Chapter 46: The Black Hand
Just as the leader of the Black-Clothed Person, Phillip Johnson, left the old man in the suit, he suddenly turned and headed towards a nearby apartment building.
When he emerged from the back door of the apartment building, he had already changed his clothes, now wearing a gray hoodie, jeans, and sneakers.
Anyone who saw him would have thought he was a person jogging late at night.
However, this person jogging late at night had no idea he was being watched.
Phillip Johnson had disposed of the special combat uniform he was wearing and all the weapons he carried.
Don't ask him how he disposed of them; he could guarantee that his belongings would never be found.
Not long after, Phillip Johnson entered a nine-story apartment building again, where his small rented apartment was located.
He had been very careful on his way back, taking several detours along the way, and found no one tracking him.
After confirming he was absolutely safe, Phillip Johnson entered his hiding place.
In this apartment, Phillip Johnson had prepared enough water and food for half a month; he would absolutely not go out unless there was a very necessary reason.
This was Phillip Johnson's usual cautious behavior; half a month was enough time for this wave of attention to subside.
Even if his luck was extremely bad and this place was discovered, it would not implicate his family.
Before this mission, Phillip Johnson had already told his family he would be on a business trip for half a month, so he could completely cover his tracks during this period.
Entering the room and locking the door, Phillip Johnson finally sat deeply on the sofa alone, letting out a heavy sigh.
Only at this point did he begin to consider the entire situation.
Things had clearly taken a new turn.
Phillip Johnson hadn't expected the people from the Natural History Museum in London to follow the cursed gem all the way to Los Angeles, and the previous intelligence had completely missed this point.
Even more terrifying was that they already knew his personal information; if nothing unexpected happened, his family would already be under surveillance.
Phillip Johnson wasn't worried that those people would harm his family, but if he risked contacting his family, with their methods, they would be able to trace his location through those contacts.
By then, it wouldn't just be that group of people who wanted his life; even his employer behind him would probably come looking for trouble.
It seemed he would have to temporarily cut off contact with his family.
Phillip Johnson couldn't help but sigh, but he wasn't worried about his family's livelihood.
He had left them enough living expenses so that their lives would not be affected for at least a few years.
Standing up, Phillip walked to the refrigerator, took out a bottle of ice-cold beer, and drank it in big gulps.
Holding the beer bottle, Phillip walked to the cupboard in the living room and looked at a portrait of George Washington hanging on it.
After gazing at the portrait for a long time, he reached into the cupboard and lightly pressed a spot.
With a slight click, the portrait of George Washington slowly rose, revealing a hidden safe before Phillip Johnson's eyes.
Quickly entering the password and then undergoing fingerprint verification, Phillip Johnson finally opened the safe.
Inside the safe, there was a desert eagle, approximately 30,000 usd in cash, and a one-foot-long dagger.
At this moment, Phillip Johnson pulled out three small pouches he had hidden on his person.
These three small pouches contained the three gems he had stolen from the museum.
Two of these gems belonged to Scott West, and one was the famous cursed gem.
The three gems, which had taken a great deal of effort to acquire, Phillip Johnson didn't even glance at them before tossing them into the safe.
Holding the beer bottle, Phillip Johnson walked to the floor-to-ceiling window.
Outside, a thin mist enveloped the entire world, and the distant buildings were only vague outlines in his eyes.
Now, a hint of worry appeared on Phillip Johnson's face.
He didn't know how many of his subordinates would escape this pursuit, but he wasn't worried that these people would implicate him.
Among all these people, only Phillip Johnson knew everyone's identity, while the others did not know each other's identities.
Everyone used code names when they met.
Of course, if any fool revealed clues about their identity, it had nothing to do with him.
Although this operation tonight achieved its basic objective, the losses were equally heavy.
It was now certain that at least four people had died inside the museum, five people had escaped the museum with Phillip Johnson, and five people were left behind, with no knowing how many would escape.
In their line of work, as long as the target object is acquired, then no matter how great the sacrifice, the industry will acknowledge that the mission was successfully completed.
Despite this, Phillip Johnson still hoped that more of his subordinates would survive.
How did this mission end up like this?
If everything had gone as planned, their entry and exit from the museum would not have exceeded fifteen minutes.
But for some unknown reason, in the middle of the mission, the museum alarm suddenly went off.
While considering this problem, Phillip Johnson couldn't help but think of the old man in the suit who had finally blocked his way.
It was now highly likely that he had sounded the alarm at a critical moment, causing them to lose almost half of their manpower, and the other half's fate was still unknown.
Where did the problem lie?
Their own inadequate intelligence was one reason, and the misleading information provided by the employer was also an unignorable factor.
It seemed he needed to increase his asking price when delivering the goods.
Having figured these things out, Phillip Johnson placed the empty beer bottle aside and walked to the bathroom to take a shower.
The sound of rushing water quickly filled the apartment, and the steaming mist permeated the entire bathroom, making the apartment suddenly feel a bit desolate.
Suddenly, a faint "click" sounded, and the apartment door silently opened.
A Black-Clothed Person, like a kitten, tiptoed into the room without making any sound.
From her figure, it was clear this was a woman, a woman with a very good figure.
The Black-Clothed Person merely sniffed around the room, then immediately walked to the cupboard.
Her right hand lightly felt inside the cupboard, and soon the portrait of George Johnson on the cupboard rose, revealing the safe behind it.
Looking at the safe before her, the Black-Clothed Person's eyes showed a solemn expression.
She had some knowledge of this type of safe; the password wasn't a problem, but the fingerprint verification inside was troublesome.
Of course, with enough time, cracking the fingerprint verification program wouldn't be difficult.
But the gushing sound of water reminded her that the owner was inside taking a shower, and men always showered quickly.
After a brief moment of contemplation, the Black-Clothed Person's gaze fell on the beer placed on the coffee table, and her eyes instantly lit up.
She quickly walked to the coffee table, picked up the beer bottle, and returned to the safe.
The Black-Clothed Person took out a translucent film from her person, first lightly breathed hot air onto the beer bottle, and then pressed the translucent film on her hand onto the beer bottle.
The film immediately recorded the fingerprints on it.
The Black-Clothed Person placed the prepared film over her hand and then gently pressed it onto the fingerprint verification area.
At the same time, the Black-Clothed Person's pupils instantly narrowed, like a kitten in the dark night.
Immediately after, the Black-Clothed Person quickly tapped on the safe, accurately entering the safe's password.
With a soft click, the safe opened.
The Black-Clothed Person quickly took out the three small cloth bags inside.
After a slight hesitation, she also took out the 30,000 usd inside.
However, with just that one action, an urgent ringing sound suddenly echoed from inside the safe.
The Black-Clothed Person's heart jumped.
She didn't bother to close the safe and quickly walked towards the door.
At this moment, Phillip Johnson, wrapped in a bath towel, had already rushed out of the bathroom.