Chapter 435: Can I Go Over and Watch the Fun?

Chapter 435: Chapter 435: Can I Go Over and Watch the Fun?

Although he didn’t finish, Heath Hale’s meaning was perfectly clear.

"Don’t worry. The person chosen by the higher-ups is trustworthy.

Besides, the orders were just to let him see the tomb chamber through the door. It said nothing about him seeing Zoe Sawyer’s face. We have some wiggle room." The chief’s intentions were clear.

Before they brought him over, Zoe Sawyer would need to get ready and hide among the officers.

Once the old expert arrived and confirmed the situation, they would move him to another office to keep him and Zoe Sawyer separate.

That way, they wouldn’t be disobeying their orders, and they’d also be ensuring Zoe Sawyer’s safety as much as possible.

It was the best of both worlds.

Heath Hale hesitated for a moment but ultimately nodded in agreement with the plan.

"Zoe Sawyer, what about you? Any issues on your end?" the chief asked, turning to Zoe, who had been sitting quietly off to the side.

Zoe Sawyer shook her head. "I trust you won’t do anything to hurt me. I’ll go along with your plan."

And so, with everyone in agreement, the police station soon welcomed the expert sent by the higher-ups.

After confirming that Officer Lee was monitoring the situation on-site, Zoe Sawyer closed the door on the sheet of paper and transferred it to the normal wooden door in the adjacent room.

She gripped the doorknob, focused on the tomb chamber’s location, and then shifted the door, fixing it in place not far from a corner.

The angle was tricky, but it offered a view of the crack, part of the coffin, and the kneeling terracotta figures.

With the door set up, Zoe Sawyer followed the plan and concealed herself among the crowd of officers, waiting for the expert to arrive.

Barry Quinn and Spike deliberately positioned themselves in front of and behind Zoe. With them and the other colleagues surrounding her, it was impossible to see her unless you walked right up and pushed everyone aside.

Soon, everyone saw the chief and Heath Hale walk in behind an old gentleman who looked to be in his late seventies, maybe even pushing eighty. They brought a toolbox with them.

Heath Hale was followed by two assistants, but before they could enter the office, officers standing guard at the door stopped them with outstretched arms.

"Sorry, you two can’t go in."

The two officers at the door stared grimly at the assistants. No matter how the pair explained they were the old gentleman’s aides, the only response they got was the three words, "You can’t enter."

The old gentleman clasped his hands behind his back. He glanced toward the adjacent office, then back at the chief and Heath Hale, and saw their expressions were unchanged. ’It’s as if they expected this.’

"It’s fine. You two just wait out here. There are plenty of people inside; I’ll ask for their help if I need anything." The old gentleman waved his hand, dismissing his assistants, then stepped inside.

’This police station clearly doesn’t want more people to know about this. I’m just here to confirm the situation. No need to cause a scene.’

’Once I’ve confirmed it, I’ll be off to deal with the tomb itself. We won’t have any reason to interact after this, so it’s best to stay on good terms.’

When he walked into the adjacent office and saw the open doorway and the scene within, his calm expression vanished instantly.

Any curiosity he had about Zoe Sawyer’s ability was instantly forgotten.

The old gentleman hurried to the doorway, bent over, and pressed his face against the invisible barrier. His eyes were glued to the scene inside as he muttered a stream of technical terms.

Heath Hale, having been through this before, was more practiced. He picked up a flashlight and ran the beam along the entire length of the crack so the expert could get a better look.

Once the old gentleman had scanned everything within view, he managed to compose himself and stood up straight.

"You people are incredible. To think you discovered that something was wrong with this tomb chamber ahead of time... It’s just as you suspected. That crack is affecting the entire tomb’s structural stability.

If it’s left alone, and assuming there are no major geological events in the area, it could probably hold for another ten, maybe twenty years," the old gentleman said, his voice somewhat reassuring.

It was urgent, but not critically so.

The old gentleman was quite interested in the coffin, the surrounding figures, and the reliefs on the chamber’s stone walls.

He planned to wrap up a few more pressing matters before bringing in his team for a salvage excavation of the tomb.

"That might not be an option anymore. We reported this to the chief the moment we found it, but while we were waiting, a few young men have already started digging.

They want to get the burial artifacts out, sell them overseas, and use the money to live it up." Heath Hale’s expression was hesitant as he led the old gentleman over to stand behind Officer Lee.

Watching Ace, Brandon, and their group struggling to dig on the monitor, the old gentleman slammed his hand on the desk in a fury. "Those bastards! If we let them keep digging so recklessly and unscientifically, they’ll likely put pressure on that corner and make the already unstable structure even worse.

It could collapse at any moment! If they happen to be down there when it goes, they’ll be buried alive!"

Seeing him this agitated, the chief’s expression grew grim. He was worried the old man would get so worked up he’d pass out right there in the station.

Hearing the old gentleman’s furious roar, the two assistants at the door craned their necks, trying to peek inside and see what was going on.

But the moment they took a step forward, they were blocked again.

Unable to get in or see what was happening, the two assistants were practically jumping out of their skin with anxiety, wishing they could just rush inside.

But they were on someone else’s turf and had no choice but to back down.

The assistants could only suppress their curiosity and wait at the door for the old gentleman to emerge.

"This won’t do! I have to go over there and see for myself. If we let these people carry on, I’m afraid the entire tomb will be destroyed before long!" The old gentleman’s earlier composure was gone. He grabbed the chief’s arm. "You have the video, so you must know the exact location. I need to go see it!"

The chief’s orders from his superiors had been to accommodate the old gentleman’s requests as much as possible.

So, hearing the old gentleman’s demand, the chief didn’t refuse. Instead, he steadied the man and began guiding him toward his own office. "Rest assured, sir. I’ll arrange for a car immediately. I’ll also contact our colleagues in that jurisdiction, explain the situation, and instruct them to follow your command."

They wouldn’t just be going up the mountain; they would also have to deal with the villagers from the village below and arrest the young men doing the illegal digging.

They would definitely need to contact the local police.

The old gentleman nodded as they walked. "How you discovered this is none of my business," he said. "And not a single word about it will pass my lips. You have my word."

Having received the old gentleman’s assurance, the chief simply nodded and said no more.

Back in the other office, Zoe Sawyer patted Heath Hale’s arm and asked eagerly.

"Can I go watch the show?"