Chapter 59 Security System

Half an hour later, in the living room of Elaine's apartment.

Everyone was sitting on the sofa, and none of them looked particularly pleased.

On the coffee table in front of them lay two pinhole cameras and two miniature wiretaps, all of which had been scavenged from this very apartment.

The two pinhole cameras were extremely compact, installed respectively on the inner side of the front door and inside the living room electrical outlet, making them very well-concealed.

Fortunately, they were not discovered in the bathroom or the bedroom; otherwise, Elaine would have completely lost her mind on the spot.

As for the two miniature wiretaps, one was hidden beneath the living room coffee table, while the other was concealed behind the bedside table in the bedroom. Both were heavily disguised and exceptionally difficult to spot.

Looking at these gadgets, Elaine turned pale with anger.

"These detestable bastards, every single one of them deserves to die!"

Sitting beside her, Steven gently patted the back of her hand.

"There's no need to get angry with these scumbags. I'll have Anthony and his team set up proper security so this kind of thing won't happen again."

"I'll be buying a larger place soon. If you don't mind, you can move in with me then."

Elaine was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at him.

"You want me to move in with you? And you dare say you don't have ulterior motives!"

With that, she lightly punched Steven, her face flushing slightly.

"Can't a good deed go unpunished? Who said living in the same building means having sinister intentions? There are two separate bedrooms, you know!"

"By then, the distance between us will definitely be much greater than it is now, so you really don't need to worry about me having any improper designs."

Steven protested with a grievance, pointing toward the partition wall between the two apartments.

"Hahaha!"

A burst of laughter echoed through the room as everyone chuckled.

After a few lighthearted remarks, Steven pointed at the pinhole cameras and wiretaps and said,

"Anthony, can you track down the people hiding behind the scenes using these surveillance devices?"

"I'd really love to know who is lurking in the dark corners and staring at us. It's utterly despicable."

Anthony paused for a moment, then nodded and said,

"It can be done, but it will require higher-end equipment and technicians to conduct counter-tracking, which also comes with a cost."

"If those guys are professionals, tracking them down will be quite difficult."

Hearing this, a fierce glint flashed across Steven's eyes.

"Investigate! I don't mind spending the money, as long as we can unmask these shady characters."

"You can never be too careful against others. Once I know who they are, I can be more vigilant and prepared."

Anthony nodded in agreement.

"Since that's the case, leave this to us. I'll find some technicians to run a counter-trace and see just who these people really are."

"Good, I hope you can get results as soon as possible," Steven replied.

Next, Anthony gathered up the pinhole cameras and wiretaps from the coffee table.

He planned to take them back for technical analysis and counter-tracking.

Although these items were already disabled and no longer functioning normally, the fingerprints on them were still intact and undamaged, which might yield some useful information.

After packing away these gadgets, Anthony stated affirmatively,

"We've thoroughly scanned this apartment, and there are definitely no other surveillance devices left."

"Next, we'll install monitoring equipment inside the apartment to keep an eye on the entrance and windows."

"We'll also set up an alarm function, so the moment anyone breaks in, you'll receive an alert immediately."

Hearing this, Elaine quickly chimed in.

"You can install monitors inside the room, but you must avoid private areas."

Anthony smiled and explained,

"Don't worry, the control over these monitors will be in your hands. You can check them and operate them remotely via your phone."

"In that case, your privacy naturally won't be violated, so you have absolutely nothing to worry about."

Hearing this explanation, Elaine felt much more at ease.

However, Anthony and his team did not install the surveillance cameras immediately. Instead, led by Steven, they returned to his apartment.

Opening the security iron door and stepping inside, Steven saw at a glance that his apartment had been ransacked more than once. Almost nothing was in its original place, and a considerable amount of items were missing.

Although David had sent people over to clean up and tidy things a bit, the messy state of the rooms indicated that after David's cleaning crew left and the security iron door was installed, people had still broken in—perhaps even more than one group.

Yet the exterior security door remained completely intact with no signs of being pried open.

This was sufficient proof that those fellows had climbed in through the windows.

Unfortunately, those guys hadn't found anything of value and had only made off with a few cheap pieces of pottery.

Steven's biggest losses were his laptop and the small safe he had bought just a few days ago.

He had no idea how those foolish thieves had managed to haul away that small safe. That thing weighed at least twenty or thirty kilograms, and carrying it down from upstairs without attracting attention would have been difficult.

While observing the situation, Steven quietly activated his X-ray vision, rapidly scanning the entire apartment from top to bottom.

Sure enough!

The apartment had been fitted with numerous pinhole cameras, wiretaps, and other devices—easily over a dozen of them.

Shortly after, he and David retreated outside.

Anthony, scan the apartment inside and out thoroughly, and don't miss a single corner.

I'm very curious to see how many pinhole cameras and wiretaps we can unearth this time.

"Understood."

Anthony nodded in acknowledgment and immediately began searching.

In the blink of an eye, a series of rapid beeps echoed through the room.

