In a moment, the two SUVs had returned to Fuyou Street.
The next moment, Xiao Ran's cell phone suddenly rang.
The call was connected and Ma Ming's voice came immediately.
"Xiao Ran, next we have to go to the State Administration of Cultural Heritage to meet with several leaders from the Administration of Cultural Relics and the Ministry of Public Security."
"For the sake of confidentiality, don't take off your protective clothing and put on a mask and sunglasses!"
"There were only six people participating in this meeting, including us, and the scope was very small."
"Okay, Brother Marco"
Xiao Ran nodded in response and didn't ask any more questions.
About fifteen minutes later.
The two SUVs they were riding in had arrived at the State Administration of Cultural Heritage on Beiheyan Street and drove straight into the internal parking lot of the Administration.
Xiao Ran saw it as soon as he entered the parking lot.
The parking lot was quiet except for a few middle-aged men standing at the door leading to the office building.
Two of them had met several times on video calls before, and they were the chief and deputy directors of the Cultural Relics Bureau.
In addition to these two, there were two men in police uniforms.
Judging from their police ranks, they are all senior police officers from the Ministry of Public Security.
The first time he saw these people, Xiao Ran understood instantly.
Today's secret meeting must be related to the ongoing special operation to combat the smuggling and trafficking of cultural relics. In all likelihood, it is related to the batch of antique cultural relics hidden in Japan.
The people waiting at the door of the office building are obviously the leaders of the task force.
Thinking of this, a smile immediately flashed across Xiao Ran's face.
While talking, two SUVs stopped.
Xiao Ran was not in a hurry to get out of the car. He opened the door and sat in the car waiting for Ma Ming's notification.
Ma Ming, who was sitting in another car, got out of the car immediately and raised his hands to say hello to several people standing at the door of the building.
Then, he walked towards the SUV Xiao Ran was riding in.
When he came about two meters away from the car, he stopped and whispered:
"Xiao Ran, you can come down now, let's go into the building."
"Okay, Brother Marco"
With that said, Xiao Ran got out of the car.
Then he followed Ma Ming and walked towards the door of the building together.
Arriving in front of the building door, he stopped about three meters away from the director of cultural relics and others, then smiled and nodded.
"Good morning, leaders, I have kept you waiting for a long time!"
"Good morning, Xiao Xiao, I finally see you in person, let's go in and talk."
Director Liu of the Cultural Relics Bureau nodded and said hello, but did not say Xiao Ran's name.
The others also nodded, looking at him curiously.
Afterwards, everyone walked into the office building one after another.
Xiao Ran, who was wearing a full set of protective equipment, naturally walked at the end and distanced himself from the others.
For safety reasons, the door they entered was a side door of the office building and was rarely used.
The small conference room for this meeting is also on the first floor. Just turn left after entering.
In this way, when the meeting is over, this small conference room and this side door can be temporarily closed.
It can only be reactivated after a thorough disinfection is completed and allowed to stand for a period of time.
In the blink of an eye, everyone had entered the small conference room and sat down on both sides of the conference table.
After sitting down, Director Liu first introduced the identities of the two senior police officers.
Sure enough, they were indeed from the Ministry of Public Security, and one of them was the leader of the task force!
The other one is the leader in charge of smuggling and selling cultural relics.
After everyone got to know each other, they started chatting.
Several people on the other side were very interested in Xiao Ran's experience in the United States, especially his continuous efforts to recover a large number of lost national treasures, and wanted to know more about it!
Xiao Ran didn't hide it and simply introduced the situation.
Following his introduction, Director Liu and the others were amazed, and everyone was filled with admiration.
After chatting for a while, everyone got down to business.
"Xiao Xiao, we invite you here this time just to discuss it with you."
"Let's see how we work together to find out the precious antiques and cultural relics smuggled into Japan, and then bring them back to the country."
Director Liu said with a smile and stated the purpose of this meeting.
Xiao Ran looked at the people opposite him, then nodded and said:
"I guess this is it, Director Liu, I also know something about the situation of these stolen antiques!"
"To tell you the truth, I have sent people to Tokyo and Osaka, Japan, to launch a secret investigation!"
"If these stolen antiques are indeed in Japan, I can find them even if I dig deep!"
"Ah! You have sent people to Japan? You moved so quickly!"
Several people on the opposite side exclaimed in surprise, and everyone's eyes suddenly lit up.
Immediately afterwards, the leader of the task force asked impatiently:
"Have you found any clues? Xiao Xiao, tell me quickly!"
Xiao Ran nodded slightly and then began to introduce the situation.
Soon, more than an hour passed.
After more than an hour of talks, Xiao Ran and several leaders of the task force finalized many details such as the cooperation plan and how to coordinate actions.
After the meeting, he and Ma Ming said goodbye immediately and drove out of the Cultural Relics Bureau building.
After coming out of the Cultural Relics Bureau, they returned directly to the courtyard house on Fuyou Street and did not go anywhere else.
After a while, two SUVs stopped at the entrance of the courtyard.
Xiao Ran immediately got out of the car and prepared to go home.
