At the research institute, Dean Duan and Master Li came up with an idea.
They deliberately revealed the partial peeling of the murals in Cave 158 without exposing that they already knew about the substitution.
This way, the person with the problem will surely take the bait, go to check, and fill in any gaps, fearing that they will be discovered.
The murals in Cave 158 have been restored to their original state, except for the corner that was pried open, which makes them even more lifelike.
With everything prepared, that very night, the researchers secretly sent the cave dwellers away and sent several strong researchers to sneak in and hide near Cave 158.
We're getting ready to trap them like turtles in a jar.
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At 11 p.m. that night, there was a commotion coming from the grotto.
Luo Yunhang and Xiang Tianhong were too tired during the day to go with them.
I only heard from my fellow students this morning that the person was caught last night, and it turned out to be the mute guy.
At 11 p.m., the mute brother sneaked up, but was caught before he even entered the cave.
However, he couldn't speak, which made interrogation difficult. No matter what anyone asked, he would shake his head frantically, indicating that he didn't know, that he didn't do it, and that he was uneducated and couldn't write.
There was only his elderly mother at home. The old woman was already very old and frail. When she heard that her son had been arrested, she rushed over, knelt on the ground, and explained on his behalf that he was a good person and that there must be some misunderstanding.
Regardless of the circumstances, his appearance at the grotto in the middle of the night, and specifically at Grotto 158, is suspicious.
The mute man was temporarily locked up.
Things seemed to be progressing, yet they also seemed not to, and for a time, they were at a stalemate.
Luo Yunhang and Xiang Tianhong went to the grottoes to take photos and record as usual, which took another whole day. If they hurry up today, they should be able to finish the task by evening.
These past few days have been exhausting for them, they've walked countless miles. Luo Yunhang is doing a little better, since he's physically fit and knows some martial arts.
Xiang Tianhong, on the other hand, was in a terrible state. By the end of the day, her whole body ached, feeling like it was falling apart, and her feet were covered in blisters.
Fortunately, this is the last day.
Luo Yunhang took the initiative to carry all the luggage and take care of Xiang Tianhong, his older brother.
The two moved quickly through the caves.
Along the way, they encountered several cave guardians. It was after Village Chief Qin heard about the mute brother's trespassing into Cave 158 yesterday that he specially sent more people over.
Before the truth about the theft of the grotto artifacts is revealed, it is not appropriate to disclose it publicly. To the outside world, they only said that the mute brother broke into the grotto late at night with ulterior motives, so they put him under guard.
Having successfully completed the day's tasks, I returned to the research institute.
Luo Yunhang and Xiang Tianhong lived up to expectations and completed the mission.
He handed his notebook to Dean Duan, which contained detailed records of the conditions of each grotto and the stolen cultural relics, including their locations and sizes. Everything was written down clearly to facilitate their later search.
Dean Duan and Master Li were both stunned when they saw Luo Yunhang's extensive record.
"There are so many?" Right under their noses, so many cultural relics were stolen and replaced.
"It's mainly a few large caves." The smaller caves don't have much cultural value, but they are quite safe.
Several large caves were indeed severely damaged, and the items inside were of even higher value.
The only saving grace is that it may take the counterfeiter a considerable amount of time to create a fake artifact, so many precious artifacts have not yet been replaced.
Dean Duan grew angrier and angrier, slamming his notebook on the table: "This is outrageous! Utterly shameless, a petty thief!" Even his insults were refined, befitting a cultured man.
"What was stolen were all valuable cultural relics. It seems that they were either antique dealers or those fake foreign devils who like to steal cultural relics from other countries."
The mute man panicked upon seeing this and refused to admit it, suggesting there might be someone else behind him,” Master Li analyzed.
"Has the mute brother still not admitted it?" Luo Yunhang asked curiously.
Master Li shook his head: "No, he kept shaking his head and waving his hands, and he wouldn't admit it no matter what we said."
"I'd like to go see him, is that alright?" Luo Yunhang asked Dean Duan.
Dean Duan was in a bad mood and didn't have time to pay attention to him. He simply waved his hand and said, "Go ahead."
Luo Yunhang arrived at the door of the room where the mute man was locked up, greeted the guards at the door, and was then allowed to pass.
It was already dark, and the mute man had been locked up for a day and a night.
He squatted on the ground, holding his head, looking utterly dejected.
The noodles on the table had clumped together; not a single bite had been eaten.
"Why aren't you eating? People need food to survive; you'll get hungry if you skip a meal," Luo Yunhang said.
When the mute man heard his voice, he looked up at him in surprise.
Suddenly, he got up and approached Luo Yunhang, looked outside the door, and then excitedly gestured to him.
Seeing his bloodshot eyes and crazed appearance, Luo Yunhang understood that he wanted to say something important to him, but he really couldn't understand his gestures.
The mute man touched his chin, which had no beard, and walked around the room with his hands behind his back and his back bent.
He pointed to the ground, stomped his feet frantically, and even lay down on the ground, seemingly eavesdropping, without caring about getting dirty.
What's underground?
He then gestured with his hands to make two little figures climbing a mountain, with a little figure following behind at the end.
Luo Yunhang really couldn't understand it.
The mute man was so anxious that he was about to cry. He patted his chest and waved his hands frantically.
Luo Yunhang understood the gesture; it was a way of telling him that he wasn't a bad person and that he hadn't done anything wrong.
Luo Yunhang secretly felt that he might really have some grievance that he couldn't express.
As for why he chose to tell himself, that remains unknown.
Although he had followed me and Xiang Tianhong yesterday, it seemed more like he was testing and observing them rather than having any ulterior motives, because his eyes were clean and clear.
Perhaps because he was mute from a young age, his world seems to be cleaner than that of ordinary people.
Luo Yunhang saw him wipe away the dust from the Buddha statues in the grotto and clean the grotto more than once, showing more seriousness and piety than others.
Other cave keepers may treat this more as a job and a task, going to work and leaving on time, but they have an emotional connection to these caves.
Therefore, Luo Yunhang was willing to believe that he wouldn't do such a thing.
However, he believed that wouldn't work; he needed to produce compelling evidence to convince everyone.
"Dumb brother, don't rush, let's talk slowly."
Are you trying to tell me that you're innocent?
The mute man nodded heavily: "Ah!"
"Then can you tell me why you went to the grotto in the middle of the night last night?"
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