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Chapter 177 Cleaning Up the Mess

Sedes jumped up excitedly. "That's right! If we find a suspicious vehicle or resident, we might find fingerprints or something. Let's go, quickly!"

Meanwhile, in the hotel bathroom, William decided to set the teleportation point in the bathroom of the National Archives, a place he had scanned earlier that evening and knew had no surveillance.

Given the low likelihood of the bathroom being used late at night, this risk was worth taking.

Opening the portal, William entered the bathroom. Just as he predicted, there were no guards. Carefully avoiding the surveillance cameras, he stealthily climbed over the wall of the annex building and slowly crawled along the green belt.

He cautiously made his way to the parking lot, circling around its perimeter. To his relief, the Secret Service had not yet arrived. Using his key, he opened the van door. Just as he was about to start the van, he noticed several cars speeding towards the parking lot.

These Secret Service agents had an uncanny ability to track him down. What should he do? Starting the van would immediately alert them.

As the police cars drew nearer, William grew anxious. What to do? His storage space couldn't hold all the surveillance equipment. Should he just burn it? He quickly dismissed the idea.

The main goal was to avoid raising the Secret Service's suspicions. If they found nothing today, he'd have time to deal with the van later.

What to do? William pondered urgently. Suddenly, he noticed a storm drain a meter away. Ha, divine intervention! William opened the passenger side door, used his Mage Hand spell to lift the drain cover, and began tossing the surveillance equipment into the sewer.

The Secret Service agents were still in their cars, with sirens blaring, so he wasn't worried about the noise being heard. Without worrying about damaging the equipment, he violently threw it into the sewer, finishing just before the agents exited their vehicles.

After wiping down the van interior with his gloved hands, he watched as the Secret Service cars screeched to a halt and over a dozen agents got out. William quietly closed the van door and slipped into the sewer, softly covering the drain again with his Mage Hand.

This was a well-maintained tourist area in Washington, and the storm drain was nearly two and a half meters deep. Steadying himself, William listened carefully to the approaching agents, using his mental powers to sense their movements. He cautiously retrieved the scattered equipment, stashing it deeper into the sewer on his third trip.

He hid in the shadows, casting a listening spell near the drain cover. Within minutes, he heard footsteps.

"David, there's a van here. Let's check it out. Have HQ run the plates."

"OK. HQ, this is Agent David. Copy?"

"Copy. Go ahead."

"Check plates PC2348, red GM van. Over."

"Roger." A minute later, the response came. "Plates are clear. Vehicle is clean. Over."

"Alright, let's take a look with the flashlights." The agents thoroughly inspected the van, finding nothing suspicious inside or out.

"Let's move on and check the other cars," one of them said. After a few more minutes, their voices faded away, and William's tension finally eased. Just a few more minutes, and he would have been in real trouble if they had found the van.

After waiting for half an hour until the agents left, William felt secure enough to open a portal in the sewer. He transported all the surveillance equipment to his secret underground chamber in his Oxford castle.

With the evidence cleared, he now needed to eliminate any suspicion on himself. William took out the card given to him by a cleaner in Paris, opened another portal, and returned to the bathroom in the National Archives.

Dodging the cameras, he sneaked out and into an office, using the desk phone to dial the number on the card. Within seconds, the call connected.

William disguised his voice. "Delivery service. Two gold coins to handle a red van outside the National Archives, plates PC2348. Drive it east towards the coast. The gold and keys are in the driver's side wheel well. Thanks."

"Understood, sir. Red van, plates PC2348. Do you need a distraction?"

William considered John Wick's physique. "I'm not sure if they'll be followed, but it's a possibility. The person should be about 1.85 meters tall with a normal build."

"Sir, because it's a vehicle in DC and includes additional tasks, the cost is double. Is that acceptable?"

"OK, no problem. Double it."

"Understood. Order received."

After hanging up, William checked his watch. It was already 2 a.m. If his plan succeeded, his suspicion would be immediately cleared, and the Secret Service would no longer focus on him.

With his name cleared, he'd have plenty of time and opportunity to hunt for the treasure. Just thinking about the treasure's value—hundreds of billions in gold, coins, antiques, and jewels—made William excited.

Feeling pleased, William moved into a closed room. He knew the portal emitted a golden glow, so he was always cautious. After scanning with his mental power to ensure there were no cameras, he opened the portal.

He needed to place the gold coins in the tire well. Opening the portal to the sewer, he used Mage Hand to place the four gold coins and the car keys in the tire well.

Not twenty minutes later, he heard footsteps. Peeking from the drain, he saw a man in black with a hat carrying two plastic buckets. The man quietly retrieved the keys and gold from the tire well and drove off.

As expected, a sedan quietly followed. William knew it was the Secret Service. But now, the van was no longer his problem. Even if the cleaner got caught, such professionals had ways to explain themselves.

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