After accepting the task, the two discussed it and decided to use taking photos as an excuse to inspect all the large grottoes.

Identify the problematic grottoes, mark them with a pen, and await further action.

The task of catching the internal traitor was handed over to Dean Duan and his team.

Luo Yunhang and Xiang Tianhong made some preparations, specially went to town to buy some dried steamed buns and dried meat, and carried their cameras, notebooks, and a day's worth of food and water before starting their work in the grotto.

When you encounter local villagers on duty along the way, you will speak to them warmly.

The two responded enthusiastically, and in their conversation, they shared how they had taken photos of the Buddha statues and grottoes.

Most villagers didn't understand these things and didn't ask any further questions.

As long as it doesn't interfere with their work, it's fine.

The two began a comprehensive survey.

In terms of discernment, Xiang Tianhong had to admit that he was indeed inferior to Luo Yunhang. Luo Yunhang could always find differences in the subtle details of the same things, while he could not see any significant differences.

Realizing that this couldn't continue, the two immediately changed their approach.

Xiang Tianhong was responsible for doing odd jobs for him, keeping watch, and taking photos to cover his tracks.

Luo Yunhang focused on recording the things he noticed that were amiss.

With the aid of X-ray vision, he only needed to scan the entire stone wall of the grotto first, and then scan the Buddha statues inside the grotto, and any problems would be exposed.

You won't know until you check, and what you find when you do is shocking.

Almost all large grottoes have been altered to varying degrees, some with murals, some with Buddha statues, and some even with large Buddha statues.

Despite being prepared, Luo Yunhang was still taken aback and became furious, his face turning red with anger.

These people are too arrogant.

What distressed him most was that these forgeries were so realistic that even the most skilled restorers would have difficulty distinguishing them from the real thing.

Therefore, the research institute has not discovered any clues.

If this continues, I'm afraid all of China's possessions will eventually be stolen.

Luo Yunhang carefully noted down the replaced cultural relics, feeling heartbroken.

Because Luo Yunhang has X-ray vision, he can do this job quite quickly. Sometimes, he can finish looking at the photos before Xiang Tianhong even takes them.

Xiang Tianhong was also puzzled by his perspective, and in the end, he could only conclude that it was Luo Yunhang's special talent.

The two traveled through the caves without stopping for a moment, even eating their meals on the go.

The two men's cheeks ached from biting into the dry biscuits, but they didn't mind. They ate a little bit with water and then got back to work.

The two walked from morning till night, completing one-third of the task.

Master Li and Dean Duan were prepared for a long battle, but they did not expect them to be so efficient, completing one-third of the grottoes in just one day.

In this way, the task can be completed in two more days.

This is truly a pleasant surprise.

-

The next day, Luo Yunhang and Xiang Tianhong went to work in the grotto as usual.

The two were walking halfway when someone called out to them.

"Researcher Luo, Researcher Xiang..." The middle-aged man ran over, panting.

"Village Chief Qin, what's the matter?" Xiang Tianhong asked.

The visitor was none other than Village Chief Qin from a nearby village, who was in charge of guarding the grotto.

After being here for a few days, they had gotten to know each other well. This village chief, Qin, was a very nice person. He often brought them some homemade donkey meat sandwiches or local delicacies, and the researchers respected him very much.

"I heard from Liu Lao Er that you spent the whole day wandering around the grottoes yesterday. What were you doing? Although I shouldn't doubt you, I still have to remind you out of duty to be very careful with the Buddha statues in the grottoes. We can't afford to have any problems with them." Village Chief Qin said with a smile, offering a word of warning.

"We came from Tianzhou to study, and we brought a camera and a lot of film. We wanted to take pictures of these Buddha statues to record them."

"Look, like this, it will stay in my camera forever. These will be precious souvenirs in the future." Xiang Tianhong demonstrated it to him in person.

Luo Yunhang chuckled and said, "Don't worry, Village Chief Qin, we know what we're doing. Even if we take pictures, we definitely won't damage our Buddha statues."

Village Chief Qin looked at the camera with envy. He knew that taking a picture meant being able to leave an image.

More than ten or twenty years ago, when he got married, he and his wife went to a photo studio in the city to take a picture, which was very expensive.

These two young men were carrying cameras with them.

He scratched his head: "I know your camera."

After saying goodbye, Luo Yunhang and Xiang Tianhong headed towards the grotto, while Village Chief Qin walked back towards the village.

After walking more than ten meters, Village Chief Qin suddenly turned around and called out apologetically, "Comrade Xiao Luo, could you please take a picture of my whole family? I want to send it to my son who is in college; he hasn't been home for almost three years."

Luo Yunhang felt heartbroken listening to this. Gansu Province is a poor place with limited educational resources, and it's not easy for a college student to come out of there. He figured it must be because the family was too poor that the child hadn't been home for several years.

“Sure! No problem. We’ll finish up in the next couple of days, and then we’ll come to your house early the day after tomorrow. Just wait for us at home.” Luo Yunhang readily agreed.

Village Chief Qin chuckled and said, "Then thank you very much."

"I heard that Village Chief Qin's son got into a university in the South Province, for a bachelor's degree. He is the first child from their village to get into university."

Luo Yunhang and Xiang Tianhong continued their discussion as they walked.

"It's really not easy. I heard from researchers at the institute that the first batch of college students who came here to settle down, got married, had children and settled down, but because of the lack of educational resources, very few of their children were able to get into university. It was good if they could even attend a vocational school."

"Yes, this kind of situation is very common in research institutes. Both husband and wife are college graduates, but in this place, their children's development is completely delayed."

"This kind of dedication is something that you and I may never be able to achieve in our lifetime," Xiang Tianhong sighed.

The two were busy until noon, and were just about to eat.

Luo Yunhang suddenly noticed with his sharp eyes that someone was secretly following them.

With X-ray vision, they could see through the thick stone cave and into the next cave, where a man was hiding in a corner, secretly observing them.

Luo Yunhang recognized this person; he was also one of the cave guardians, and the other researchers called him "Dumb Brother."

Because he couldn't speak, but he would smile at everyone he met.

Luo Yunhang was puzzled. Why was he secretly following them? Could it be that the mute brother was the traitor?

But he was just a mute. Who would entrust such an important task to a mute?

Moreover, he always felt that there was no malice in the mute man's eyes, but there were many things he couldn't understand.

He pretended to continue eating as if nothing was wrong, but secretly told Xiang Tianhong that someone was following him. The two then kept quiet about it.

Another busy day.

Little did they know, inside the research institute, Director Duan and Master Li had already devised a meticulous plan to lure and capture this traitor, the Mogao Grottoes' betrayer.