"Oh? Miss Gongdai has already studied this painting?"
"Yes, Miss Miyadai really likes sunflowers, right? Miss Miyadai."
Suzuki Sonoko stopped Miyadai Natsumi who was walking on one side and asked with a smile.
Miyadai Natsumi seemed to be thinking about something just now. She was stunned for a moment and then asked: "What's wrong?"
Sonoko repeated her question again, and Natsumi Miyano nodded immediately.
"Yes, I personally admire Van Gogh's paintings very much, especially "Sunflowers". They bloom quietly in the vase and always give people a warm feeling."
"But in the past, I could only fly around various countries to appreciate the charm of "Sunflowers". This time I can finally see all seven "Sunflowers" at once."
"I see……"
Qin Zhibo looked at Natsumi Miyadai, and his eyes gradually fell on the laptop held under her right arm.
If you look carefully, you can see that there are five stickers on the A side of her laptop in a circular shape.
These five stickers correspond to Van Gogh's 1, 3, 4, 6, and 7 "Sunflowers" respectively, except that 2 and 5 are missing.
Why are the two paintings that Pickman bought missing?
Regarding this discovery, Qin Zhibo did not say anything, but tried to explore it in a chatting tone.
"I would like to ask Miss Gongdai, what do you think of Van Gogh's second and fifth paintings, "Sunflowers"?"
Faced with Qin Zhibo's sudden and strange question, both Yuanzi and Miyadai Natsumi were startled.
Natsumi Miyadai asked in confusion: "Opinion? What kind of opinion do you mean?"
Qin Zhibo: "For example, have you found anything special in the paintings, like things that don't belong to Van Gogh..."
Qin Zhibo hinted, and Gongtai Xia Mei fell into deep thought.
Two seconds later, she raised her head with a smile and shook her head, "Sorry, I think these two "Sunflowers" are normal, there is nothing special about them."
Qin Zhibo looked at Gongtai Xia Mei's eyes under the lenses of her glasses. Her pupils moved slightly to the side, obviously she was lying.
There was indeed something wrong with the two "Sunflowers" that Pickman once owned.
What Luc Villiers said should be true, Pickman hid his secret among the "sunflowers".
But what exactly is this secret?
…
Back at the hotel where he was staying, Qin Zhibo told Kuroba Kaito the information collected during the trip.
As soon as he heard Qin Zhibo's judgment, he immediately made up his mind.
"I'll deliver the notice tonight!"
Kuroba Kaito is very excited, because as long as he deciphers the secret left by Pickman in "Sunflower", it means that the distance between him and Kuroba Toichi is getting closer.
But Qin Zhibo reached out his hand and stopped his impulsive thoughts.
"Don't rush to send the letter yet. Maybe we can get what we want without having 'Phantom Thief Kidd' appear."
"Mr. Qin, what does this mean?" Terai Huangnosuke asked.
Qin Zhibo stood up from the sofa and explained: "At the scene where the samples were viewed today, the female expert in charge of identifying the sunflowers had been using her laptop to compare the original paintings."
"Her computer might have the answer we want."
Compared with stealing two world-famous paintings, it is definitely easier to steal a personal laptop.
The key is that there is no need to steal it, just copy the data disk.
When Kuroba Kaito heard this, he immediately clapped his hands and made the decision.
"Very good! That's it!"
…
That night, Kaito Kuroba and Kinosuke Terai sneaked into the hotel where the Suzuki team was staying.
The hotel's security is not difficult for the Phantom Thief and his assistants to breach.
But the problem is that Natsumi Miyadai has been staying in the hotel room, and the two of them can't sneak in.
So Qin Zhibo called Suzuki Sonoko and asked him to call several other members of the team to discuss the specific process of tomorrow's auction exhibition.
Under the call of the sponsor's father, several people were busy with their own affairs, but they had to take time out to hold this small exchange meeting.
Although it was an exchange, there was actually nothing to talk about.
Except for Qin Zhibo, everyone else is basically a regular at the auction show. They just need to practice a little bit about their appearance at the press conference after the successful bid tomorrow.
When several other people working in the art industry were discussing the Sunflower Exhibition after returning to Japan, Charlie, who had always been serious and taciturn, walked up to Qin Zhibo.
"I heard from Consultant Suzuki that when you were in Japan, you almost captured Kaitou Kidd?"
Qin Zhibo humbly replied: "We have fought several times. We only managed to save the treasure, but there is still some distance between us and catching it."
Charlie then asked: "Then what do you think of Kidd's behavior in Las Vegas this time?"
"Las Vegas?" Qin Zhibo was stunned for a moment, "Are you talking about the alien arrival event in Las Vegas that has been very popular in the past two days?"
"That's not aliens." Charlie said resolutely, "That's a trick of Kaito Kidd."
"If this thief dares to appear on the soil of New York, I will definitely bring him to justice at any cost!"
Kuroba Kaito, who was copying data in the same hotel room, suddenly sneezed loudly.
