Volume Five: The Case of the Five Kings Fighting the Dragon
"That's right." While Duan Ming was thinking, Xing Qianqiu looked at the soldiers on the side: "I think this cave entrance is not far from the main mine. Has no one discovered this place for so long?"
"Indeed not." The soldier shook his head: "Not only the miners, our Ordnance Department also comes in every night to check to see if anyone is missing in the mine. But this place has never been found."
"Is this mine really formed naturally?" After hearing the soldier's words, Xing Qianqiu frowned slightly.
"Then is it possible that someone dug the cave first and then blocked the entrance?" Li Waner said.
"The key is who can do such a thing silently." Xing Qianqiu shook his head: "Such a big cave cannot be dug out in a day or two. Who can do it without being noticed every day?
Are you digging here without letting anyone discover it?"
"Besides, how do you get out the rocks, sand, and minerals here?"
"This is indeed a problem." Li Waner nodded.
"Maybe it's not impossible." Duan Ming suddenly said.
As he spoke, Duan Ming searched the cave little by little, constantly touching the surrounding ground.
Xing Qianqiu and Li Waner saw Duan Ming's actions, and thought of a possibility at the same time, and started searching with Duan Ming.
In this way, under the surprised eyes of the soldiers, Duan Ming and the others searched inch by inch without missing an inch of land.
Just when the soldier felt a little bored, Li Waner's eyes suddenly lit up: "Found it!"
When Duan Ming and Xing Qianqiu heard Li Waner's words, they looked at each other for a while and walked over quickly.
Li Waner knelt down and carefully pushed aside a withered flower on the ground, revealing a wooden board hidden in the soil.
"No wonder we have to plant flowers here." Duan Ming came to the wooden board and sneered: "To cover up the traces of this."
"I'll do it." Xing Qianqiu said solemnly, clasping the board with both hands, and lifted it up with force, revealing a dark hole underneath.
The entrance of the cave is not big, but it is enough to accommodate the passage of the dragon-patterned stone carving.
"It seems that the excavation of this cave and the transportation of the dragon-patterned stone carvings all came through this cave entrance." Duan Ming said solemnly.
"Let's go in and take a look." Xing Qianqiu said and was about to go in.
"Wait." However, Xing Qianqiu's movement was blocked by Duan Ming. Duan Ming looked at the stunned Ordnance Department soldier and said in a deep voice: "Please take us to see your director."
"Okay." The soldier nodded repeatedly.
Walking out of the mine, Xing Qianqiu patted Duan Ming on the shoulder, deliberately took a few steps behind, and asked in a low voice: "Why didn't you go in just now?"
"This is not the time." Duan Ming said: "First, if the exit of this cave is the opponent's lair, can you escape unscathed by just commanding you through punishment?"
"That's impossible." Xing Qianqiu thought for a moment and shook his head.
"That's right. If you're not sure where the exit is, going in to investigate is just like seeking death." Duan Ming said, "Then secondly, how far is it from the main mine to the cave? There's a wall between them."
"What do you mean?" When Xing Qianqiu heard Duan Ming's words, he was stunned for a moment, and then raised his eyebrows suddenly: "You suspect..."
"Yeah." Duan Ming nodded: "You can find the location of the main mine so accurately and dig out such a big cave without opening up the main mine. Do you think there will be no one there?"
"So, whether it's absenteeism or someone from the Ordnance Department, there must be someone here who is related to the person behind the scenes." Duan Ming said solemnly: "The goal of the three of us coming here is too big, it is difficult to ensure that the other party does not discover it. If we explore the cave
Someone blocked the exits on both sides..."
"Then we will be suffocated to death inside..." Li Waner gritted her teeth and said.
"Yes, so the best way now is actually to contact the people in the Mirror Department as soon as possible. Only they are trustworthy." Duan Ming said.
"But in this case, shouldn't we go to the Mirror Department now? Why should we go to the Director of the Ordnance Department?" Li Waner asked again.
"Because my purpose is to alert the enemy." Duan Ming looked around and said, "Although it will be safer if we take the initiative to find people from the Mirror Division, the effect will probably be the worst."
"If the exit of this tunnel is not connected anywhere, then what use will it be even if we find the tunnel?" Duan Ming said: "We don't know who opened the tunnel, and we don't know who the spy is in the mine.
"
"But let's leave here now. How long do you think it will take for this matter to spread throughout the mine?"
"How long?" Xing Qianqiu looked at the Ordnance Department soldiers who kept greeting people, and the corners of his mouth twitched slightly: "Only half an hour."
"That's right." Duan Ming nodded: "Whether the spy knows that we discovered the tunnel or not, he will definitely know within half an hour."
"But it's daytime now, the miners need to mine, and the Ordnance Department needs to patrol. It's impossible for anyone to leave silently, and it's impossible for anyone to go out and report information."
“So what is this person most likely to be doing right now?”
"If it were me." Li Waner pondered for a moment and said, "First of all, confirm whether the tunnel has been found. Secondly, destroy the tunnel to avoid exposure."
"Absolutely correct." Duan Ming nodded: "But you are talking about you. Judging from the reaction of normal people, that person should be panicked immediately after knowing the news. He will try his best to escape.
go."
"Go and ask the man behind the scenes what to do, what to do." Duan Ming said: "But as I said before, it is not easy to leave here now, so he must leave as quickly as possible, the best
What’s the solution?”
"Get out of the tunnel!" Xing Qianqiu said in a deep voice.
"That's it." Duan Ming nodded: "So, Lao Xing, you need to sneak back and hide now. If someone tries to enter that tunnel, it will prove that that person is a spy."
"Remember that person's appearance, but don't act rashly and let him go."
"I will ask Rui'er to leave here later, contact Lao Xu, and set up defenses at the foot of the surrounding Beishan Mountain. If traces of that person are found, we will follow him and try to catch a big fish."
"At the foot of Beishan?" Li Waner didn't understand why Duan Ming said that.
"The cave is on the north side of the main mine. Since the other party has the accurate location, they will definitely choose the nearest location to dig the hole." Duan Ming said: "So, they will definitely not choose the south side of the mountain, and most likely they will choose halfway up the mountain.
about."
"After all, the mountainside is not too high, the height difference is not very big, and there will be fewer people passing by."
"Deploying defense at the foot of the mountain on the north side will undoubtedly have the best effect."
