Outside the Imperial Museum at night.
"Yes, Master, he's in."
Cliven, who had been lying in ambush on the opposite building, watched through his binoculars as Chen Long punched a hole through the museum roof and infiltrated the building.
"Wait, there's another one."
Not long after Chen Long entered, another person in a stealth suit appeared on the museum roof and, using the same method, disabled the infrared sensors before slipping inside.
"Master, someone's come to interfere. Should I rush in now and retrieve the Talisman?"
"No, just wait outside."
Inside the museum, Chen Long brushed past a humanoid statue near the one who entered after him, the little snake, and proceeded to a corridor filled with infrared beams.
"Wow, that's a lot."
Chen Long tiptoed, carefully navigating through the gaps in the infrared beams. Despite his seemingly clumsy movements, he managed to pass through with precision.
One wall away, the little snake encountered a similarly infrared-filled corridor. However, unlike Chen Long, the little snake was agile, executing several flips and a flawless landing to cross the corridor.
As Chen Long was cautiously advancing, a delicate voice rang out, "You're here."
The delicate voice, combined with the dim surroundings, nearly scared Chen Long's heart out of his chest, making him think he had encountered a ghost.
Turning around, he saw it wasn't a ghost at all, but his disobedient niece, Jade.
"I'm never letting you go out again."
Jade paid no attention to Chen Long's words. Looking around excitedly, she exclaimed, "They're already here, how cool!"
Chen Long immediately corrected Jade's misconception, "This isn't 'cool'; I'm committing a crime."
It's likely that Chen Long was the only one in the world who could honestly say he was committing a crime.
"That's true."
Seeing Jade's innocent expression, Chen Long couldn't be bothered to argue further. He handed her a black bag, "Never mind, time is short. Since you're here, help me out."
Compared to the little snake's use of high-tech gadgets to steal jewels, Chen Long's methods appeared rather mystical.
The little snake placed an electronic device on the electronic lock, which quickly opened. Chen Long, on the other hand, pressed his ear against the cabinet and tapped it a few times with his hand; the electronic lock opened just the same.
Elsewhere, the little snake covered a diamond with a metal case identical in weight and appearance to the diamond itself, then used a grappling hook to retrieve it. Chen Long, however, held a model of the Statue of Liberty, which clearly weighed more than the Snake Talisman. With sheer speed, he swapped the model for the talisman the moment he took it.
This was a display of skill, a true demonstration of how, if one's hand speed is fast enough, they won't be detected. Even Jade, standing beside him, was mesmerized.
Then, just as in the original story, a technologically adept thief and a magically inclined thief met in the corridor. After merely exchanging glances for a few seconds, they began to fight. What was this, a confirmation of identity through shared glances?
During the fight, the bags holding their stolen goods were knocked away, and when they picked them up again, they had been swapped.
Then, due to a nonsensical remark from Chen Long, the little snake directly removed her mask and revealed her identity. Was this something a master thief would do?
Wasn't she afraid of being caught by the museum's surveillance cameras?
Oh, right. I forgot.
The museums in America only had infrared sensors, no security cameras.
Amidst their bickering, Chen Long's unlucky constitution kicked in, and he shattered a seemingly significant vase, triggering the museum's alarm system.
"I see them, Master. I'll go chase Chen Long and retrieve the Talisman."
Cliven saw the museum doors explode open, and two figures rushed out of the smoke, then ran in different directions. Chen Long was easy to identify, as he wasn't wearing a mask and was accompanied by Jade.
Just as Cliven was about to intervene, Bai Qi stopped him, "Your target isn't Chen Long, it's the other one. Chen Long's bag contains diamonds, and hers contains the Talisman."
Cliven was somewhat confused. Why would Chen Long, a legitimate archaeologist, steal diamonds? Was he joining the dark side?
Despite his confusion, and though Cliven very much wanted to confront Chen Long, since the Talisman wasn't on him, he decided to let him go for now.
In the darkness, Cliven's agile form moved rapidly across the rooftops like a leopard, quickly overtaking the little snake.
Seeing Cliven appear before her, the little snake raised an eyebrow. "Wow, I've met a colleague."
"Miss, you've taken something you shouldn't have. Now, give it to me."
The little snake shook the bag in her hand and tied it to her waist. "Taking a lady's accessories is very ungentlemanly."
Before Cliven could say more, Bai Qi, who couldn't listen any longer, urged Cliven through the intercom to act quickly.
Honestly, for a villain, he was too talkative. Didn't he know villains die from talking too much?
"It seems your boss can't wait any longer."
"Yes, Miss."
With that, Cliven threw two throwing knives, then exerted force with his legs, launching himself forward in pursuit of the knives.
Having navigated the martial world for many years, the little snake was no ordinary person. She easily dodged the throwing knives. Facing a punch from Cliven, the little snake knew she couldn't dodge it. She grabbed Cliven's fist with both hands, using his momentum to throw him about two meters away.
The little snake struck a fighting stance and beckoned to Cliven provocatively.
"Interesting."
Witnessing the little snake's strength, Cliven put away his playful demeanor and began to fight her seriously.
They exchanged blows on the rooftop, the fight in a stalemate.
*Clang!*
Another throwing knife whizzed past the little snake, its blade slicing open her bag.
Seeing the item fall from her bag, the little snake instinctively reached out to grab it.
The moment she grasped the Snake Talisman, the little snake vanished.
"What happened? It's not the Pink Lion?"
Reappearing, the little snake was now behind Cliven. Looking at the Snake Talisman in her hand, she was very surprised. However, the little snake, quickly recovering, smirked. Though it wasn't a diamond, this little thing seemed even more interesting.
Cliven turned to attack, and the little snake went invisible again.
Her first encounter with magic had made the little snake playful. Using her invisibility, she constantly teased Cliven.
When the little snake unleashed a flying kick directly at Cliven, Cliven, who had been on the defensive, suddenly shifted his body, dodging the kick. He then landed a heavy punch, knocking the little snake to the ground. The Snake Talisman fell to the floor.
"Fortunately, Master had the foresight to have me wear this in advance."
Picking up the Snake Talisman from the ground, Cliven revealed the talisman tracker from the original story in his other hand, the Dragon's Eye.
Although the Dragon's Eye couldn't allow the user to see invisible targets, it could sense the direction of the talisman, making the little snake, who was wearing the Snake Talisman, nowhere to hide.
Originally, Cliven, having obtained the Snake Talisman, intended to deal with the little snake, but he was stopped by Bai Qi.
It wasn't that Bai Qi had any other intentions; he was just afraid of unforeseen circumstances.
From this story, the little snake belonged to the righteous faction. If righteous intervention occurred, the Snake Talisman might be snatched back by the little snake. For safety's sake, Bai Qi instructed Cliven to retreat immediately after obtaining the Snake Talisman.