Chapter 2

"Crack!"

A crisp, heartbreaking sound exploded in the empty, silent exhibition hall.

That priceless cultural relic, condensed from countless people's efforts, shattered to pieces before my eyes.

The maid became a pile of cold fragments on the ground. That thousand-year-old melody that had never been played came to an abrupt end.

My heartbeat nearly stopped with it.

The world fell into deathly silence.

I stared blankly at the pile of fragments, my entire body's blood seeming to drain instantly, my hands and feet ice cold.

Michelle frowned and walked over, looking down at me condescendingly, her eyes full of cold indifference and mockery.

"Howard, it's just a broken clay figure. Do you really need to make that half-dead expression?"

Collins laughed even harder, bending over with laughter. He stepped on a larger fragment and ground it with force.

"Michelle, look at him. Acting like the sky is falling. What a performance. It's just a broken clay figure. Is it really necessary?"

The cultural relic suffered secondary damage. I gasped.

Unable to think about anything else, I shoved Collins aside to check the fragments on the ground, trying to salvage what I could.

This was a unique piece that our team had spent half a year recovering from overseas, an irreplaceable treasure.

"How dare you push him over some piece of junk?!"

Michelle shouted sharply, stepping forward to block me, the force so great I couldn't help but stumble back several steps.

She glanced at me. "Apologize to him. Now!"

I rolled my eyes at her, circled around her, and pulled out my phone with trembling hands.

Under Michelle and Collins's amused gazes, I dialed the number I least should have disturbed at this moment.

When I spoke, my voice was surprisingly calm, so calm even I felt it was foreign.

"Dr. Kane?"

"A Class One cultural relic, an ancient Greek maid sculpture, has been deliberately destroyed."