An hour later, William was sitting in a café on XX Street, drinking coffee and making a deal with a black market dealer using the number John Wick had given him. He spent $200,000 to buy a small truck and a complete set of computer equipment and receivers. The reason for the high cost was a pair of the latest invisible earphones and receivers, which alone cost $120,000.
These earphones could be worn directly into the ear canal without affecting hearing and could emit tapping sounds in special situations. Once in the ear canal, they were invisible even to someone standing nearby. However, the range was somewhat limited, with the receiver only able to pick up sounds within five kilometers.
With John Wick's help, connecting two receivers would extend the range to over ten kilometers, so William wasn't worried about missing any of Gates and Riley's conversations.
After negotiating the price, William used a secret account to transfer the money on the dark web. Once the seller confirmed receipt, he parked the truck in a small alley and left.
William drove the truck to the parking lot outside the archive. Connecting to the channel John Wick had set up, he put on the earphones and could now listen to Gates and Riley.
He chuckled to himself, now just needing to wait for Gates to make his move. If Gates managed to steal the Declaration of Independence, William would have plenty of opportunities to snatch it from him.
That evening, he spent time with Abigail, dining and working out, and the day passed.
Today was the 66th anniversary of the National Archives. Abigail left early for the archive, while William, wearing his earphones, sat in a nearby café, sipping coffee and reading newspapers and magazines while listening to Gates and Riley busily preparing.
The two amateurs had no idea John Wick was tailing them, monitoring their every move.
John Wick would occasionally report their activities through the earphones. Combining their conversations, William easily understood what they were doing and planning.
With a professional helper, all William had to do was wait. Any unexpected issues would be handled by John Wick.
Yesterday, John Wick followed the rookie Riley all day. Noticing his occasional rush leading to careless parking, John Wick worried that police interference could ruin the job. So, he went to the black market and bought a full set of police uniforms and equipment.
Disguised as a cop, wearing a helmet and sunglasses with a fake beard, he issued a left-handed ticket for Riley's illegal parking. While inspecting Riley's trunk, he planted a tracker in his car. The nervous Riley, upon seeing a cop, instinctively panicked and didn't even notice the messy handwriting on the ticket.
After John Wick left, Riley, tense and without thinking, threw the ticket away and drove off.
The next afternoon, once they were ready, Riley, disguised as a tourist with a camcorder, entered the National Archives at around 5:30 PM, just before closing.
Riley had installed a laser pointer in the camcorder, capable of heating the thermal sensor in the Declaration of Independence's vault. Once the sensor was heated, the document would be automatically stored in a large underground fireproof and explosion-proof vault. To ensure it wasn't damaged, staff would take the document to a dedicated underground studio for inspection, delaying its return to the vault until the next day due to the evening's gala.
"Success, Ben. The sensor activated, and the Declaration is in the underground vault. It's your turn now," William listened with a smile to Riley and Gates's conversation.
"Good job, Riley. Don't worry; I'll handle it."
Due to the thermal sensor's unexpected activation, Abigail was urgently called to the underground vault. At 7 PM, for the gala, William had to go to the National Archives alone, holding the invitation Abigail had given him.
Sitting in the surveillance van, William did a final check of the earphones in his ears. One side picked up Gates and Riley's conversations, while the other picked up John Wick's updates.
Satisfied, William got out of the car, adjusted his attire, and headed towards the archives. Presenting the invitation, he calmly passed through security. Fortunately, the earphones were undetectable, just as the seller had claimed.
Entering the archives, William embraced the busy Abigail, exchanged a few caring words, and, watched by her, smiled as he entered the building.
Shortly after entering, he heard John Wick's report, "Boss, Gates, dressed as a maintenance worker, entered the archives through the side door."
Knowing Gates had entered the gala hall, William, holding a glass of wine, hid in a corner to observe. He didn't want to confront Gates prematurely and risk him getting suspicious and aborting his plan.
Within minutes, he saw Gates approach Abigail with two glasses of wine, smiling and chatting briefly before offering to hold her glass while she greeted guests. Abigail thanked him, and Gates, holding both glasses, excused himself and headed to the restroom.
In his ear, William heard Riley's voice, "Make sure it works, Ben."
"Don't worry, Riley. I've tested this at home several times. It'll work," a minute later, Gates's excited voice came through the earphones, "Success! I got Abigail's fingerprints. How's the camera setup?"
"Give me ten seconds."
"Hurry, Riley. We don't have much time."
"Don't rush me, Ben. Almost done. Get in the elevator."
"OK."
Watching from the corner, William noticed Gates wearing a latex finger cover on his right thumb. Gates pressed the fingerprint scanner by the elevator, which immediately opened. William realized the cover must have Abigail's fingerprint.
Gates entered the elevator, and seconds later, Riley said, "OK, done. You're invisible now."
Feeling a surge of excitement, William hadn't expected Gates and Riley to penetrate the underground vault. Holding his glass, he wandered through the archives, his mental power constantly scanning the cameras.
Entering the souvenir shop, he noticed replicas of the Declaration of Independence. An idea struck him, and using his mental power to sense the cameras' positions, he discreetly took two replicas into his storage space.
Pretending to browse, he bought a silver commemorative coin, paid, and then headed to the restroom.
Inside a stall, William took out the stolen replicas, examining them closely. They were well-made. He chuckled, thinking these might come in handy in an emergency. Carefully peeling off the labels, he stored the replicas back and exited the restroom, smiling.
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