Ma Ming got out of the car and walked over, whispering to him:
"I still have something I need to tell you. Let's go to the door and talk."
Xiao Ran nodded, then opened the courtyard door and walked in first.
Ma Ming followed a few steps behind, keeping a certain distance.
After entering and standing still, Ma Ming immediately said:
"I will leave for Japan this afternoon to make some preparations."
"After you arrive in Japan with your people, I will be responsible for contacting you on a single line and dispatching forces to assist you secretly."
"Except for Director Liu and the others, no one else in the task force knows that you will participate in this operation."
"That is to say, other members of the task force will not contact you, including Director Liu and the others."
"You have to pay attention to this so as not to be exposed."
Xiao Ran was stunned for a moment, then nodded slightly.
"I understand, Brother Ma, I believe this operation will be successful."
Ma Ming nodded, then took out a brand new mobile phone and handed it over.
“This is a specially modified satellite phone, so you don’t have to worry about being eavesdropped or tracked.”
"After you arrive in Japan, I will contact you through this mobile phone."
"Of course, you can also use this phone to contact your family back home..."
While he was introducing the situation, Xiao Ran had already taken over the phone.
Immediately afterwards, he secretly activated his clairvoyance ability and quickly looked through the phone.
As Ma Ming said, this mobile phone looks ordinary on the outside, but has undergone some special modifications on the inside.
The various parts inside a mobile phone are completely different from ordinary mobile phones. Even the layout of various parts is different from ordinary mobile phones!
Obviously, this is a satellite phone used by secret agents, and it is well disguised!
Holding this special mobile phone, a smile immediately flashed in Xiao Ran's eyes.
Then he said some more things, and then Ma Ming stopped talking, then said goodbye and left.
After watching the two SUVs at the door leave, Xiao Ran closed the door and walked into the yard.
While he was talking, he had passed through the hanging flower door and walked into the second courtyard.
As soon as he entered the courtyard, he heard.
Bursts of laughter came from the garden nearby, coming from Elaine and Fang Yufei.
David stood on the verandah, admiring the carved patterns on the verandah with great interest, his eyes full of curiosity!
Xiao Ran looked at this guy and then asked:
"What's in the garden? David, Elaine and the others sound very happy."
Following his words, David immediately turned his head and looked over.
Seeing that it was him, David immediately said:
"Elaine and the others found several kittens in the garden, about two or three months old, very cute!"
"They are playing with some kittens in the garden. They look like they are ready to raise them."
"I see, I'll go take a look later."
Xiao Ran smiled and nodded.
After chatting with David for a few more words, he walked towards the north room.
David stayed where he was, continuing to admire the exquisite patterns and carvings on the verandah.
Fifteen minutes later.
Xiao Ran took off his protective clothing and mask, changed out of his suit, washed and disinfected, walked out of the north room and walked into the garden behind the east wing.
As soon as he entered the garden, he saw it.
Elaine and Fang Yufei were sitting on the bench next to the koi pond, each holding a kitten in their arms, playing with the kitten, and laughing non-stop!
The two kittens were about two or three months old. One was pure white and the other was orange and white. They were both very well-behaved. They were at their cutest and most playful time.
Not far from them, there was a little orange cat running around on the ground.
And at the root of the rockery in the koi pond, there was a light orange female cat lying on her back, staring closely at the koi swimming in the pond, so greedy that she almost drooled!
Although it is winter now, this koi pond has a heating device, so the water in the pond has not frozen, and the water is clear and flowing slowly.
The koi carps living in the pond are all very good varieties. They are all plump and swimming happily in the pond water!
Seeing this lively and leisurely scene, Xiao Ran still didn't understand.
Obviously, it was these koi fish in the pond that attracted these cats, big and small, and they didn't want to leave!
Judging from the posture of the female cat at the base of the rockery, waiting for an opportunity, she is obviously a habitual fish stealer!
Before that, God knows how many koi it had eaten!
If they are not strictly controlled, these precious koi in the pond will not be enough to cause trouble to their family!
Seeing this, Xiao Ran suddenly chuckled and walked towards Elaine and the others.
Elaine and the others also saw it, and then said excitedly:
"Honey, there are some cute kittens in the garden, and there is also a greedy female cat."
"We just discovered these cute little guys in the morning, fed them some delicious food, and then we can play with them!"
"These little guys are so cute and family-friendly, let's keep them in the yard!"
Xiao Ran looked at the kittens, and then said jokingly:
"I'm afraid it won't work if I don't raise them. In the eyes of these cats, we are like long-term meal tickets!"
"Maybe it's because of this that the kittens behave so lovingly, and that the female cat will let you play with the kittens!"
"There is food and drink here, and it is very safe. These little guys are not stupid. They will definitely stay here and never leave."
While he was talking, the female cat that was lying at the base of the rockery suddenly jumped forward, and its right front paw plunged into the pool water like lightning.
The next moment, a red and white koi carp was quickly fished out of the water.
Then he was bitten in his mouth, ran quickly behind the rockery, and disappeared in the blink of an eye!
Seeing this scene, Xiao Ran and Yi Lian were stunned for a moment, and then they laughed in unison!
