Chapter 113: The Stolen Crystal Skull
Although the Xu family was somewhat lacking, it was still a second-tier aristocratic household. With Ye Qiu’s backing, it was believed they wouldn’t fare too badly in the future. It was like receiving a slap and then being offered a sweet date to eat. Xu Zhaocai not only willingly accepted this sweet date but even praised it as truly delightful!
Lu Ye was giving Xu Zhaocai a chance to realign himself. Anyone with insight could see that the Ye family was rising powerfully, because behind Ye Qiu stood a formidable figure who even earned some respect from Commander Qin Datong.
Now, with this olive branch extended before the Xu family, Xu Zhaocai had no reason to refuse. Despite having been schemed against multiple times by Lu Ye and Su Qianqian before, compared to the bright future ahead, those were trifling matters.
Countless second-tier families were eager to serve Lu Ye, yet he might not even pay them any attention. Understanding Lu Ye’s intent, Xu Zhaocai immediately stood up and bowed solemnly. “Brother Lu, thank you.”
Lu Ye accepted calmly. “Mm, please sit.”
“Don’t go easy on me; intentionally losing is no fun.”
“Hehe, got it!”
They played until dawn, after which Ye Qiu directly called a car from the company to take Lu Ye, Su Qianqian, and Feihong to the airport. Wearing dark circles under their eyes, they boarded without a word and adjusted their seats for a nap.
When they awoke, they were back in Mingzhu City. Upon arriving home, Su Qianqian eagerly dropped her luggage, then drove the Koenigsegg out again with Lu Ye.
Yawning, Lu Ye asked, “Where are we going?”
Su Qianqian smiled, “To see our new home.”
Crossing the Mingzhu Bridge to the north bank, the Koenigsegg roared up a mountain road. On this hill, over a hundred meters high, various landscaped gardens and greenery had been completed. Inside, shade trees flourished; outside, the Mingzhu River flowed ceaselessly. The scenery was naturally superb.
At the summit stood a five-hundred-square-meter villa in modern Chinese style, accompanied by a large garden. The architecture rose and fell with the rugged terrain. In the yard was a large artificial pond with a waterfall cascading down into the Mingzhu River itself. Even viewed from across the river, the waterfall appeared magnificent.
The courtyard’s green grass was vibrant with spring’s vitality, and a double swing added a touch of beauty. Before even entering the house, Lu Ye lingered in the yard, delight evident on his face. “Is this really our new home?”
Su Qianqian nodded proudly. “I designed it myself. What do you think?”
Lu Ye seriously commented, “I’ve visited the Arab prince’s palace—while breathtakingly beautiful, it always felt like something was missing.”
“Now I understand: no matter how gorgeous his place is, it’s just a cold building built from money.”
“Your new home, however, is a warm nest filled with love—that’s what truly makes a home.”
Su Qianqian was moved and took Lu Ye’s hand, leading him along the stone path inside.
“Come on in. The furniture was custom-ordered by my subordinates. I’m not sure if it’s to your liking.”
Since she had been in the capital for over a week, she hadn’t been able to supervise personally, so she felt a little anxious.
Opening the door, a fresh scent greeted them. The furniture was complete—simple, stylish, not overly luxurious, yet all exquisite and expensive pieces. They had been treated to remove odors, so there was no strong smell of formaldehyde in the air.
The master bedroom was on the second floor. Through a full-length glass window, one could gaze down upon the Mingzhu River. One wall displayed a large wedding photo of Lu Ye and Su Qianqian.
Seeing the photo, Lu Ye chuckled. “You were pouting and wearing a serious face during that shoot—you clearly didn’t want to marry me.”
Su Qianqian blushed and laughed softly. “That wedding shoot was rushed, and I wasn’t happy with many details.”
“Let’s find time to do a proper shoot again?”
Lu Ye nodded and smiled. “Sure.”
Before they could enjoy their new home properly, Lu Ye suddenly received a call from Wu Qing.
“Agent Lu, Xia Xia is missing.”
Lu Ye’s heart tightened. “When?”
