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Now he could learn exactly what his enemies intended

Once he assumed the premiership, in total co the absolute backing of the Central Committee and the military, he would never be in doubt

Until that happened, he was vulnerable

So anything that minimized his risks was appreciated

His phone alerted hie from his staff He studied the screen WEATHER ACCESSED FOR LINTONG COUNTY

Bythe helicopter’s data streaital information was both sent and received from the onboard electronics Viktor had said that if he failed to radio in, but instead requested weather conditions for a particular locale, then that here they were headed

Lintong lay in Shaanxi province, just east of Xi’an

Where the tomb of Qin Shi and the terra-cotta army rested

He answered the text to his staff with a concise order

MAKE SURE THEIR PATH IS CLEAR NO INTERFERENCE

FIFTY

1:00 PM

MALONE SAT IN THE HELICOPTER’S PASSENGER COMPARTMENT with Cassiopeia and Pau Wen, while Viktor flew alone in the cockpit His clothes et fro northeast, a thousand kilometers across the heart of China, toward Shaanxi province and Xi’an He re Viktor, so he motioned at Cassiopeia and Pau to remove their headsets

He nestled close to the” He kept his voice just below the din of the rotors

“We’re ht her irritation

“I realize your goal is to find Sokolov’s boy But does either of you think all this is happening with no one knowing?”

“It clearly is not,” Pau said “But we are gettin

g where we need to go Once there, we can change the situation”

“And fighting with Viktor,” Cassiopeia said, “is not going to s easier”

“You’ve got a soft spot for him, don’t you?”

“I have a soft spot for Lev Sokolov’s son I want to find that boy To do that I need a saet that, we have to be in Xi’an”

“You don’t really think that deal is still good, do you? Sokolov’s apparently in deep trouble”

Her frustration was evident and he hated pressing, but it had to be said

“Tang could already have Sokolov,” he said “He er”

“Then why are we still alive?” she asked

He pointed at Pau “Apparently, he’s what interests Tang now Viktor made that abundantly clear”

And there hat Ivan had not said About Sokolov The Russians wanted him back but, if left with no choice, dead was not out of the question

He faced Pau “What are we going to do once we’re on the ground?”

“We will enter the tohts”

He found an equipment bay where two lay and retrieved them

“The tomb was not finished at the time of Qin’s death,” Pau said “His son, the Second Emperor, coners, and soround They died with their emperor”

“How do you know that?” Malone asked

“I’ve seen their bones They were there when I entered the tomb”

“But you’re saying there was another way in and out,” Cassiopeia said

Pau explained that groundwater had been a challenge for the builders, as their excavations had been deep enough to tap the water table So an elaborate underground drainage systeh the earth, as , which prevented water fro construction Once completed, most of the tunnels were refilled with tamped earth to form a dam