Courtyard House: I Rely on Time-Space Trade to Build a Nation

gone

Zhao Ping'an let out a long, silent sigh of relief; his back was soaked with cold sweat.

The danger perception warning slowly faded. That was close! If it weren't for this skill, he might still be throwing gold bars into the cave entrance, and once the guards heard the noise…

There was no time to waste. Zhao Ping'an immediately resumed his operation, moving even faster than before.

Fifteen minutes later, when the last few scattered gold bricks were also stored in the system space, the last lead block was successfully replaced.

System prompt:

[Historical Event Mission "The Shanghai Gold Heist (Phase One)" Completed]

[2,770,000 taels of gold were seized.]

[Reward Distribution: System storage space increased to 1000 cubic meters. Key technology drawings and process packages (10 tons).]

[Bonus: Physical attributes tripled]

As the mission notification appeared, Zhao Ping'an instantly felt a warm current flow from his spine, quickly circulating throughout his body, feeling as refreshing as taking a hot bath in the dead of winter.

But as the sensation faded, Zhao Ping'an quickly came to his senses and realized he was still in the vault.

Quickly glance around to make sure nothing is missed, and try to avoid looking at the side safes that might contain ledgers, receipts, or other valuables.

Zhao Ping'an's only goal is gold.

Then Zhao Ping'an quickly used the system to pour 90 taels of gold down from the cave entrance, and a crisp sound of gold bricks colliding rang out from the bottom of the cave.

Without hesitation, Zhao Ping'an crawled down into the tunnel. Wang Dashan and Liu Dazhu immediately put the "door" they had just moved back in and propped it up with a pillar.

Zhao Pingan quickly took out quick-drying cement to seal the edges.

"Move things, get out of here!" Zhao Ping'an shouted in a low voice.

The group quickly picked up the gold bricks and gold nuggets that had fallen outside the cargo truck that had been prepared at the bottom of the cave and put them back in.

Zhao Ping'an then used the system's scan to confirm that no gold had been missed.

Then, the electric cable was started remotely, pulling the trolley and slowly using the power of the winch cable to pull the 100 million taels of gold along the passage.

Wang Dashan and Dazhu, along with two engineers, left first in the car.

Zhao Ping'an walked at the back and successfully used industrial foam filler to fill and seal the tunnel behind him.

"Why aren't you going up?" When they reached the end of the tunnel, which led to the warehouse's basement, Zhao Ping'an saw Wang Dashan and the other three waiting below, but they didn't go up.

"Um, Brigade Commander, we think you could use your magic to collect it? There's so much gold, we're a little scared." Liu Dazhu's words instantly sent a chill down Zhao Ping'an's spine, and he almost instinctively pulled out his gun from his system space. His secret had been discovered?

"Dazhu, what are you saying?"

"Brigade Commander, we've been following you all this way, and we'd like to take this opportunity to say something from the bottom of our hearts." Liu Dazhu and the others raised their hands in unison, showing them to Zhao Ping'an.

"Commander, we brothers have suspected before that you possess magical abilities."

After all, you always look for caves, and you only go in for a short while before asking us to go in and get our things.

At first, the brothers really thought it was a gift from someone, but later you kept using that cave...

Some of the brothers were curious. We didn't go into the cave, but we strengthened our vigilance in the vicinity. As a result, we never saw anyone pass by. Everyone guessed that you had some kind of magic.

The four of us just tried it, and there are tens of thousands of kilograms of gold here. You, the brigade commander, carried it out by yourself in just over an hour.

Commander, we brothers don't mean anything by it. First of all, money is a powerful motivator. If you put all the gold away, it will put our minds at ease. After all, you have magical powers, and we know we can't fool you.

Otherwise, these guys would always be itching to steal a couple of yuan and live a life of ease.

Secondly, the brothers don't really trust those people upstairs. You originally planned to have them transport it away.

"Commander, just as they don't trust us, we don't trust them either. So, why don't you use your magic to take them away? We'll feel at ease then."

"Alright then." Having said that, Zhao Ping'an simply relaxed and waved his hand, instantly storing the gold into his system space.

With another wave of his hand, another batch of "lead-zinc gold bricks" were exchanged and neatly stacked on the cart.

"This is truly divine magic!"

"Commander, you're truly a savior!"

"Slap, slap!" Wang Dashan raised his hand and slapped the two sappers on the back of the head twice. "You've seen it all now, haven't you? Go back and keep your mouths shut. If I hear any rumors, I'll kill you both!"

"Yes, yes, Battalion Commander Wang, you don't need to tell me. Our brigade commander is a god, how could I dare to reveal a god's secret?" The two agreed repeatedly, which made Zhao Ping'an feel much more relaxed.

"Alright, Dashan, get these counterfeit gold bars upstairs first. We'll talk about the rest after we leave Shanghai," Zhao Ping'an said.

"Brigadier, are they counterfeit?" Liu Dazhu's gaze fell upon the neatly arranged gold nuggets and bars.

"You'll know once you show them a piece of paper."

"Yes, brigade commander." Liu Dazhu was indeed a man of action. He immediately took out a small gold bar, cut it off with an entrenching tool, and exposed the lead core inside.

"Lead?" Wang Dashan recognized its value.

"Alright, are you relieved now? Get back to work," Zhao Ping'an urged.

"Haha, alright, Brigade Commander, now we're all following the immortal!" With Liu Dazhu's joke, the men immediately got to work.

When they finally retreated to the warehouse basement and locked the secret door leading to the tunnel from the inside, the commotion on the ground seemed to reach its peak, yet it also showed signs of beginning to subside.

Through the earpiece, the police's phone was filled with weary reports and orders to withdraw.

"The marchers started to disperse..."

"Control the situation, disperse the crowd, and prevent conflict..."

"The bank reports everything is normal..."

Everything is normal? A cold smile curled at the corner of Zhao Ping'an's lips.

Inside the warehouse, Lao Jin had already prepared hot water and clean clothes.

The group quickly washed themselves, changed into clothes commonly seen by ordinary citizens, and tidied up their work clothes and equipment.

"Evacuate in shifts according to the plan." Zhao Ping'an looked at his comrades who had worked together with him over the past few days.

"Old Jin will arrange the route. Remember, we're just fellow northerners coming to Shanghai to find work; we don't know each other very well. After leaving the city, we'll meet at the first transit point."

Without many words, a deep nod and a glance conveyed everything.

Two engineers, carrying different luggage, followed different couriers arranged by Lao Jin, and quietly merged into the crowds in Shanghai that were gradually recovering at dusk, yet still carrying the aftershocks of restlessness, through different side doors of the warehouse.

Wang Dashan and Liu Dazhu continued to serve as Zhao Ping'an's guards.

Zhao Pingan and Xu Yuanshan were among the last to leave.

The four men disguised themselves as merchants from outside the Great Wall who came to Shanghai to purchase medicinal herbs, along with two assistants. Wang Dashan and his companion carried large bags of herbs. The four of them took a rickshaw to the train station and boarded a train heading north.