KEO.PLUS

“Hey, look! This is a mark left by our people! It looks like the destination isn’t far now,” Walter suddenly exclaimed with excitement upon spotting something on the side of the road.

“Shut up, Walter! Do you want everyone to know about our mission?” The captain scolded him, although a hint of joy could be heard in his voice.

Although they could persevere, walking on such a hot and open road was mentally exhausting, with the oppressive sun hanging above their heads.

Now that the destination was close at hand, it meant that their tedious journey was nearing its end.

“We’ll rest for ten minutes under those trees over there, and then continue our journey. We’ll try to reach the vicinity of the temple before sunset today, and then explore the area at night,” the leader said, glancing at the still-hot sun above before pointing to the shadows of some trees not far away.

Upon hearing the order, Walter and the other person let out a sigh of relief and each picked a spot under a tree to rest.

Nighttime, a temple somewhere in Southern India.

Late at night when all is quiet, several people clad in dark clothing stealthily appeared near the temple, synchronously dispersing into different areas.

After scoping out the nearby terrain and situation, they gathered around the temple and turned their attention inside.

Barty Crouch’s orders were to probe the area around the temple. Since there was no mention of not entering the temple, naturally, the interior of the temple was also within the scope of the investigation.

As the largest temple in the Indian states, this one called Padmanabhaswami naturally had its own defenses.

Especially with the large number of Indian devotees, the donations from believers constituted a significant wealth.

To protect this wealth from malicious eyes, temple defenses were rather strong, with two patrol teams carrying torches even during pitch dark nights.

However, it was apparent that the common Indian people who made up this defensive force were no match for the Royal Security Intelligence Agency.

In an unnoticed corner, several nimble spies slipped inside unnoticed by the monks and guards.

The temple grounds were vast, not a single complete structure but rather comprised of several huge separate buildings that formed the overall temple.

Having explored all the buildings, the intelligence personnel had come up empty-handed.

According to their investigation, this temple wasn’t any different from other Indian temples, aside from its massive size.

However, would Director Barty Crouch really just be teasing them? Australia was so far from India, and everyone believed that there must be more to their mission than simply investigating an ordinary temple.

“Hey! Over here, look at this!”

Those searching immediately heard this distinct shout and rushed to the source of the noise.

It was a somewhat dilapidated-looking building, located in the heart of the temple grounds. In contrast with the surrounding majestic structures, this one appeared rather old and neglected, seemingly rarely used.

Even the path in front of the building was overgrown with weeds, and it was evident that not many people visited this area.

The group exchanged glances, unanimously feeling that something was amiss with this run-down building. Could such a decrepit structure in the midst of a lavish temple, with hardly any visitors, be considered normal?

During the day, this temple was crowded with countless devotees, and most of the buildings were packed with people.

Under these circumstances, a derelict and rarely visited building seemed unusual.

Upon quietly sneaking inside, they indeed discovered that the place was different from the other areas.

The temple’s main defenses were in its exterior, that is the torch-wielding patrol teams outside.

There was barely any protection inside the temple, which was why their exploration had gone smoothly thus far.

But now, in this rundown structure, there were two guards stationed, albeit nearly dozing off. There was no question, they concluded, that something important must be hidden inside the building.

To avoid raising any alarms, the group decided to retreat after a brief discussion.

Having already thoroughly investigated the temple’s secrets for tonight, it was time to now await Barty Crouch’s next instructions before deciding whether to venture inside that building again or not.

What the intelligence agents didn’t expect was that the real objective of their mission would indeed be the peculiar structure within the temple.

Though they missed a prime opportunity to enter, they had acquired a clearer understanding of the temple’s surroundings and interior.

Upon reconvening with everyone, Barty Crouch made the decisive decision to re-enter the temple that very night.

Barty Crouch knew what lay inside and made ample preparations. A small group would continue to explore the temple’s interior, while the rest sought an opportunity to deal with the temple’s patrolling guards and keep watch inside the temple.

Once they took care of all the guards outside, those inside could transport out the discovered treasures after they were located.

The rundown structure, still guarded by the two sleepy individuals, was the same as before.

This time, the operation was swift. Two intelligence agents stealthily approached from behind the guards and drew their knives. The guards collapsed like rag dolls with one swipe.

The intelligence personnel had scouted the temple’s interior, where there were virtually no guards apart from those two.

Most of the temple’s defense forces were positioned outside on patrol, which was why the group dared to eliminate those two guards directly.

Upon Barty Crouch’s signal, the group entered the building in single file.

The inside was filled with statues covered in dust due to a long period of neglect.

“Split up and search. Gather immediately upon finding anything,” Barty Crouch ordered.

The group began inspecting the interior, tapping and probing at the statues, intent on not missing the smallest of details.

Thud thud thud!

An agent who discovered something unusual called out in a hushed voice, “Chief! This part is hollow!”

In an instant, the busy individuals all gathered, their eyes fixated on where the noise had come from.

Thud thud thud!

Barty Crouch’s eyes lit up and he promptly commanded, “Pry it open!”