Afternoon.
A few minutes passed 12 pm.
Outside of Tokyo National Museum. Dong Xuebing walks towards the Museum while combing his hair back. He had changed his hairstyle and shaved before leaving his hotel. After that, he put on a pair of sunglasses to disguise himself and touched the pair of gloves and folded cloth back in his pocket. Everything is ready, and he continued his way to the security check at the Museum’s main gallery.
Two guards are standing at the entrance.
The alarm did not sound as Dong Xuebing walks past the metal detector.
It is lunchtime now, and there are not a lot of tourists in the Museum. Only a Japanese family of three and some staff and guards are around. Maybe it’s time for the guards to change shifts. There are fewer guards around than in the morning. The Museum had installed sufficient anti-theft measures like CCTV, alarms, and not every gallery has guards and staff.
Ten meters…
One hundred meters…
Three hundred meters…
Dong Xuebing entered the Asian Gallery.
But he frowned as he saw the crowd inside. There are more visitors in the Asian Gallery compared to the main gallery. Some of them are families, and some are Chinese students. A few Japanese students are listening to the staff introducing the displayed artifacts. There are pros and cons. With so many people around, it is easier for Dong Xuebing to hide, but it is also harder for him to make his move.
Dong Xuebing walked a few steps forward and glanced at the display diagonally across the hall.
Tian Long Mountain Sandstone Buddha statue is displayed at that corner, and two Japanese couples are looking at it.
What should I do now? Wait? Dong Xuebing looked at his watch and forced himself to calm down. He must not be impatient now and must wait for the best timing to act!
One minute…
Two minutes…
Three minutes…
A couple left that area, but the other couple is still there.
Dong Xuebing doesn’t want to attract any attention and does not want CCTV to capture him looking suspiciously. He continued his way around the gallery, pretending to look at the displayed items. About five minutes later, Dong Xuebing returned to the Buddha Statue’s gallery again. He took a glance, and there’s no one around! That young couple had left! He took a deep breath and is prepared to make his move!
Dong Xuebing did not walk over to the Buddha statue. Instead, he went to a toilet not far away.
Dong Xuebing entered the toilet. He doesn’t know if there is anyone in the cubicles, but there is no one outside at the basins.
Dong Xuebing immediately shouted the command in his heart. “STOP!
Time stopped!
The water droplets hung in mid-air from the tap, and all sounds stopped. It is as if Dong Xuebing had entered an extremely quiet place. His reflection in the mirror was also frozen in place. He moved and saw this reflection still remained the same in the mirror, and he knew the time had stopped.
Go!
Dong Xuebing opened the toilet’s door forcefully and saw two middle-aged men around one meter from the door. They look like they are about to enter the toilet, and one of them had his hand out in mid-air, about to open the door.
Dong Xuebing walked out of the toilet sideways to avoid them and closed the door.
He does not want to waste any time and started running towards the gallery where the Buddha Statue was displayed.
Five meters…
Ten meters…
Twenty meters…
Dong Xuebing had finally reached, and there is no staff in the gallery! The staff should have left for lunch! But there is a staff standing in the corridor outside, speaking to an old lady. The nearest security guard is around 50 meters away. None of them can see the corner where the statue was displayed. They must walk over before they can see it!
This is the best opportunity!
Dong Xuebing walks over to the statue while putting on his gloves as he doesn’t want to leave any fingerprints.
He raised his head to look at the two CCTV cameras above him. One of them is facing the Buddha statue area, and the other is facing the corridor. Dong Xuebing does not want the CCTV to capture any discriminating evidence. He pulled a display cabinet over and stood on it to reach the cameras. He had prepared a roll of opaque adhesive tape from Beijing and covered the camera’s lens before jumping off the cabinet before wiping off his shoeprints. After that, he went over to the second camera and covered the lens.
After covering the CCTV, Dong Xuebing turned his attention to the Buddha statue.
Baby, sorry to keep you waiting.
Dong Xuebing walked over and tried to lift the glass cover, but it seems to be locked. There is a strange-looking keyhole on the right, and the cover cannot be lifted without the key. But he is not surprised. He raised his arm and hit the glass cover with his elbow!
Bam! Bam! Bam!
After hitting the glass cover thrice, there is a crack on the cover!
Dong Xuebing knew the cover is not bulletproof, or it will not crack so easily. It should be made of reinforced glass, and any impact will trigger the alarm. If the alarm sounded, staff and security guards would be there within seconds, and you don’t even have the chance to touch the artifact inside, let alone steal it.
But all these security measures are useless against Dong Xuebing.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Dong Xuebing hit the glass cover three more times. ‘Crash!’
Because time had stopped, the glass pieces did not drop. Instead, they were floating in the air, and Dong Xuebing removed the glass pieces carefully. He doesn’t know how the alarm system works, but the glass cover broke during the time stop, and the alarm should not be triggered. He doesn’t want to alarm sound too early, but that’s not what he can control.
After clearing off the glass pieces, Dong Xuebing took a deep breath and grabbed the Buddha statue from the showcase.
I finally got you back!
Come home with me, baby… This place is not where you belong!
After getting what he wanted, Dong Xuebing started running towards the toilet while keeping the Buddha statue inside his clothes. The statue is not big and is around the size of two mobile phones. With the thick coat he was wearing, no one will notice it.
The toilet door was pushed open, and Dong Xuebing entered a cubicle.
STOP!
……
…….
Time resumed!
The toilet door opened.
“Haha… it’s an eyeopener today. The Chinese porcelain is so beautiful.”
“Haha… all these beautiful pieces are all displayed in our museum, and we had gotten them for free!”
“You are right. I heard the Museum had received another Second-tier Cultural Relic yesterday, and the embassy staff wanted it back. But we did not return it.”
“Return?! Why should we return?! Are they out of their mind?!”
These two men are the ones standing outside of the toilet earlier.
Dong Xuebing does not understand what they are saying, but he is listening from inside of the cubicle.
Five seconds…
Ten seconds…
The alarm did not sound!
Dong Xuebing knew he is lucky. It’s none of his business why the alarm did not sound. His main concern now is his next move. He pretended to finish using the toilet and left. Once out of the toilet, he purposely walks in front of a CCTV camera along the corridor. This is to make sure the camera captured him in the toilet when the incident happened.
After that, Dong Xuebing walks towards the main gallery with big strides. He wants to get out of the area as soon as possible!
I must not be discovered!
Dong Xuebing walked fast and was about to enter the main gallery.
Suddenly, beep… beep… beep…! The alarm sounded!
Dong Xuebing frowned and stopped. The rest of the visitors were stunned and wondered what was going on.
“The glass showcase is shattered! Hall No. 7 Buddha statue is stolen!”
“Quick! Close the exits! Stop anyone from leaving!”
“What? How was it stolen? Is this a false alarm?”
A few staff and guards are shouting at each other, and the surrounding tourists knew what happened. Something in the Museum was stolen?! But this is the National Museum, and it has the most advanced security features in Japan! How can anyone steal from it in broad daylight?!
Tojo Shinji was informed when the alarm sounded, and he thought it was a joke at first. Many Japanese museums were broken into, but it all happened at night. It’s daytime now, and with so many tourists and staff around, how can anyone steal from the Museum? A break-in now?! Are you kidding me?! He immediately rushes to the scene and saw the glass pieces on the floor. The two CCTV cameras were covered by adhesive tapes, and he immediately ordered his men to review the footage!
If you reach out your hand to cover the CCTV camera lens, your face will be captured in the footage.
But after checking the CCTV footage, everyone in the Museum was stunned. The criminal’s face was not captured, and the footage turned black suddenly!