"Ah sneeze——!"
"Um?"
…
An hour later, Qin Zhibo returned to the hotel where he and Kuroba Kaito stayed.
In the room, Kuroba Kaito had already obtained the USB flash drive and had just inserted it into his laptop to check it.
Hmm? U disk?
There seems to be something wrong, but I can't tell where it is...
"All the information is here, the storage space of the USB flash drive is almost not enough..."
Kuroba Kaito inserted the USB flash drive and complained casually.
Click on the red icon, and there are folders covering the entire page.
It contains some identification information about the artwork, and the name of the folder indicates which artwork it is.
Kuroba Kaito scrolled the mouse wheel and found "Sunflower" among the vast folders.
Click to open, and 5 "Sunflower" folders will appear inside.
"The first picture, the third picture, the fourth picture, the sixth picture, the seventh picture..."
"Huh? Why aren't there the second and fifth pictures?"
Terai Kinosuke also took a closer look and found that two key sunflowers were indeed missing.
Even if Qin Zhibo used the hiding function of the system folder, he did not find these two pictures.
"Master, what is this?"
Next to the five sunflower materials, there is a text document signed "Plan".
Not finding the most critical information, Kuroba Kaito clicked on the "Plan".
However, the plan has a layer of document password protection and cannot be opened directly for viewing.
"Forehead……"
Qin Zhibo and Heiyu Kai were stunned for a moment. What kind of plan is worthy of password protection?
Business plan?
But considering business is Suzuki Jiroyoshi's business, what does it have to do with her as an appraiser?
Intuition told the two of them that there must be some secret here.
"The password...had I known it, I would have looked around for any prompts when copying."
Kuroba Kaito scratched his head irritably. The feeling of having a secret right in front of him but unable to reach it was even more uncomfortable than the gems separated by the glass cabinet.
But at this time, Terai Huangnosuke took out another USB flash drive from his pocket.
"This is a universal password-breaking software invented by my doctor friend. It can crack some simple program passwords."
Qin Zhibo watched Kinosuke Terai insert the USB flash drive into the computer and frowned.
Doctor, what exactly are you researching behind your back?
In fact, Qin Zhibo didn't know that this was a program developed by Dr. Ali to deal with black tissue floppy disks.
After running the program on the USB flash drive, Qin Zhibo realized that this so-called universal password cracker was not high-end. It actually used a written program to quickly test all possible password combinations.
This method cannot be used for password programs that have a number of trials and errors.
But the document encryption method of this plan happens to be one that does not limit the number of trials and errors.
After waiting for a few minutes, the password box of the document suddenly trembled and then disappeared from the screen.
"opened!"
As the contents of the "plan" were revealed, Qin Zhibo, Kuroba Kaito, and Terai Huangnosuke could not help but widen their eyes.
"This is……"
【Plan:
1. After the successful auction of Suzuki Jiroyoshi, he used the opportunity of appraisal to paint the frame of "Sunflowers" with magnesium powder.
2. After the press conference, he quietly approached "Sunflower" during the transfer, bribed the staff to divert Taizo Shirei's attention, and poured an appropriate amount of water into the box.
3. During transportation, the humidity in the box continued to increase, causing the magnesium powder to get damp and burn, and "Sunflower" was burned.
...]
The three of them looked at every word on the "plan" and realized that it was basically a crime plan!
Someone really writes down what’s in their heart!
unbelievable!
The key is that the crime plan is clearly placed in the "Sunflower" folder, without even being hidden.
If he showed the enthusiasm that boys have for hiding study materials in computers, it probably wouldn't be exposed.
"What...what should I do?"
The sudden change made Kuroba Kaito unable to cope.
Qin Zhibo held his chin and thought for a moment, then analyzed: "Judging from this plan, she will take action tomorrow after the auction is successful."
"When the time comes, I can take the stolen goods personally, as long as I protect "Sunflower"."
"It's just that I can't get the secrets of the second and fifth "Sunflowers" from her. It seems that you are the only one to take action..."
Qin Zhibo discussed with Kuroba Kaito again and confirmed the next plan.
However, the two of them did not make the same mistake as Miyadai Natsumi, and the plan was all in their heads.
…
The next day, 7pm.
Qin Zhibo came to the lounge in Building 1 of the World Trade Center Building early and met with Suzuki Sonoko and others.
After a night of recuperating, everyone was full of energy, waiting for Suzuki Jirokichi to auction "Sunflowers".
Qin Zhibo's target quietly glanced at Miyadai Natsumi, who still carried her laptop with her today.
Now it's better, you don't even need to search for evidence.
After a while, the staff of the auction exhibition came in to inform people from the Suzuki Foundation that they could enter.
Since Qin Zhibo had previously told Sonoko that he wanted to experience the atmosphere of the auction up close, Suzuki Jirokichi brought Suzuki Sonoko, Qin Zhibo and two bodyguards from the Suzuki Consortium into the VIP box.
