sbdcsierra Chapter 445 Unstoppable Momentum!
Chapter 445 Unstoppable Momentum!
Although the anti-smuggling department was dissatisfied with the police's overreach of authority, since the seized cultural relics had already been delivered, they decided not to pursue the matter further, and according to procedure, they were required to conduct identification and registration.
Unfortunately, things went wrong here. When the experts they brought in opened the box, they only glanced at it before reaching a conclusion that was both laughable and absurd.
This box full of so-called "Shang and Zhou bronzes" and "Tang and Song dynasty porcelain" are all crudely made modern imitations. The craftsmanship is poor, and the aging techniques are clumsy. They don't even qualify as high-quality imitations; they wouldn't even sell for a few dozen yuan a piece at a street stall.
This result infuriated the head of the anti-smuggling department.
They immediately realized that this was not a simple case of being misled or deceived, but a blatant act of deception and insult. Wang Tian had impersonated a customs officer, laid an ambush in the dead of night, and made a huge fuss, all just to snatch back a pile of garbage.
What a liar!
They're treating them like fools!
You, Wang Tian, have humiliated them time and time again, showing them absolutely no respect. So don't blame them for being ruthless in return.
More severe questioning and pressure followed, pointing directly at Wang Tian: "You must have switched the real cultural relics with the real ones after the seizure, and used this box of junk to fool your superiors and the anti-smuggling department."
The genuine item must be handed over immediately, or we will pursue the matter to the fullest extent of the law on charges of theft, embezzlement of public property, and dereliction of duty!
When Wang Tian received the call, he was furious. He nearly smashed the phone in his office, yelling into the receiver and swearing that the entire shipment was counterfeit. He claimed they had been scammed by those mainland swindlers.
But the anti-smuggling officers scoffed, completely disbelieving.
"Officer Wang, do you think we're three-year-olds? You've gone to such lengths, only for a few handicrafts? Do you even believe that yourself? Even if those tomb raiders wanted to use fakes to swindle people, they would at least make them somewhat realistic. These days, anyone who's not stupid can tell there's something wrong with these things. Do you think these tomb raiders are that stupid? Just hand over the real ones, and everyone will be better off!"
Before the fires of internal investigation and external pressure could be extinguished, the Hong Kong media, with their keen sense of smell, quickly followed up like sharks that had caught a whiff of blood, and began to frantically hype the story and fan the flames.
The next day's newspaper headlines were even more sensational and went straight to the heart of the matter:
[A shocking scandal: Detective Wang Tian accused of embezzling cultural relics worth millions!]
[Is a mastermind emerging? Mysteries shroud the treasure room at Senior Superintendent Robertson's villa!]
The report no longer focuses on overstepping authority and blunders, but directly accuses Wang Tian of abusing his position to collude with and be instructed by his superiors to meticulously plan this "double-cross" operation, with the aim of appropriating smuggled cultural relics that should have been confiscated.
It's just that the operation may have been leaked, or there may have been internal conflicts due to unequal distribution of spoils, so they had no choice but to use counterfeit goods to get by and try to deceive everyone.
Furthermore, a so-called insider revealed to the media that Superintendent Robertson's mansion in Repulse Bay has a private collection room that is not open to the public. The room displays a large number of Chinese antiques and artifacts of unknown origin and astonishing value, initially estimated to be worth over one million to ten million Hong Kong dollars.
These treasures were likely obtained through illegal means, such as the "Yuen Long Operation," which was carried out in this case.
The report concluded with a highly inflammatory suggestion and challenge.
[If Superintendent Robertson wants to prove his innocence, why doesn't he open his door and let the public and experts see the treasure room for themselves? The truth will be clear!]
The matter escalated, attracting significant public attention, and the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) of Hong Kong Island also intervened. Wang Tian and Robertson were both in a state of panic, especially Robertson, who was terrified. The collection room in their Repulse Bay villa had become a hot potato, a ticking time bomb, and absolutely could not be discovered by the ICAC. He wanted to move it, but before he could even figure out how...
The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) acted faster and more decisively than he had imagined; a search warrant had been delivered, and a raid was conducted on his villa in Repulse Bay.
When the door to that temperature- and humidity-controlled, heavily guarded private collection room was forcibly opened, the scene inside shocked everyone present.
Under the lights, a dazzling array of cultural relics and antiques are displayed on the curio shelves, in glass cabinets, and even in specially made safes in the corner.
The variety of bronze artifacts, the warm-glazed porcelain scrolls, the yellowed ancient calligraphy and paintings, the crystal-clear jade ornaments... the sheer variety and quantity are comparable to a special exhibition in a small museum!
The accompanying cultural relics experts immediately stepped forward to conduct a preliminary investigation and registration. However, as the inspection progressed, something even more astonishing and shocking happened.
"This piece... has an overly intense glaze, and the signs of artificial aging are obvious."
“This bronze artifact… the rust is only on the surface, it’s chemically induced rust, and the sound when you tap it is wrong.”
"This painting... lacks sufficient ink gradation, and the ink used for the inscription and seals is modern..."
"The jade's material... is synthetic glass..."
After careful examination, they reached a startling conclusion.
Over 90% of the precious artifacts in this room were actually modern imitations and high-quality replicas of varying quality, with many even being crudely made fakes.
Its overall actual market value may not even cover the cost of decorating and maintaining this collection room!
Robertson was dumbfounded. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He should cry because he now realized that the treasures he had cherished for over a decade, valued as his own life, and acquired through countless efforts and illegal means, had been secretly and without anyone noticing.
More than a decade of greed, scheming, and hard work vanished in an instant, leaving him with nothing!
Who did this? He was terrified. How could they have switched all these artifacts right under his nose? After much thought, he finally pinned the blame on the family's Filipino maid. Only she had enough time to switch everything. But now, that maid was long gone, nowhere to be found.
What he should laugh about is that, in this way, the Independent Commission Against Corruption's charges against him—illegally appropriating a huge amount of cultural relics by abusing his power—seem to have lost its most crucial piece of evidence.
I spend my own money to buy fake antiques and high-quality replicas to study and appreciate at home. It's purely a personal hobby. Is that illegal?
It's like paying money to avoid disaster, but the price was too high. Robertson escaped unscathed, but the suspicions of the public and the public did not dissipate. Newspapers were filled with all sorts of speculations, like, "Maybe Robertson moved the real artifacts again, making a clean getaway..."
There are all sorts of rumors, and it's fair to say that now it's impossible to clear one's name even if one jumps into the Yellow River.
In an effort to quell public anger and provide an explanation, the police leadership ultimately decided to transfer Robertson from his current position and recommend that he return to his native England to serve, effectively exiling him.
Wang Tian, who was actually carrying out the plan, wasn't so lucky. Besides lacking the protection of a foreigner, and having a questionable background himself,
In this incident, he was also conclusively suspected of multiple crimes, including impersonating a public official and abusing his power. He was eventually dismissed from the police force and imprisoned, becoming the most direct victim of this farce.
As for Li Dequan, the middleman who ran errands and knew some of the inside information, Zhong Yuemin didn't even need to personally intervene.
Zhu Long only gave the Xiang family of Kowloon Walled City a slight hint about the trouble this scoundrel might cause. Dealing with a scoundrel was as easy for the Xiang family as chasing away a bug. Naturally, there were rules of the underworld to keep him completely silent and make him disappear without a trace.
At this point, all those who knew the true identities of Zhong Yuemin and his gang of mainland tomb raiders and the purpose of their trip were either imprisoned, fled to other places, or vanished without a trace, as if they had never been to Hong Kong Island!