The moment his father collapsed, Captain Black immediately called for the paramedics in the car.
Fortunately, Captain Black had the foresight to anticipate that his father might not be able to handle it and had paramedics on standby nearby. Now, their presence proved useful.
After a good deal of pinching and prodding by two paramedics, the unconscious father gradually regained consciousness.
Captain Black stated, "Section 13 will cover all repair costs for the antique shop."
Supported by Xiao Yu, his father stood up and said, "This isn't the first time the antique shop has been destroyed. I can still manage."
As his father said.
When his father first came to America in his youth, he was obsessed with magic. He had quite a few explosions that blew holes in the ceiling while conducting magical experiments in the antique shop.
This time, it was simply because his father was elderly, and further, the effort to concoct the antidote for Chen Long had drained a significant amount of his energy, leading him to faint.
"Now is not the time to worry about the antique shop. We need to know what those people took from it."
It sounds easy, but finding it would not be so simple.
To prevent the protagonist group from finding the lost items, both Shendu and Hak Foo caused a great deal of chaos in the antique shop after taking what they wanted. Otherwise, do you think it would have taken such a tornado-like destruction to deal with the two agents?
Furthermore, the antique shop, originally not large, was crammed with his father's collections accumulated over many years. Cleaning it up quickly was no easy feat.
Soon, Captain Black gathered all the heavily armed agents surrounding the antique shop at the entrance.
"Now, I have a very urgent mission for you."
Upon hearing this, all the agents' interest was piqued.
But the next sentence from Captain Black caused the agents' fiery hearts to plummet to the depths.
"What we need to do now is clean up the antique shop. We need to find the missing items as quickly as possible."
As soon as Captain Black finished speaking, his father added, "And one more thing, don't throw away any broken antiques. Clean them separately and place them in a designated area."
"And one more thing, no one is allowed to enter my study."
"And one more thing, make me another cup of tea."
"And one more thing..."
His father's continuous requests made the agents' heads spin.
They were all seasoned agents, hardened by countless experiences, yet now they were being ordered around by an old man to clean his rundown shop.
No matter how much they complained or how unwilling they were, it was useless. Rank dictated authority, and the order had come from above.
Captain Black led the agents in cleaning the outer areas of the antique shop, while his father, along with Xiao Yu and Chen Long, cleaned the study.
After everyone's persistent efforts, the antique shop, both inside and out, was finally tidied up.
"My heavens, this shop doesn't look that big, but it was so troublesome to clean!"
A young agent, throwing down his broom, slumped onto a chair, physically and mentally exhausted.
While the other agents did not express themselves as dramatically as this one, they inwardly agreed with his sentiment.
As for Captain Black, looking at his exhausted subordinates, he mused that perhaps cleaning the antique shop for his father was a good form of physical training.
"Ah!"
As time went by, the cleaning of the study also neared completion.
A cry from his father echoed from the study.
"What is it?!"
Uncertain of what had happened, Captain Black rushed into the study.
Upon entering, he saw his father staring at the bookshelf with a look of utter horror.
"What was stolen was the Compendium of Magic!"
It was the first time Xiao Yu had seen her grandfather so panicked. "The Compendium of Magic? Does it contain many powerful spells?"
His father replied, "Not only that, but the Compendium of Magic was written by a powerful demon. It contains a vast amount of dark magic and forbidden arts. It is an extremely significant book."
Hearing her grandfather say this, Xiao Yu worriedly remarked, "If the Compendium of Magic falls into the wrong hands..."
"The consequences would be dire," Captain Black stated. "I'll immediately mobilize the agents..."
Before Captain Black could finish, his father raised a hand to stop him. "There's no need."
"They clearly knew when we were away, and their target was obvious. They were definitely after the Compendium of Magic, so it's highly likely it was the Dark Hand."
Upon hearing that it was the Dark Hand, Captain Black's brow furrowed even tighter.
Section 13 had been monitoring the Dark Hand for so long, and they thought they had a firm grasp of the organization's movements. They never imagined that things were far more complicated than they had anticipated.
Captain Black pulled Chen Long out of the study and said, "Chen Long, I think your family might be safer if you moved into Section 13 for a while."
"Move? But Grandpa..."
Captain Black patted Chen Long on the shoulder. "I know you and your grandfather are sentimental about the antique shop, but the situation is special now. You can't guard the shop twenty-four hours a day. What if the Dark Hand strikes again when you're not here?"
Captain Black's words struck a chord with Chen Long.
It didn't matter if the antique shop was destroyed, or if the antiques were broken. Money could be earned again, and houses could be rebuilt. But if people were lost, then truly, nothing would remain.
What happened today made Chen Long realize he wasn't omnipotent. Perhaps the Dark Hand couldn't do anything to him, but what about his family? His grandfather was old, and Xiao Yu was still young. If the Dark Hand targeted his family in his absence to threaten him, what could he do? Perhaps letting his grandfather and Xiao Yu stay at Section 13 temporarily was a good idea. No matter how audacious the Dark Hand was, they wouldn't dare openly storm Section 13 to capture people. They could return after the situation calmed down.
This was actually Chen Long being overly cautious. Even if Bai Qi were given a hundred chances, he wouldn't dare kidnap either his grandfather or Xiao Yu. Chen Long was their support in fair weather, their grandfather in adversity, and Xiao Yu their salvation in desperate times. This saying was not without reason.
In the original story, it wasn't Chen Long who defeated Shendu multiple times. Chen Long could only cause Shendu minor disturbances. It was Xiao Yu and his grandfather who truly sealed Shendu.
When Shendu was first resurrected, it was Xiao Yu and Chen Long, empowered by his grandfather's potions, who cooperated to defeat Shendu. When Shendu was deceived by the Dragon of theAnimals and revived again, it was his grandfather, imitating the ancient sorcerer Lo Pei, who sealed Shendu into a statue once more. Finally, when Shendu altered the Book of Ages to establish his terrestrial dynasty, it was Xiao Yu who took the lead, and it was his grandfather who sealed the demons.
Therefore, compared to Chen Long, Bai Qi feared his grandfather and Xiao Yu more.
Chen Long nodded, agreeing to Captain Black's suggestion.
"Alright, I'll find time to talk to Grandpa and Xiao Yu."
Meanwhile, in the Dark Hand headquarters.
Upon learning that the plan had failed, Valmont was furious and rushed to Bai Qi to demand an explanation.
"Shendu, why didn't you let the Shadowkhan assist Tarak and the others? If the Shadowkhan were present, the talismans would definitely have been recovered."
Flipping through the Compendium of Magic on the table, Bai Qi was in an exceptionally good mood.
The Compendium of Magic, the culmination of centuries of wisdom from the demon-wielding Black Wizards, contained countless wondrous spells and incantations. Now, they were all his.
Facing Valmont's questioning, he calmly replied, "If I hadn't held back the Shadowkhan, your subordinates would likely all be in prison at Section 13 by now. Moreover, finding the talismans was originally your mission. Don't forget, I said I would trade the treasures of the Golden Rooster King for the Twelve Talismans. But now, your people have repeatedly failed. Why should I use you then? Why not find the talismans myself?"