Chapter 159: Turning on a Dime

Ian watched as William slowly walked out of the cargo hold, signaling to Shaw several times to stop William. However, Shaw acted as if he hadn't seen anything, standing still and shaking his head.

Seeing this, Ian calmed down. He couldn't be sure if what William said was true, but if it was, he didn't think he could survive a hit from the Continental Hotel.

Such was the power of wealth. William hadn't even paid Shaw yet, and Shaw had already turned against Ian.

After William left, Ian sighed and nodded at Shaw before turning to Ben Gates, "Ben, what should we do now?"

Ben Gates was full of frustration. After going through so much to find a clue, they were now stuck. He covered his head with his hands and remained silent for over ten minutes, finally shaking his head in defeat, "I don't know. This is one of the most important documents in history. I've thought of every possible way, but like that annoying guy said, we can't touch the Declaration."

Ian laughed and said, "Maybe we can find a way to borrow it."

"Borrow?" Ben interrupted Ian before he could finish. "You mean steal? Are you crazy, Ian? We'll be hunted worldwide, and we can't even steal it."

Ian smiled, "Ben, you might not know what we do. We're professionals at this. We've broken into the Louvre, so the National Archives should be a piece of cake. Nobody has targeted the Declaration because it wasn't valuable, but now it's different. We must get it."

Ben quickly shook his head, "No, I disagree. You're insane."

Ian laughed, "Think about it, Ben. This is the Templar treasure, the treasure of all treasures. Once we find it, we'll be set for ten lifetimes."

Ben slumped onto a gunpowder barrel, "I know, but I don't want to throw away the rest of my life for it."

Seeing Ben's panic, Ian didn't give up. He continued to persuade, "Think about it, Ben. Your family has been mocked and humiliated for hundreds of years searching for this. Now it's right in front of you. You should find this treasure and prove everyone wrong. All you need to do is help us uncover the secret once we borrow the Declaration. I promise you won't have to take any risks."

Ben was tempted but couldn't ignore William's easy withdrawal. He didn't think he could match William's power. He was just an ordinary man.

"No, Ian. The risk is too great. Think about William. Quitting is the right choice. If we get caught, none of us can escape. I'm out, Ian."

Ian pleaded, "Ben, please help me. I really need your expertise. Think about the money I've spent. If we don't find the treasure, I'll go bankrupt."

Ben felt bad for Ian's support over the years but still shook his head firmly, "No."

Ian, disappointed, saw Ben as the smart one. With a hardened heart, he said, "Alright." He signaled Shaw, who pulled out an M92 and pointed it at Ben.

They couldn't do anything to William, but Ben was different. Since he refused to join them, he and Riley had to be eliminated.

Just a second ago, they were friends. Now, facing a gun, Ben couldn't believe it. "Shaw, what are you doing? Killing me?"

Shaw nodded indifferently. Ben realized they were serious and quickly said, "You can't do this, Ian. Without me, you won't solve the clues. I have more information you don't know."

Ian shook his head, "You're bluffing, Ben. Even without you, I can find other experts."

Ben replied seriously, "No expert knows as much about this treasure as I do."

"Then tell me what you know, Ben, or I'll kill your friend."

Shaw's gun turned towards Riley, who shouted in panic, "Hey, Ian, we're on the same side! You hired me!"

"Shut up, Riley."

Ben, seeing the gun not pointed at him, pulled a flare from his pocket, igniting it. "Look at our feet. This place is full of gunpowder. If it ignites, the whole ship will blow. Shaw, if you shoot, we all die."

Seeing Ben's shaking hand, Ian smiled, "Ben, I know you. You won't do it. Tell me what you know, or I'll kill Riley."

Ian patted Shaw, who pointed the gun at Riley and cocked it. "I'll count to three. One, two..."

Ben, seeing Shaw wasn't bluffing, cursed Ian and Shaw. They were ruthless, willing to kill so easily. Realizing they wouldn't let him and Riley go, he decided to fight back. He threw the flare at Ian's feet, igniting the gunpowder.

Ian and Shaw, terrified, backed away. Ben and Riley took the opportunity to hide. Shaw fired a few shots but missed.

Seeing the cargo hold on fire, Ian dragged Shaw out, locking the hatch behind them. Despite their two-year friendship, Ian couldn't let the treasure slip away.

"Run!" Ian and Shaw yelled to Victor on the second level as they dashed out of the ship, shouting to their comrades by the snowmobiles, "Start the engines, we need to go!"

Inside the burning cargo hold, Ben pulled a lever under his feet and shouted to Riley, "Riley, over here!"

Riley ran over, seeing a secret passage. "What's this?"

"A smuggling tunnel. Move!"

They dashed into the tunnel, running for their lives. They burst out onto the snow, diving for cover as the ship exploded. Debris rained down on them, nearly deafening them.

After a few minutes, Ben pulled Riley up. They saw no one around. "Damn it. How do we get back to Barrow? Ian took the snowmobiles and the boat. We're stranded."

Riley, having just escaped death, panicked, "I've heard there are polar bears here. Oh God, what do we do, Ben? Are we going to die here?"

Ben looked around, confidence waning. With no food or equipment, they might not survive long on this icy island. Surviving the night seemed uncertain.

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