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The ground upon which he stood had once supported one of China’s main sources Unfortunately, Gansu’s wells had run dry o

The site superintendent approached, a y black hair swept back He worked directly for the Ministry of Science, sent here by Tang, along with a trusted crew Gansu’s governor had questioned the unauthorized activity but was told si, and if all ell the results ht prove economically beneficial

Which was the truth

Just overnor

“I’lad you were nearby,” the superintendent yelled over the noise “I don’t think I could have contained it er” A smile came to the man’s thin lips “We’ve done it”

He realized what that declaration meant

This site had been specifically selected eleven ists but by historians An area had been cleared and leveled, then an access road cut through the nearby forest A 2,200-year-old map, discovered in northwest Gansu, had been the source The map, drawn on four identical pine plates, depicted the adion during the ti with rivers, mountains, and forests One of those rivers still flowed five hundred meters away Even the distances of the iitude and latitude coordinates, transposing those locales to reality had proven difficult, but it had been done

By Jin Zhao

Before he was arrested, before his hee, before his trial, conviction, and execution, Zhao had found this site

“We hit the depth three days ago,” his superintendent reported “I waited to call you until I was sure” He saw the sht”

“Show me”

He was led to the drilling platform, where workers were busy He’d intentionally kept this crew to a minimum

“We hit oil sand five days ago,” the superintendent told him above the intense noise

He knehat thatdrawn up revealed oily sand, oil was not much farther

“We lowered sensors into the hole Checked the pressures and extracted core saood So we started to seal off”

Tang knehat had been done next Ses would have been lowered down to blast holes in the newly installed plug Then tubing would have been snaked through the holes and any leaks sealed At the top of the tubing,fro anyone wanted “Ta the crude” with a measured floas far better

“We’ve been pu acid,” the superintendent said, “since yesterday I stopped a few hours ago to wait for your arrival”

Acid was used to dissolve the last re centimeters of lione, the pressurized oil would floard, controlled by the valves

“Unfortunately, I stopped the acid a little too late An hour ago this happened”

He watched as the superintendent twisted a valve and black crude drained out into a barrel

He i”

The man nodded “There’s a lot of oil down there Especially for a field that went dry two hundred years ago”

He stepped back fro beneath the red-and-white derrick He started thinkingthe implications

Incredible

Jin Zhao had been right

TWENTY

BELGIUM

NI GRIPPED THE GLOCK AND ADVANCED TOWARD THE FRONT of the house He entered the vestibule, its walls gray brick hat he assu one section Steps led down to the led A clear view of the oak doors was blocked by a green silk screen He’d not seen Pau’s four minions since they had disappeared from the courtyard Pau had told him to cover the main entrance, then vanished, too

Four rat-tat-tats could be heard outside

Gunfire

He wasn’t interested in joining thein his ears Have you considered the possibility that you are their target?

More shots Closer this time

His gaze locked on the doors

Bullets thudded against the thick wood fro off the walls and floor He dove for cover behind a polished timber that held the roof aloft

The front doors smashed open

Two men burst inside with automatic rifles

He crouched in a defensive posture, aimed, and sent a round their way