The box at the auction house is not big, and the sign-holding seat in front can only accommodate two people. Naturally, it is the exclusive seat for Suzuki Jirokichi and Suzuki Sonoko.
Qin Zhibo stood discreetly at the back, followed by two bodyguards guarding the door.
Amid the sound of beautiful classical music, the auction officially began.
A host in a suit and leather shoes first came up and made an opening statement, introduced the theme of this auction exhibition "Chords of Life", and several guests present, and then the auction officially started.
One after another, exquisite works of art are put up for auction in turn. Although there seems to be no rules, in fact, each treasure appears at its most suitable time.
In two hours, with a break in the middle, more than 30 auctions were held, including paintings, sculptures, ancient porcelain, etc.
Most of the treasures were successfully auctioned, but there were a few treasures that no one showed any interest in, and no one even raised the lowest price, so the auction failed.
Finally, after a long and tepid bidding, the highlight of the day finally came.
"The next item is the last treasure of our auction, and it is also the protagonist of the finale."
"It is a world-famous painting and a priceless treasure in human history."
"That's right! It is Vincent Van Gogh's work that people once thought had completely disappeared - "Sunflowers"!"
As the auctioneer stretched out his hand, the red curtain beside him slowly fell.
A picture of sunflowers framed in a golden frame bloomed in the bright light, which immediately attracted the collective exclamation of the photographers.
"Why is there this sunflower?"
"I remember that this sunflower had been destroyed in the war? But why..."
There were a lot of doubts in the audience, and they couldn't believe the sunflowers in front of them.
In fact, the sample viewing session of the auction requires asset verification. The assets must be sufficient to purchase the Sunflower before you are eligible to view the sample.
So it is normal for the photographers in the audience not to know that there are sunflowers tonight.
In the VIP box, Suzuki Jirokichi had already raised the corners of his mouth, showing a determined smile.
This is the role of money ability.
If the money is not strong enough, these people below will not even know that Sunflower will appear tonight, let alone bid with him, a top krypton gold boss.
The authoritative expert on the stage briefly introduced the origin and identification results of this sunflower, and the auctioneer began the bidding.
"Then please now bring a new life to this sunflower!"
"The starting price for the second painting "Sunflowers" created by Vincent Van Gogh is 10 million US dollars, and each increase in price must not be less than 100,000 US dollars... Start bidding!"
As soon as the auctioneer finished speaking, someone shouted at the scene.
"$20 million!"
The first time I asked for a price, I doubled the reserve price!
This is enough to show the importance of "Sunflower" in the hearts of photographers.
However, shouting like this shows that you are not so confident in the money you bring, and you want to scare off other competitors with a fixed price.
Sure enough, as soon as the price was shouted out, it was immediately refreshed by another bidder in less than two seconds.
"Two thousand and a half million!"
"Fifty million!"
Suddenly, the voice of a blond rich man echoed in the venue, and there was an uproar. This price had already exceeded the last sunflower auction.
In less than ten seconds, the record was already set!
After shouting out the price of 50 million, the blond rich man clapped his hands complacently, as if he would give it to me.
However, at this moment, a mature and heroic voice came from the direction of the VIP box.
"100000000!"
"I'll offer you $100 million!"
The person who took action was Suzuki Jirokichi.
I saw him clenching his fists with both hands and beating the table aggressively. Next to him, Suzuki Sonoko could only act like a hostess, helplessly responsible for holding up the sign.
When the price of 100 million appeared, there was an uproar at the scene.
The photographer below turned around and saw this old man wearing a Japanese kimono, and immediately searched in his mind who this person was.
The auctioneer, on the other hand, was a step faster. He entered the number of the placard into the computer and immediately obtained the identity information of the other party. It was none other than the famous international buyer-Jiroyoshi Suzuki.
The auctioneer calmed down and continued to speak calmly.
"Does anyone offer 110 million? 110 million..."
"Then let's see if there are any bids from outside buyers..."
The auctioneer originally thought that by this point, Suzuki Jirokichi had killed the game without any doubt.
However, at this moment, Suzuki Jirokichi banged the table again and shouted.
“No need to wait for outside buyers to bid!”
"300 million!"
"I offer 300 million US dollars!"
Suzuki Jirokichi stood up directly this time, his momentum became even more fierce, and he was so confident that the entire auction house could hear him clearly.
Qin Zhibo next to him was dumbfounded by this wealthy operation. Is this also called an auction?
Increase the price yourself?
Suzuki Jirokichi sat down proudly and said to Sonoko next to him: "I never like to waste time on shopping, so I'll just cut the mess quickly."
Suzuki Sonoko: "Shopping..."
"300 million!"
"VIP No. 705 bids 300 million!"
Obviously, the auctioneer on the stage was also shocked by Suzuki Jirokichi and couldn't believe his ears.
This directly broke the art transaction record in history!
It seems that this auction has no suspense!
Just as the auctioneer was excitedly preparing to drop the hammer, a calm voice suddenly sounded in the venue.