"How long until you break through?"
Hassan shook his head.
"Hard to say. According to that archaeologist, once we clear this collapsed section, the main passage inside will probably be open, but nobody can guarantee we won't run into more fallen rocks farther along. If things go fast, we could have a gap open by dawn tomorrow. If not, taking two or three days would be normal. Come on, let's stop standing around in the dust. Let's go have some drinks and meat. Someone will tell us when they've broken through."
Ismael considered this briefly, then nodded and turned to follow Hassan outside.
Just before leaving the cave, Ismael turned his head and discreetly shot his trusted subordinate a look.
The subordinate understood immediately and gave an almost imperceptible nod. With a covert gesture, he took several elite men and stayed inside the cave, guarding the edge of the excavation site with loaded weapons. They kept their eyes fixed on Hassan's men, preventing them from breaking through the stone wall first and sneaking inside to strip the place bare.
Back at camp, everyone brought out liquor and meat and feasted amid the yellow sands.
However, that brief respite did not last long.
Several hours later, a piercing roar shattered the camp's peace. Several black-painted armed pickups mounted with heavy machine guns came racing toward them, kicking up billowing clouds of dust.
The East District captain jumped out with thirty or forty fully armed men, his expression hostile.
Alerted to their arrival, Ismael and Hassan immediately set down their glasses, drew the weapons at their waists, and led their men swarming forward, blocking the ruins' entrance like an iron floodgate.
"Hassan! Ismael! You two bastards sure moved fast!"
Holding a modified assault rifle, the East District captain spat, his gaze vicious.