"If those guys withdraw, then we should tell the guys to be on guard immediately to avoid being taken advantage of!"
Sam paused, then nodded immediately and said:
"You are still thoughtful, Sean. Those guys guarding downstairs may really be evacuated."
“As far as I know, similar protests took place in Boston a few days ago, right in front of the State Capitol!”
"I will immediately ask the guys to check the situation and strengthen their vigilance."
After saying that, he walked out of the study and went to assign tasks.
Next, Xiao Ran talked about making a deal in advance, leaving Boston as soon as possible, and returning to Los Angeles.
After a while, Sam had returned to the suite and began to report on the situation outside.
As Xiao Ran expected, the FBI agents and police officers guarding downstairs had disappeared.
Those guys all rushed to the state capitol, city government and other places to guard those key departments.
The atmosphere in Boston also became tense.
After confirming this situation, Sam and the others immediately stepped up their vigilance to prevent accidents.
After listening to the report, Xiao Ran nodded slightly.
"Good job. We will leave Boston soon. It's best if nothing happens in the meantime."
"One more thing, I'm going to go out alone tonight and visit McCann's half-sister's house."
"Sam, you don't need to go with me, and you don't need to worry about my safety. I will return to the hotel soon."
Hearing this, David and Sam couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.
"Ah! McCann's sister, is she also an art thief?"
David asked in surprise.
Xiao Ran looked at him and then explained:
"I'm not sure whether McCann's sister is an art thief, but this possibility exists."
"One thing is basically certain. McCann's father should have known about the robbery of the Gardner Museum by McCann and Miles."
"He may even be an inside agent. In this case, I think it is necessary to investigate McCann's sister again to see if anything can be discovered."
After hearing his explanation, both Sam and David nodded and said nothing more.
But how do they know that this is just an excuse.
What’s more, McCann’s sister lives across the river in Cambridge!
