Chapter 157

Chapter 157

After a dozen hours of flying, the plane landed on the private tarmac at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport.

The cabin door opened, and a wave of hot, humid air hit them in the face.

Bangkok. They'd arrived.

Jack and Lucy changed into casual clothes they'd prepared earlier, matching the local style.

Jack wore a loose floral shirt and cargo pants, looking just like a Western tourist here on vacation.

Lucy wore a simple white dress with large sunglasses hiding her too-striking face.

The two walked down the stairs. A black Toyota Alphard was already waiting by the tarmac.

A Thai man in a black suit—dark-skinned and lean—hurried over and bowed respectfully to them.

"Mr. Caldwell, Ms. Lucy, I'm 'Gecko.' Mr. Alex sent me to pick you up."

His English carried a heavy Thai accent.

"Hello." Jack nodded, casually sizing him up.

Though Gecko wore a suit, Jack could tell from his walk and those constantly alert eyes that he was definitely not just an ordinary driver.

"Has Alex arranged everything?" Jack asked.

"Yes, sir." Gecko opened the car door and gestured. "The safe house, weapons, and your legal identities in Bangkok are all ready. Please get in. We can talk on the way."

Jack and Lucy got in the car.

The vehicle soon left the airport and merged into Bangkok's congested yet vibrant traffic.

Motorcycles weaved crazily through the traffic, colorful tuk-tuks made deafening noise, roadside vendors shouted their wares, and the air mixed the smell of food with sewer stench.

This was a city full of contradictions and chaos.

Heaven and hell—here, they were only a hair's breadth apart.

"Where's the key fragment now?" Jack asked, watching the street scenes blur past the window.

"In the hands of an antique dealer named Sipho." Gecko answered while driving. "This Sipho is one of Bangkok's biggest black market dealers. From weapons to drugs, from human organs to ancient artifacts—if you pay enough, he sells anything."

"According to our intel, three days from now, Sipho will host a private auction on a luxury cruise ship on the Chao Phraya River. And that fragment of 'the Morningstar Key' will be the finale item at the auction."

"An auction?" Lucy frowned. "So we need to get invitations to the auction somehow?"

"Yes, miss." Gecko said. "Sipho's auctions are only open to his regular clients or guests recommended by people with enough weight. I've already gotten you two invitations through some channels. Your identities are a wealthy couple from Singapore."

"The Ouroboros people will definitely attend this auction too," Jack said.

"Exactly." Gecko's expression grew more serious. "Our people discovered that the 'Ghost Snake' squad entered Bangkok in groups last night. Their commander, Shadow, is a very difficult character. We'd better not have any direct confrontations with them before the auction starts."

"Besides Ouroboros, what other forces should we watch out for?" Jack asked.

"Two main ones," Gecko replied. "One is the local biggest gang, the Red Scorpion Gang. Their boss, Prasong, has shown strong interest in this key fragment too. The Red Scorpion Gang has deep roots in Bangkok, lots of people, and they act very arrogantly."

"The other is a drug lord from the Golden Triangle called the General. This General is a rising power from recent years, with a well-equipped private army—his strength can't be underestimated. Supposedly, he wants the key fragment to research some new addictive drug."

Jack listened, his fingers unconsciously tapping lightly on his knee.

Gangs, drug lords, and the mysterious Ouroboros.

Looked like this auction was destined to be a den of tigers and dragons.

"Where's our safe house?" Jack asked.

"In an old apartment building in Chinatown," Gecko said. "It's crowded and mixed with all kinds of people—the most dangerous place, but also... the safest place. Even the Red Scorpion Gang doesn't dare cause trouble there easily."

The car drove through the congested streets for nearly an hour before finally stopping below an unremarkable, somewhat rundown apartment building.

Gecko led them through a hidden back entrance into the apartment.

Inside, the apartment was completely different from its shabby exterior.

From the elevator to the hallways, everything was equipped with the most advanced surveillance and security systems.

Gecko brought them to a room on the top floor.

The room was spacious with simple decor, but fully equipped with all living facilities.

A huge display screen hung on the living room wall, showing real-time surveillance footage of Bangkok's downtown area.

In one corner of the room sat a large metal cabinet.

Gecko walked over and opened the cabinet door with his fingerprint and iris scan.

Inside the cabinet, various guns and ammunition were neatly arranged—from handguns and submachine guns to sniper rifles, even several grenades and plastic explosives.

"Sir, miss, this will be your home for the next few days," Gecko said. "All weapons are available for you to use as needed."

"My team will be here around the clock to provide support. If you need anything, you can contact me anytime through the internal communicator in the room."

"Good." Jack nodded. He was very satisfied with Alex's arrangements.

"Then I won't disturb you two." Gecko bowed again, then turned and silently withdrew.

Only Jack and Lucy remained in the room.

Lucy walked to the large floor-to-ceiling window, looking at the brilliantly lit yet undercurrent-filled city outside, and took a deep breath.

"Jack, can we really... snatch that key fragment from so many forces?"

Her voice carried a hint of uncertainty.

Jack walked to her side and followed her gaze out the window.

"We're not here to snatch it," he said calmly.

"Then what are we here for?" Lucy was confused.

Jack turned his head to look at her, the corner of his mouth curving into a cold arc.

"We're here to fish."

"Draw out all the fish interested in the key. Then see which fish's mouth is hiding the answers we want."

Just then, the tactical terminal on Jack's wrist suddenly vibrated.

It was a message from Alex.

He opened it. A photo appeared on the screen.

In the photo was a man in a gray trench coat and baseball cap, half his face hidden in shadow.

He was standing at a roadside stall, buying mango sticky rice.

Below the photo was a line of text.

"Target 'Shadow' confirmed in Bangkok. His current location is right downstairs from your apartment, at that most popular mango rice stall."

"Welcome to Bangkok, guys. Looks like your neighbor isn't too friendly."