After having a tuna sandwich, potato salad, and mineral water for lunch at his desk at MIT, the professor sat down in front of a supercomputer and began to work. First, he accessed CCTV footage from the surrounding area. He had no trouble hacking into the camera sites, and within an hour, he retrieved a substantial amount of footage. He saw two men dressed in dark coats and skating caps approach Lee Chen from behind. One struck him over the head with a club, while the other punched him in the chin and on the side of the face. Once he was on the ground, they kicked him several times. Within a minute, the attack was over, and they left.
The photos weren't great, but he forwarded them to Feng Lee at the Chinatown police division. He then began to investigate the records of the Ashford company. Initially, he found nothing. However, over time, he noticed a large cash flow supposedly from the sale of antiquities purchased from South America. Yet, the amounts of money made were improbable given the products the company was selling to importers throughout the United States. Something was amiss.
The professor then examined the origin of the goods. He saw two places, one in Mexico and one in Bolivia. When he examined Google Earth, he discovered that these supposed antiquities were being sent from two large factories. This made no sense. Within an hour, the professor had made plane reservations to the interior of Mexico and then to rural Bolivia. Further research was planned, but this would serve as a starting point.
After an initial flight to San Diego, Luden flew to Mexico City and rented a car for the two-hour drive to Cholula. The small town was primarily known for a great pyramid, and initially, Luden was confused until he spotted a dirt road unobtrusively leading from town toward the west. He drove for several miles and then came across a low-lying building surrounded by a barbed wire fence. A guard tower stood in front, and the entire complex appeared impenetrable. The professor hadn't anticipated walking into the building, but he had a plan in place.
For Dennis Humphrey