Chapter 2056: Chapter 1959: Once a Stranger, Twice Familiar
Huo Sining didn’t know what Zhou Shitao was thinking during these brief minutes; all she had in mind was the map of the ancient tomb.
In fact, back when Huo Sining and Yue Shuwen followed Liu Cheng and Zhang Chao to Anmin Alley that day, Huo Sining had already used the Heavenly Eye to survey the entire ancient tomb. She had a rough outline impression of the tomb’s structure and general scope.
However, what’s required now is a detailed structural drawing of the tomb, and it must be drawn to scale—a task that isn’t so simple.
Huo Sining had done this once in Yunling, then due to special circumstances and immense pressure, if this wasn’t done, there was a possibility that their archaeological work back then might run into unexpected issues, not only could people die inside the tomb, but there might be disturbances outside as well.
The situation had been urgent at the time, leaving Huo Sining no choice but to adopt this approach.
But this time was different.
Fortunately, familiarity comes with repetition, and Huo Sining had basically figured out the process of drawing scaled maps, saving a lot of time.
This kind of task cannot be entrusted to others because, apart from Huo Sining, no one knows what kind of treasure lies hidden underground, nor will others understand the layout of the tomb.
Huo Sining asked Wu Jun to help get a satellite image of Anmin Alley and produced a scaled current planning map of Anmin Alley, marking every house, shop, and even flowerbed in the area.
Then, with these two maps in hand, Huo Sining began walking around the vicinity of Anmin Alley, squatting every few steps to touch the ground, before marking various symbols and writing indecipherable notes on the two maps.
Zhou Shitao and Shi Qingyun and a few old men instructed the Cultural Relics Bureau to temporarily seal off the area around the pottery burial pit, then curiously came to the alley where Huo Sining was, watching from a distance, each exchanging glances unsure of what Huo Sining was doing.
However, these old men knew the importance of drawing the tomb map, so despite their puzzlement, none dared approach to ask, fearing they might disrupt Huo Sining’s thought process and ruin her prior work.
Huo Sining ended up making seven or eight rounds in Anmin Alley, lingering beneath several residential buildings. Her odd behaviors raised suspicions among some residents who mistook her for a thief scouting the area, even discreetly reporting to the police.
When Zhou Shitao and Shi Qingyun saw the neighborhood policemen coming to arrest someone, the old men realized what was happening, feeling alarmed and flustered, they hurriedly stopped the policemen and explained the situation, finding an excuse to send them away.
This was no joke; Huo Sining’s task was crucial, and the old men dared not interrupt her; if the police intervened, the map might remain incomplete.
In their impatience, Zhou Shitao and the others hoped the excavation progress of the tomb would accelerate, hence they wouldn’t allow a few local policemen to disrupt their operations.
After sending away several waves of policemen, Zhou Shitao and the others kept their distance, trailing behind Huo Sining, ensuring that no sudden events interfered with her map-drawing task.
Fortunately, after the police Oolong incident, everything was calm without any unusual occurrences.
Lingering a bit longer at the final location, Huo Sining didn’t stay in Anmin Alley long, turned back, nodded towards Zhou Shitao and the two professors standing a dozen meters away, and then turned to leave.
Zhou Shitao’s mouth couldn’t help but twitch.
The old men thought they had hidden themselves well, unaware that Huo Sining had spotted them long before.
This cunning girl, she must have secretly laughed at them for being sneaky and unaware!
At the entrance of Sanfang Street, sure enough, Wu Jun had rented a car and was waiting for them. Upon seeing Huo Sining emerge, Gu Wujun immediately drove up.
Inside the car, Ji Kun was present; seeing Huo Sining board, he eagerly inquired:
"How did it go?"
Huo Sining nodded: "There shouldn’t be any problem, let’s head back, have dinner, and then we can start drawing the map."
Ji Kun nodded; after Zhou Shitao, Shi Qingyun, and Zhuang Xiangyang got into the vehicle, Huo Sining spoke:
"Master, you can call Grandfather Lu. The burial pit has been discovered, and I’ll be drawing the detailed tomb structure map tonight. He can inform the Fucheng City Government to amend the plans."
Zhou Shitao nodded: "Alright."
After dinner, they returned to the hotel where Huo Sining sent Gu Xu and Blue Fatty out, before closing the door to begin drawing the map.
The old men sat on the couch in the outer suite of Huo Sining’s hotel room, anxious but refraining from urging or interrupting her. It wasn’t until past nine at night that Huo Sining opened the bedroom door.
The old men looked at Huo Sining nervously.
Huo Sining nodded, silently handing over her sketch.
A vast piece of rice paper displayed a clear structure map of the underground tomb, labeled with scale sizes and the starting point of each tomb chamber distinctly recorded.
Huo Sining also brought out the two maps Wu Jun had prepared earlier, stating, "If things seem unclear, use these two maps; they’ll make everything crystal clear."
Zhou Shitao took Huo Sining’s two maps, glanced at them, immediately understanding her method.
Indeed, Huo Sining had accurately used the scales from the two maps to draw the tomb structure map. Comparing these with the maps showed the origin points and paths of the tomb in clear detail, even a novice in reading maps could determine the tomb’s specific location distinctly.
Not only Zhou Shitao but also Shi Qingyun and Zhuang Xiangyang couldn’t help but admire Huo Sining’s skill; this girl was incredible, mapping the tomb meticulously in one afternoon—her efficiency surpassed that of machines.
Huo Sining looked a little fatigued; while drawing the map wasn’t difficult, repeating surveys without notable mistakes consumed a lot of her Spiritual Energy.
