The Omniscient

Chapter 68: Obtaining the Buddha’s Bone

Huang Ji and Lin Li found a place to melt down the gold bars into a single lump.

By 5 PM, the two drove toward the Luoyang Archaeological Research Institute.

On the way, Lin Li asked, "I didn’t expect those guys to get away..."

Huang Ji replied calmly, "That’s normal. Did you really think a single police report would make them deploy a massive net to catch criminals? Law enforcement resources are limited. For a regular report like this, they usually just send a couple of officers to investigate."

"And those grave robbers? They’re skilled. They may not be great at other things, but when it comes to climbing walls, scaling trees, or navigating caves, they’re top-notch! Two officers, or even two more, wouldn’t be enough to catch them. I’d have to handle it myself to get the job done."

Lin Li laughed, "With your skills, Big Bro, they’d never escape if you went after them personally."

"I don’t have the time to deal with them. It’s already 5 PM, and the institute closes in an hour. A bunch of grave robbers isn’t worth setting up an elaborate trap. If they got away, it just means they’re competent." Huang Ji stroked the ornate box in his hand.

Lin Li asked curiously, "How many traps did you set for them just now?"

"And last time, with Old Ma and his crew?" Lin Li followed up.

"Four," Huang Ji answered, glancing out the window as they arrived at the institute.

Lin Li inhaled sharply, struggling to imagine how terrifying a trap involving "ten sides" would be.

At the institute, Huang Ji adjusted his appearance slightly and got out of the car alone, walking inside.

A security guard with a scruffy beard stopped him and asked, "Hello, what brings you here?"

Huang Ji smiled and said, "May I ask if Professor Chen is here?"

The guard shook his head. "Professor Chen is at a project site in Caogou Village, over in Xinzheng. Do you need something?"

Huang Ji opened the box and said, "It’s like this: I have a Tang Dynasty bronze mirror with Flying Immortal inscriptions in my collection. But my preservation skills are limited, and after much thought, I’ve decided to donate it to your institute."

"Donating an artifact?" The guard was stunned. Someone donating artifacts wasn’t something you could easily brush off. Turning them away would discourage enthusiasm, and he didn’t have the authority to do that.

He quickly said, "The main professors are out, but I think one of Professor Chen’s students is here. Let me contact them. Please have a seat."

"Sure." Huang Ji sat on the sofa with the box while the guard made a call and even brought him a cup of water.

It was clear the institute had minimal staff left, mostly security. The discovery of the Ruins of Zhu Rong had consumed the attention of archaeological teams nationwide.

Using the excuse of donating an artifact, Huang Ji aimed to gain easy access to the Golden Buddha. Once the Flying Immortal Mirror was temporarily taken in, it would be sent to the preservation and restoration center, where the Golden Buddha was also stored.

Soon, one of Professor Chen’s students, Tang Xia, who was also a restoration specialist at the preservation center, came downstairs.

Huang Ji approached her with a smile and said, "You must be Tang Xia?"

Tang Xia smiled back, "You know me?"Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"How could I not? Back in 2005, Professor Chen brought you to an excavation at Xiao Pangou in Mengjin, where you were responsible for artifact preservation. I remember it well," Huang Ji said naturally.

Tang Xia did remember that. She smiled and replied, "Oh yes, yes. Were you there too? Sorry, I don’t recall you."

Huang Ji waved it off. "It’s normal not to remember. You were focused on your work and never looked up to see me. My last name is Jia, and my name is Jia Hua."

The two shook hands, and before Tang Xia could ask further questions, Huang Ji presented the Flying Immortal Mirror for her inspection.

Tang Xia was immediately captivated by the bronze mirror.

The surface was speckled with rust, but the Flying Immortal patterns on the body were elegant and exquisite. The mirror's rim had a dedicated space for 24 engraved characters, which read:

"Light flows like a pure moon, its essence rooted in mystic perfection. It reflects clear water in a serene sky, illuminating with a crystal clarity that endures through eternity, a radiance that purifies the soul."

Tang Xia studied it for a long time, deeply impressed by the craftsmanship and cultural richness.

After some initial examination, she remarked, "This reflects the Tang Dynasty style. If it’s authentic, it must have been used or gifted by the imperial Li family."

"However, I can’t make a definitive judgment. My teacher would have to assess it."

She was about to inquire whether Huang Ji could confirm the mirror’s legal origins, as donating an artifact required it to be legitimate. Illegally acquired items could only be surrendered, not donated.

Moreover, donations had to be authentic and of high research value—random items like old coins wouldn’t be accepted by the museum.

But before she could ask, Huang Ji preemptively said, "Since Professor Chen isn’t here, let’s wait until he returns to go through the formal donation process."

Tang Xia nodded with a smile. "That would be best."

Huang Ji seized the opportunity to ask, "In the meantime, could you help me restore it? This mirror is stunning, but it’s starting to rust in several places. I’m afraid its value will diminish if left untreated."

Tang Xia, being a restoration specialist, carefully examined it again and agreed, "It does need some work. Follow me."

Huang Ji smiled and followed her upstairs to the preservation and restoration center.

