Professor Wen sighed then, "The economic conditions in some areas are genuinely harsh, and the local governments have failed to guide the people toward prosperity in a timely manner. Setting aside the few who are consumed by greed, would ordinary folks resort to illicit paths if they weren't desperate from poverty? If you don't fix this root cause, what good does arresting more people do?"

Hearing Professor Wen's explanation, everyone fell into a thoughtful silence, acknowledging the truth in his words. Being apprehended wasn't the real issue; they’d likely be released sooner or later anyway. Treating the symptoms without addressing the cause meant that things would inevitably return to the status quo. Moreover, this problem was too vast, too immense for these arrested individuals to handle on their own.

Despite these people having connections, backing, and no shortage of money, they couldn't resolve this fundamental issue. Ultimately, stimulating local economies and lifting large groups out of poverty fell squarely within the purview of administrative decisions, where personal wealth offered little leverage.

As for their connections and backgrounds, those were just that—connections. They didn't imply a willingness to meddle in such troublesome affairs. Humans are inherently practical beings; without sufficient benefit, or perhaps the necessary resolve and capability, who would dare take charge of such a quagmire?

As silence settled over the group, Wang Guan's phone suddenly blared. The loud ring served as an excellent buffer, allowing everyone to tacitly ignore the previous weighty discussion.

Wang Guan pulled out his phone and felt a flicker of surprise.

"Who is it?" Yu Feibai asked casually.

"Guan Yang."

Wang Guan’s expression was odd as he looked at the caller ID, hesitating slightly. After a moment's consideration, he answered. Before he could speak, Guan Yang’s slightly hurried voice came through the receiver: "Owner Wang, where are you right now?"

"What's up?"

Wang Guan started, asking tentatively, "Do you need something?"

"I do, and it’s urgent," Guan Yang lowered his voice. "I’ve been forced onto the wrong ship. I’m hoping Owner Wang can pull me off."

"What do you mean?"

Wang Guan’s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly pressed, "Be clearer."

"It’s a long story... and I can’t elaborate right now," Guan Yang whispered. "Anyway, tonight someone plans to rob a tomb, and I don’t want any part of it. But I’m being coerced into going along. If Owner Wang can vouch for me and ensure my safety, I can give you the exact time and location as atonement."

"Coerced?"

Wang Guan frowned, pausing. "If that’s the case, why don’t you call the police?"

"Owner Wang, you’re not in this line of work. You don’t know how vicious these people are," Guan Yang sounded fearful. "Most tomb robbers excavate quietly; these guys are using explosives to blast open the earth! And I heard they have powerful people backing them, which is why they’re so brazen. How dare I call the police casually? If the word gets out, I probably won't even know how I died."

"Is it really that serious?" Wang Guan was skeptical.

"Extremely, extremely serious!" Guan Yang urged. "If I weren't cornered, forced to play along, I would have fled long ago with my skills. Why else would I be hiding in the restroom calling you for help? Bottom line: are you helping me or not? If not, don't blame me for reverting to my old ways and aiding the villains."

It was clear that Guan Yang was no great man who could never bend under pressure. On the contrary, he seemed to lean toward bullying the weak and fearing the strong—a natural human trait, perhaps, and not entirely condemnable. Throughout history, many have fought for righteousness and died for it, but far more have been forced into servitude. One couldn't demand that a man with a criminal record suddenly transform into an unyielding paragon of righteousness.

If Guan Yang were truly so noble, Wang Guan would have suspected a trap.

So, after careful consideration, Wang Guan nodded. "If you're telling the truth, this constitutes a major meritorious service. Not only would you avoid punishment, but you might even receive a commendation banner."

"A commendation is unnecessary; just getting through this ordeal safely is enough," Guan Yang retorted bitterly. "If I’d known I’d run into such rotten luck, I wouldn't have come to Luoyang even if you dragged me."

"Stop complaining. Can you give me the specific time and location now?" Wang Guan pressed.

"Not yet."

Guan Yang looked embarrassed, though more indignant. "They don't trust me and haven't told me the specific details. All I know is they're targeting a major tomb in Mount Mang. My job is to confirm the exact position of the grand tomb so they can set off the blasts and dig out the relics."

"...So what you’ve told me is no different than saying nothing," Wang Guan replied, utterly speechless.

"We’ll be moving together. I'll text you once we arrive," Guan Yang replied with a strained smile. "Just make sure you have the police ready to move in. Note, it’s best if the police bring guns... hopefully, the local officers are experienced and won't need you to remind them. That’s it. Wait for my message..."

Guan Yang abruptly ended the call. Wang Guan turned back to the others. "What do you all think about this?"

He had activated the speakerphone while Guan Yang was talking, so everyone in the tent had heard the exchange clearly and understood the situation. Hearing Wang Guan’s question, they all looked toward Professor Wen by unspoken consensus.