Needless to ask, Anthony and his team had already made a discovery.

Soon, more than half an hour had passed.

Anthony and his men had dug out a total of fifteen pinhole cameras and wiretaps, placing them before Steven.

These gadgets had been hidden in various parts of the apartment, and their lenses covered every single corner.

Even the bathroom concealed a pinhole camera.

Looking at these items, Steven felt his anger flare up.

"These bastards really think highly of me to have set up so many surveillance and wiretapping devices."

"If I hadn't found them, wouldn't I as well be running around naked in my own room?"

"No matter what I do, a bunch of people are staring at me. It's so damn infuriating!"

Anthony smiled and nodded.

"That's right, Sean. There must be three or four different groups of people watching you in secret."

"You can tell just from these devices; the equipment they used isn't even the same."

"And that's not counting the guys who didn't install any surveillance or wiretapping equipment. It goes to show just how many people are keeping tabs on you."

Steven shook his head helplessly.

"They're all just a bunch of greedy bastards, clearly coming after those valuable antique artifacts and artworks."

"Too bad they calculated wrong; they won't be getting anything now."

At this point, he suddenly changed the subject.

"Anthony, start the installation. We need them in both my apartment and Elaine's, as well as the hallway."

"Once the installation is done, you're coming with me to USC to check my other friend's apartment, just to be safe."

"Alright, Sean, leave it to us," Anthony replied, nodding as he went to fetch the equipment.

David, meanwhile, headed down to the apartment management office to coordinate with the property management.

With their departure, Steven was left alone in the apartment.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, he scanned the apartment thoroughly one last time to ensure nothing had been missed.

Fortunately, nothing had been overlooked; Anthony and his crew had cleaned the place out very thoroughly.

Shortly after, he began tidying up the rooms.

Before long, Elaine came over to help him clean up as well.

During this time, he went downstairs once more to retrieve the two HK45 pistols and ammunition he had left in the car's safe, bringing them upstairs.

When retrieving the weapons, he didn't avoid anyone; he carried the firearms upstairs in plain sight of everyone.

He did this intentionally as a warning to certain individuals with ill intentions.

And it did indeed work.

Seeing the gun case and ammunition in his hands, several onlookers who had gathered around, as well as a few suspicious figures lingering near the apartment building, wore expressions that turned significantly heavier.

In the blink of an eye, it was around two in the afternoon.

After a flurry of activity, Anthony and his team finally finished installing the surveillance and alarm systems.

Afterward, they began explaining how this simple security setup worked.

"Sean, per your request, we've installed several surveillance cameras in the hallway, inside both apartments, and along the exterior walls."

"With these cameras covering the area, anyone trying to break into these two apartments will have nowhere to hide."

"Whether they climb in through the windows or smash through the door from the hallway, everything is within the surveillance coverage."

"You can operate these cameras via your mobile phones. The control is entirely in your hands, so you don't need to worry about privacy leaks."

"We've also installed infrared alarm devices on the windows. If anyone attempts to break in through the glass, these devices will instantly emit a piercing alarm."

"This alarm is loud enough to scare off ordinary petty thieves and wake up half the apartment building. Even if you're asleep, it will wake you up so you can prepare to defend yourselves."

"Furthermore, we will receive the signal immediately and rush over to protect you as soon as possible."

While explaining the situation, Anthony also demonstrated the security system.

Just as he said, although the security setup looked simple, its effectiveness was remarkable, providing full coverage for both apartments.

Unless they encountered ruthless cutthroats, this security system was more than enough to protect Steven and Elaine's safety.

Even if they did run into hardcore criminals, didn't Steven still have his guns?

With the coordination of his X-ray vision, he didn't actually need to fear anyone, not even armed thugs.

However, to keep his abilities concealed, he had to hide his true capability and dared not show off too monstrously.

Especially right now, he had no desire to attract the attention of American law enforcement agencies.

Once Anthony finished the demonstration, Steven and Elaine picked up their phones and tested the security system themselves.

After the check, Elaine let out a long breath of relief.

"That's wonderful. With this monitoring and security system, I can finally get a good night's sleep."

Steven looked at the beautiful woman and smiled.

"Don't worry, Elaine. If you run into any danger, I'll come over to protect you."

"Besides being a treasure-hunting genius, my marksmanship is also top-notch—a hundred hits out of a hundred."

"Oh, please! Stop bragging!"

Elaine scoffed dismissively, clearly not believing it.

Standing nearby, David chimed in.

"I can vouch for that. Sean's marksmanship is indeed exceptional."

"You could even say he's the most naturally talented shooter I've ever seen. He hits whatever he aims at!"

"Ah! Really?"

Elaine gasped, looking somewhat incredulous.

"Of course it's true. You'll find out for yourself soon enough!"

Steven said with a smug grin.

After chatting a little longer, Steven and his group left the apartment building and headed to USC to check on Fang Yufei's situation.

Elaine tagged along as well, eager to check in on her newly made best friend.