Tang Xia opened a maintenance room, invited Huang Ji to sit, and placed the bronze mirror on her workbench to begin the restoration process.

As she worked with her back turned, Huang Ji sent a text message to Lin Li.

Then, moving silently with measured steps, he stood up and walked toward the door.

Tang Xia, completely absorbed in her task, didn’t hear a thing. She became increasingly convinced that this was a genuine artifact.

There were no signs of modern craftsmanship—it was purely made with ancient techniques. The water erosion and weathering were entirely natural, without any artificial tampering.

She was 99% certain this was a highly valuable research artifact. If the institute acquired it, the donor’s name would be commemorated on the wall permanently.

Still, she didn’t have the authority to accept it casually. It would be best to wait for the institute's senior staff to return and hold a formal ceremony.

Completely engrossed, she didn’t consider for a moment that someone might try to steal an artifact here. After all, the place was filled with surveillance cameras, and every artifact was accounted for. If even a single piece went missing, it would spark a massive search.

Unbeknownst to her, Huang Ji had already swiped the keys from her desk and quietly left the room.

He walked down the hallway to another storage room. Despite the surveillance cameras overhead, he boldly unlocked the door as if he had nothing to hide.

No one was watching the monitors at that moment. Huang Ji, with just a glance at the camera, could tell how many people were observing, whether they would rewind the footage later, and what actions would go unnoticed.

Lin Li had already set his plan into motion. He drove their car directly into a roadside drainage ditch, flipping it onto its side!

Taking advantage of the situation, Lin Li crawled out and wedged himself into the drainage ditch. Using the ditch as support, the car's weight didn’t actually press down on him but acted more like a lid, trapping him underneath.

"Help! Somebody, help!" Lin Li shouted loudly. The location was right near the institute's front plaza, close to the fountain. As expected, the security guards nearby rushed out to assist.

"Quick, quick, over here!"

"Give me a hand! Everybody together!"

"Lift on three! Heave!"

The guards worked together to lift the car and rescue Lin Li, including those who had been stationed in the surveillance room. This gave Huang Ji the perfect opportunity to walk directly into the storage room without anyone watching.

This moment had been meticulously planned, with multiple layers of setup and repeated simulations to ensure success.

On any other day, this building would have been bustling with staff. Even without active surveillance, the hallways were usually full of people coming and going. Huang Ji had orchestrated the archaeological focus on the Ruins of Zhu Rong to leave the institute critically understaffed.

Additionally, without presenting an exquisite, rare artifact of great research value, he wouldn’t have been able to captivate Tang Xia and fully engross her in her work.

"My window is just five minutes," Huang Ji muttered to himself.

Wasting no time, Huang Ji went straight to Cabinet 32 and retrieved the Golden Buddha.

Carrying it quickly, he entered an adjacent restoration room equipped with various cutting and restoration tools. He laid the Buddha statue on the workbench and used a 1mm probe to drill into the base of the Buddha. Inside, there was a mechanism located 30 centimeters deep.

Without a doubt, no artifact researcher in the country could have discovered this hidden mechanism within the statue’s belly. Only Huang Ji, with his unique perception, could see through it instantly.

Click. A faint sound came from within the statue.

A hidden opening appeared at the Buddha’s ankle. However, this opening wasn’t meant for removing items; it was a mechanism to alter the Buddha’s sitting posture.

Huang Ji grabbed the opening, pulled and twisted it like he was handling a Transformer toy, and manipulated the statue from its seated lotus position into a bizarre, splayed-leg standing stance.

Of course, the upper body of the Buddha remained in its original seated posture. That part was solidly cast in bronze. But the legs were different, and now that they were spread apart, the statue’s overall appearance became extremely awkward and unnatural.

Huang Ji didn’t care about aesthetics. Reaching into the now-exposed cavity, he pulled out a golden finger!

“Block it! Block it!”

As soon as he touched it, a flood of information surged into his mind. Huang Ji managed to suppress most of it, but some information still overwhelmed his body, which wasn’t yet strong enough to handle it all.

Enduring the influx of data, he rolled up his pant leg to retrieve the lump of gold strapped to his calf.

He replaced the golden finger with the lump of gold, carefully adjusting its angle to ensure a seamless fit. Then, he repositioned the Buddha’s legs into their original lotus posture.

Finally, he used a tiny amount of copper paste to seal the 1mm probe hole, inspecting every detail to ensure there were no issues, even down to the third decimal place of his calculations.

By the time the Buddha was restored to its original state, four minutes and a few seconds had passed.

Huang Ji swiftly cleaned up any traces of his actions, returned the Golden Buddha to Cabinet 32, and locked it securely.

At precisely 4 minutes and 46 seconds, Huang Ji silently stepped back into Tang Xia’s workshop.

He placed her keys back on the desk and sat on the sofa with a relaxed smile, waiting.

The best targets for theft are those who don’t even realize they possess something worth stealing...

As far as the institute was concerned, nothing had happened.

Huang Ji’s hand tightened around the golden finger hidden in his pocket as he began processing the flood of information it contained.

"A Buddha's bone? Wait a second... This is alien language. But the meaning can indeed be directly translated to 'Buddha.'”

"An alien civilization with the concept of Buddha?"

…