As the saying goes, a fierce dragon cannot suppress a local snake. These tomb robbers were clearly locals, so dealing with them would require Professor Wen’s intervention. After all, the others were largely in the dark about the local situation; they had the will to help but lacked the means.

"Is this man reliable?"

Professor Wen sought confirmation. Seeing Wang Guan nod, he made his decision immediately. "Very well. I will make a few more calls and summon more people. I hope they aren't aiming for the underground palace; if they are, we'll make sure they never return."

Everyone nodded. Even if the target wasn't immediately on their current site, reinforcing security was never a bad idea.

After a brief discussion, Professor Wen immediately began making calls. Through means unknown to the others, within half an hour of several phone calls, a squad of armed police officers had gathered.

As everyone stood ready, the sky gradually darkened, quickly turning into night. Because of the urgent matter at hand, dinner was eaten early, and everyone gathered in the tent to wait. Yet, even as the moon climbed high, Wang Guan’s phone remained silent. If they hadn't worried about exposing Guan Yang, they would have called to inquire.

"Wait..."

Suddenly, Tang Qinghua hesitated. "I heard that tomb robbing activities usually don't kick off until after midnight, right?"

The words acted like a jolt of lightning, and everyone realized it. Checking the time, it was barely 8 PM, still four or five hours before midnight. A long night stretched ahead in the wilderness camp. Should they just wait like this?

Professor Wen quickly made a decision. "Here’s what we’ll do: leave one person here to answer the phone, and the rest of us..." He paused, his gaze sweeping toward Wang Guan, "...the rest of us should go back to studying the mechanism locks to avoid wasting time."

It was a good way to manage resources, and no one objected. Wang Guan handed his phone to one of Fang Mingsheng’s bodyguards for safekeeping, and then followed the others back to the entrance of the underground palace mechanism door.

"Xiao Qin, what's the situation?"

At that moment, Xiao Qin and his colleagues were still diligently working, and they had made significant progress. After all, they weren't incompetent. Once Wang Guan solved the first mechanism, they had studied the sequence, experimented, and deduced certain patterns, allowing them to solve several subsequent mechanisms quite smoothly.

Unfortunately, due to limited time, or perhaps insufficient pattern recognition, they stalled at the sixth checkpoint. No matter how they tried to decipher it, they couldn't pass. Or rather, if they managed to unlock the seventh mechanism, the preceding six would automatically reseal, confirming Elder Hou’s theory about the interlocking nature where solving one would lock the others.

"Elder Hou, give us another two or three days, and we guarantee we’ll complete the task," Xiao Qin declared confidently, his colleagues nodding in agreement. The hardest part about cracking a mechanism is lacking a starting point; once the entry point is found, solving the whole system is just a matter of time.

If this had been before, hearing that the mechanism door could be opened in two or three days, Elder Hou and the others would have been overjoyed. Even Professor Wen, who favored the brute-force approach, would have likely abandoned his plan and agreed to grant more time.

But now...

Everyone turned toward Wang Guan, their eyes filled with eager expectation. In their view, if Wang Guan took charge, it wouldn't take two or three days; it would take two or three hours, at most, to resolve the issue.

Sensing their thoughts, Wang Guan felt a familiar frustration. If he had the choice, he wouldn't want to steal the spotlight. But under their insistent urging, he felt compelled to step in and continue studying the mechanism door.

Moreover, while examining the mechanism lock, Wang Guan had intended to hide his true abilities, deliberately dragging his feet and stretching the process over two or three hours to match everyone’s expectations without appearing too miraculous. However, after only a brief inspection, Wang Guan was astonished to realize that the six mechanisms Xiao Qin and the others had solved were based on the wrong approach. No wonder they were stuck.

With no other option, Wang Guan had to reset the mechanisms and begin his exploration anew. His eyes traced the pivots and connecting points of the mechanism, while his mind raced, mentally simulating potential solutions, which he then constantly tested with his hands...

Seeing this, Xiao Qin and his team couldn't help but feel disheartened, as Wang Guan’s actions essentially invalidated several hours of their hard work. This was the product of their intense effort and brainpower, now seemingly dismissed so easily; anyone would feel bitter.

If it had been anyone else, Xiao Qin and his team would have grown agitated, perhaps even yelling at the person. But this was Wang Guan, so they hesitated, deciding to observe carefully first, lest they be proven wrong again.

In watching him, they began to notice something unusual. Wang Guan’s unlocking process seemed to follow a certain rhythm, not strictly adhering to the sequence of the first, second, and third mechanisms, but rather displaying a kind of leapfrogging. He first disengaged the first mechanism, then jumped to the third, followed by the fifth...

(To be continued.)