Holy crap, that move is way too ruthless! But hey, I like it.
Qiqi gave a thumbs-up: "You're something!"
Zhuang Ruotong wagged her head proudly: "Of course! My dad finally wants to do a good deed for once, and as his daughter, I have to help him make it happen. It's like earning some good karma for our family!"
Qiqi nodded in agreement, then immediately thought of a very practical question: "Do you have a pass for the venue?"
Zhuang Ruotong's face fell: "No."
"Then how are you planning to sneak in?"
"Pfft, who said I need to go inside? The venue's full of people and chatter, and those corrupt officials are way too cautious—what could they possibly say in there? It's only in private meetings that they'd talk about anything meaningful!"
Zhuang Ruotong said smugly: "So, I already went down to the underground parking lot and scoped out the area around Xia Liu's reserved spot. Once the auction ends, I'll head straight to his car and lie in wait. That way, no one will have a clue!"
Qiqi gave another thumbs-up: "You're a beast! Truly the 007 of undercover agents, the fighter jet of detectives!"
Zhuang Ruotong: "Of course! Know yourself and know your enemy, and you'll win every battle!"
The two chatted for a while about the feasibility of the plan. Just then, Zhuang Ruotong's phone rang. She answered, her voice excited: "Huh? Xia Liu already won the bid? That official is leaving with him? Oh, they've taken the private elevator to the parking lot? Okay, got it!"
Zhuang Ruotong shoved her phone into her bag, her expression thrilled as she lowered her voice: "The show's about to start! Sis has to get to work!"
"Alright, take care of yourself!" Qiqi waved.
Normally, she would have tagged along for the fun, but today she had her own important task and couldn't slack off.
Zhuang Ruotong nodded, threw her a wink, and quickly took the elevator down from the top floor.
The auction was indeed winding down. Guests were trickling out in twos and threes. Qiqi hurried out of the stairwell and stood by the door, waiting like a hunter by a tree stump.
Figures in suits and ties passed by, many of them business celebrities—no wonder so many media were camped out downstairs!
But after waiting at the exit for a while, the jade pendant in her bag remained still. She found it strange—during the auction, the pendant had been vibrating in her bag now and then, as if sensing the Moon Gem's presence. Why was it silent now?
When no one was looking, she quietly pulled the Moon Compass out of her bag to check. And what she saw startled her—the silver arrow had changed direction!!
Not only had the direction shifted, but its position had changed too! From pointing southeast, it now pointed... downstairs?
No way, why downstairs? Was this Moon Compass in 3D mode?
And when had it changed?
Qiqi's heart skipped a beat, but there was no time to dwell on it. She squeezed into the elevator and headed straight down.
The elevator descended silently and swiftly. Gradually, Qiqi felt the jade pendant vibrating in her bag again.
She breathed a sigh of relief, watching the red numbers on the elevator panel drop. The final destination was the third basement level.
Suddenly, she thought of Zhuang Ruotong's departure—just now, before going downstairs, she had said she was heading to the underground parking lot... Could it be that the pendant had changed direction right when she left?
Could the Moon Gem be connected to Zhuang Ruotong?