“It must have happened last night.”
“I haven’t been able to reach her, and just now, I went to her place and found it was broken into.”
Lu Ye thought grimly: trouble was brewing.
The Maya’s crystal skull had been kept with Mu Xia. Perhaps the secret had been accidentally leaked, attracting the attention of the Hongying Society.
“Xiao Wu, where are you?”
“At the Yiren Club.”
“Wait for me. I’ll be there soon.”
Su Qianqian guessed something was wrong and tossed the Koenigsegg’s keys to Lu Ye. “You go. I’ll take a taxi home.”
Lu Ye nodded, turned, ran out, and jumped from the balcony down to the courtyard below.
Su Qianqian leaned against the railing, watching the Koenigsegg roar down the mountain road, speeding across the bridge and merging into the bustling traffic on the opposite shore.
At the Yiren Club, Wu Qing had gathered the Y6 members, waiting for Lu Ye in the lobby.
When Lu Ye rushed in, Wu Qing handed him a phone. “Xia Xia’s house had surveillance cameras. We have footage of the entire incident.”
The video showed three stealthy figures climbing through the window into Mu Xia’s home. Soon after, a fight broke out. The three intruders were skilled fighters. Mu Xia struggled but was overwhelmed, knocked unconscious by a heavy punch.
Two of them dragged her out through the front door, while the third ransacked the house and took the crystal skull with them.
It was clear—they came specifically for the crystal skull!
Why did the Hongying Society, already locked in conflict with Y6, dispatch people to snatch the skull? The reason remained unknown for now.
Wu Qing asked, “Brother Lu, they took Xia Xia but haven’t contacted us with demands. What do you think their intention is?”
Lu Ye replied, “Xia Xia is just an operative in Y6. Do you think the Hongying Society is foolish enough to use her as a bargaining chip?”
That made sense.
Wu Qing was puzzled. “Then why take Xia Xia? If they wanted to silence her, they could have killed Mu Xia on the spot. Why risk exposure by abducting her?”
Mu Xia held no special value to Y6; using her life as leverage seemed unlikely.
Lu Ye speculated, “I think Xia Xia may have uncovered a secret hidden within the crystal skull. Though I don’t know exactly what, I’m sure it’s something that would drive even Ivanka mad.”
“Anything that benefits the Hongying Society is detrimental to us.”
“But our urgent priority is to find Xia Xia.”
Wu Qing nodded. “We’ve mobilized our intelligence network for a full search. We should have news soon.”
“Besides locating Xia Xia…” Lu Ye pondered a moment, then said, “I believe Ivanka is probably in Mingzhu City right now.”
Ivanka, the mysterious female leader of the Hongying Society. Since she was so obsessed with the crystal skull, Mu Xia’s attack might have been orchestrated by her or even directed nearby.
The recently calm Mingzhu City was about to be thrown into chaos again.
Wu Qing’s expression was grave. If Ivanka was indeed personally stationed in Mingzhu City, rescuing Mu Xia wouldn’t be simple. Fortunately, the Hongying Society’s domestic power had waned.
Suddenly, a skinny man came running down from upstairs to report, “Agent Lu, Ambassador Wu, we’ve locked onto Mu Xia’s location.”
Lu Ye and Wu Qing asked in unison, “Where?”
“At the yacht pier.”
Lu Ye was alarmed. “Not good!”
“I’ll go ahead; you two follow.”
The Apostle Walker was docked at the yacht pier. Mu Xia being taken there was no coincidence.
Lu Ye immediately drove the Koenigsegg toward the pier, notifying Chen Xi to assemble the whole Apostle Walker crew en route.
Upon arrival, he wasted no time and headed straight to the ship.
Sure enough, Mu Xia was aboard. She was tied to the mast, her head covered with a black cloth, and wearing a bomb vest.
No Hongying Society members were in sight nearby. Lu Ye parked swiftly and rushed onto the ship, climbing the mast to uncover her head.
Mu Xia was conscious; panic flickered in her eyes before she cried out sharply, “Agent Lu, get away! I’m rigged with bombs!”