Sorting out the necessary information from a large pile of materials has never been a simple task. However, with the acquisition of the card "Logic Enhancement (R)," Liang En felt that he could give it a try.
Perhaps, with the added benefit of a "golden finger," he might be able to extract some meaningful insights from the data that others had gained nothing from.
Of course, as a contingency plan, Liang En also requested the butler to provide him with a representative item from the relics left by Lord Du Lisi.
At the beginning, the butler was somewhat puzzled by Liang En's approach. However, when Liang En explained that this was a form of minor superstition, a way to pray for luck to be on his side, the butler quickly agreed to his request.
After all, the Earl's family entrusted this task to Liang En not only because his honesty had been confirmed from previous treasures, but also due to his exceptional luck that ordinary people could not reach.
Thus, when it came to matters related to luck, the Earl's family naturally leaned towards believing rather than doubting.
As a result, two hours later, someone specially dispatched by the family brought a broken camera that Lord Du Lisi had used before departing, a relic from that time.
"This camera was one of the two that Lord Du Lisi used before setting off," the bodyguard who had previously accompanied the butler to receive the wealth said to Liang En across the coffee table.
"At that time, he intended to bring both cameras and use one as a backup. However, this camera's shutter had some issues, so he left it at home."
"Thank you. With this item, I'll have more assurance," Liang En accepted the old camera and assured the bodyguard, "I'd like to ask, when do you plan to depart?"
Seeing Liang En take the old-fashioned camera, the representative of the Earl's family's bodyguards inquired on behalf of the family.
"I will depart as soon as possible," Liang En immediately responded to the question, "Because it's already November, and if we delay any further, Russia's winter will make our progress extremely difficult."
"Do you truly believe that just the two of us can find the missing war correspondent?" Five days later, seated in the co-driver's seat of a vehicle driving north from St. Petersburg, Pierce asked Liang En, who was at the wheel.
"It's still uncertain," Liang En shook his head gently, "But I found some intriguing information in those documents, so it's necessary to inspect the scene in person."
The card "Logic Enhancement (R)" indeed possessed extraordinary power. With this card, Liang En could swiftly analyze a vast amount of data and summarize the relevant portions effectively.
Thus, during these few days of preparation, Liang En quickly discovered a series of items he desired from the decades of accumulated materials.
Of course, during the process of organizing these files, Liang En also realized the aspects not covered by these documents. This is why he planned to explore the Russian site after completing the systematic arrangement of those files.
After leaving the city for over half an hour, they drove off the highway and followed a dilapidated military road that had likely been abandoned for years, leading into the woods.
"Why would there be a road in the woods?" Pierce, who had expected a wilderness, looked curiously at the cracked asphalt road.
"It was probably built during the Cold War," Liang En glanced at the rusted remains of a signpost by the roadside. "Don't forget, this is the flank of St. Petersburg. Just over a hundred kilometers north is the Finnish border, so there were naturally many military installations."
"Let's park the car here." After driving for a minute or two along this jungle military path, the two parked the car in a clearing amidst the trees. They then retrieved a metal detector, a shovel, and a hunting rifle from the trunk.
Though November marked a time when bears and such were generally less active, having some defensive weapons on hand was essential to guard against the unlikely event that an overfed bear decided to take a stroll.
"Do you think there might be bombs or landmines here?" Observing the surroundings, Pierce's face revealed a nervous expression.
Before coming to Russia, he had extensively researched online, and much of the information cautioned about the dangerous explosives still lingering on Russia's World War II-related battlefields. This forest was, after all, a front line during the war.
"Don't worry, even though this place was a war zone, it wasn't the frontline where both sides clashed directly. So, there shouldn't be too many explosive materials around," Liang En reassured.
"Moreover, during the Cold War, this area was a military assembly point, so if there were dangerous explosives, they would've been cleared long ago."
"So, what are we doing here then?" Pierce asked in confusion. "Since this place has been through construction before, anything valuable would likely have been taken already."
"Don't rush. Our purpose here isn't to dig something up, but to reconstruct the possible escape route of the missing war correspondent," Liang En explained while walking ahead.
"Based on the information I found earlier, I can confirm that the journalist didn't die or even get injured after the artillery barrage. So, our primary goal here is to retrace the direction in which he might have fled."
"It should be around here." After leaving the car and walking a few hundred meters into the woods, they stopped in a small depression.
The depression wasn't particularly large, at most enough to fit half a basketball court. Over the years, layers of yellowed leaves had almost entirely filled the not-so-deep depression.
If it weren't for the detailed map Liang En obtained from the Count's butler and the photos taken by treasure hunters, he might have overlooked this terrain, which was commonly seen in the woods.
"You mean this was where the Finnish squad got shelled by artillery back in the day?" Observing Liang En use a hiking pole from his backpack to measure the depression's size, Pierce took his hunting rifle off his shoulder and kept a vigilant watch on their surroundings while asking.
"That's right. According to the archive records obtained from Russia by the Count, it was an elite unit that got attacked. So, after being ambushed by the Finnish squad, they retaliated with a 45mm cannon mounted on a BA-10 armored car."
After confirming the size of the depression and the general terrain around it, Liang En began discussing some of his analyses from the information he had gathered.
"Due to the use of these small-caliber direct-fire cannons, other than one soldier being killed instantly, all the other Finns in this pit, including our war correspondent, survived."
"Realizing they were discovered, the squad immediately withdrew from this location and headed back towards their own positions. But the Soviet troops on the nearby road continued to shell and fire at them."
"In the darkness, being shot at with weapons, it's indeed easier to get lost in a place like this." Hearing Liang En's explanation, Pierce looked around the dense woods with a knowing expression, then furrowed his brows.
"But the problem is, this forest is so vast. How can we possibly determine the direction they ran off to?"