Linglong shivered instantly, flung her arms wide, and fled desperately with Ning Beichen.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion erupted less than five meters behind them, creating a huge crater.
Dirt rained down, hitting Linglong and Ning Beichen.
Although it was only dirt, the impact caused Linglong to cry out in pain as bruises appeared on her skin where the dirt struck.
But she had no time to think about it, for soon another missile, trailing smoke, streaked down from the sky towards them.
The two ran for their lives, explosions echoing behind them, accompanied by the mobilization of numerous personnel, vehicles, and helicopters.
They were like a disturbed hornet's nest, with nowhere to go, surrounded by enemies on all sides.
Linglong had never felt so desperate. Drones and helicopters filled the sky, police cars siren-blared as they surrounded the area, and numerous checkpoints had been set up on the roads.
In addition to all this.
There were many visible and invisible members of the Shen Zongting pursuing them from all directions.
Tonight, Rome was dancing.
Ning Beichen, however, paid no heed to any of this, nor did he have the mind to dwell on it.
Being pursued after obtaining the items was an expected outcome. Ning Beichen was not worried about the forces surrounding him, but rather about the powerful individuals dispatched by Shen Zongting.
About an hour later.
Ning Beichen led Linglong into a building.
"Ning Beichen, I can't go on. I really can't run anymore."
Linglong gasped for air, her mind completely devoid of thoughts about treasures or artworks. She felt utterly exhausted.
"Rest for a while. It's safe here; they won't find us so quickly."
Ning Beichen glanced out the window and turned back to Linglong.
Although many were pursuing them, Rome was vast with countless buildings, making it difficult to capture them.
The reason Ning Beichen brought Linglong to hide here was because it was a densely populated residential area. The presence of so many civilians meant they dared not use heavy weaponry, resorting to a ground search instead.
They rested for a while.
Ning Beichen checked the time. It was two in the morning. Before dawn, Ning Beichen had to get Linglong out of here; otherwise, escaping would become significantly harder during the day.
However, escaping even at night was not easy, as all routes in and out were blocked. Given Shen Zongting's influence, their numbers would only grow.
Ning Beichen's raid on Shen Zongting's treasury, coupled with the deaths of so many of their people, was a direct affront to their reputation. If they were allowed to escape, Shen Zongting's prestige would be severely damaged.
Putting himself in their shoes.
If Ning Beichen were the head of Shen Zongting, he would likely mobilize all his resources to eliminate them, regardless of the cost.
However, Ning Beichen had come prepared and had a plan. Escaping was difficult, but not impossible.
Naturally, they had no chance of leaving Rome through normal channels. It was likely that not even a fly could escape during this time.
Therefore, their only option to leave was to enter the Sahara Desert, and not by the usual routes, but through the uncharted wilderness.
"Open the door!"
Not long after, searching personnel's voices were heard from outside the building where Ning Beichen and Linglong were hiding.
But by the time they entered, Ning Beichen and Linglong had already departed.
The darkness became their best cover, especially for Ning Beichen.
With his mastery, seeing in the dark was not difficult for him. While not as bright as daylight, it was far superior to what ordinary people could perceive.
At this moment, Ning Beichen had already led Linglong into a residential house.
However, this house was occupied, and the occupant seemed to have been waiting for their arrival.
Strangely, there was no verbal exchange between them and the resident throughout. Ning Beichen, accustomed to such situations, showed no surprise.
The resident led them into a room, pushed aside the bedroom bed, revealing a hidden passage beneath the floor.
After they entered, the resident closed the passage from the outside and restored the bed to its original position, as if nothing had happened. He did not accompany them into the tunnel.
Linglong was full of questions as she followed Ning Beichen through the dimly lit tunnel. She noticed that the tunnel was ancient, not a modern construction.
"This is a branch of an ancient underground passage, used by soldiers to attack Rome in the past. Few people know about it."
Ning Beichen, sensing Linglong's curiosity, offered a brief explanation.
"Ning Beichen, do you know them?"
Linglong was very curious.
"No, but I had some dealings with their leader before."
Ning Beichen replied.
"Ning Beichen, I wouldn't have guessed. Your connections are quite diverse. From high officials to ordinary folks, you seem to know everyone."
Linglong said with admiration.
"It's a matter of mutual benefit."
Ning Beichen said calmly.
"No one in this world helps another without reason. It's reciprocal. You help others in need, and they help you when you are in need."
"Insightful."
Linglong gave him a thumbs-up.
While the words were simple, Linglong knew that putting them into practice was not easy. First and foremost, one needed the capability.
"Let's go. We need to get out of here before dawn. I can feel that Shen Zongting won't give up."
Ning Beichen said to Linglong.
"Will Shen Zongting really pursue us?"
Linglong asked with some concern.
"Absolutely. Not to mention their pride, you also took their holy grail. If you were part of Shen Zongting, would you let them go?"
Ning Beichen said.
"Probably... not. That holy grail doesn't look like much, just an antique. Is it really that important to them?"
Linglong judged it from an art historian's perspective.
"To you, it's an artwork. To them, it might be something else entirely. I would advise you to discard it, but I suspect you won't."
Ning Beichen had a nagging feeling that the holy grail was peculiar, but since it was Linglong's spoils of war, he couldn't say much.
"I won't throw it away. I stole it from Shen Zongting's treasury. It's enough for me to brag about for a lifetime."
Linglong clutched her bag and said.
"As you wish. As long as you don't regret it."
Ning Beichen replied. He had only wanted the Jiugong Ce, and had taken nothing else from Shen Zongting's collection.
They walked and rested intermittently within the underground tunnel. By dawn, they finally emerged from the passage into a vast desert.
They were at a deserted residence on the outskirts of the desert. Although no one was inside, food, drinking water, and two camels had been prepared for Ning Beichen and Linglong in advance.