Chapter 601: Excavation
Chapter 601: Excavation (Seeking Subscriptions, Favorites, and Votes)
"Isn't that plan very dangerous? I just heard Mundungus at the door saying he'd rather die than participate in it", Liam asked.
"Of course it's dangerous", Mundungus interjected before Mad-Eye Moody could speak. "Do you know? Their plan is to find six people to drink Polyjuice Potion and transform into Harry, then split into seven teams and head in seven different directions. This way, they can ensure Harry's safety as much as possible, because even the Dark Lord can't split himself into seven parts."
"Actually, the Dark Lord did split himself into seven parts, but he can't come out to chase us", Hermione muttered to Liam through the Phoenix Mark. However, no one else in the room heard this, as Mundungus's angry and somewhat shrill voice echoed in the small kitchen.
"But this means that each pair will be surrounded by a group of Death Eaters, and the Dark Lord might join in the attack. In that situation, participating in this operation is no different from courting death."
"Shut up, Mundungus", Mad-Eye Moody slammed his hand on the table. "You're a coward. Dumbledore will support us during this operation. Even if we encounter the Dark Lord, we just need to hold out for five to six minutes in the air to receive Dumbledore's aid."
"Five to six minutes, sure. It sounds easy, but I don't think any two of us can survive the Dark Lord's attack for that long", Mundungus said hysterically. "I can't go to my death for others. Only idiots like you would do that."
"Mundungus!" Mad-Eye Moody stood up, both eyes glaring at Mundungus. "I know you're a spineless worm, but don't assume everyone is like you—"
"Alright, stop fighting", Liam interjected, finally understanding what was happening. "So, to avoid the Dark Lord's surveillance, we can only use broomsticks, Thestrals, or Sirius Black's Flying Motorcycle, because these don't require us to use magic, right?"
"That's correct", Lupin said gently. "I know it's a dangerous plan, but we don't have a better alternative."
"But I think I have a way to significantly increase the safety of this plan", Liam said, recalling something he had seen in the Men in Black worlds. "How many days do we have before we go to pick up Harry?"
"Three days, if we don't count today", Sirius Black stood up, looking excited. "Do you have a way to make this operation safer?"
"Of course, but I need a standalone house by tonight. This house should be within 3 kilometers of Harry's residence and have no prior connection to the Wizarding World. Additionally, we must avoid using any magic to acquire it to prevent suspicion", Liam explained.
"No problem, I'll take care of it", Lupin stood up, almost unconditionally trusting Liam. "From what I know, there's little money can't do for Muggles."
Lupin glanced at Sirius Black, who nodded in agreement. "No problem, I have plenty of Muggle money. At least renting a small house is doable."
Back in the day, Little Wolf had been fascinated with Muggle culture and even bought an expensive motorcycle. So it was natural that he had a good amount of pounds on hand. For safety, Sirius Black stayed at The Burrow, while Lupin called Tonks down from upstairs, where she was learning household tips from Mrs. Weasley. The two then headed to London.
Lupin and Tonks first went to the bank to withdraw money from Sirius Black's account. After checking the map and confirming the distance, they headed to the Surrey area in west London. Within two hours, they successfully rented a two-story detached house in the Mole Valley, near Harry's aunt's house. The house was a similar size and a fair distance from the surrounding houses, ensuring it was isolated enough.
The ease with which they managed to rent the house was due to the recent terrorist attacks by Voldemort's organization. Since the attacks had primarily focused on Greater London and its surrounding areas, many locals had chosen to temporarily relocate for safety. This resulted in a significant number of vacant properties in the area.
The pudgy real estate agent, who had been called in at the last minute, was initially surprised when they paid in cash. However, he was reassured when he saw Tonks gently taking out a handkerchief from her pocket to wipe the sweat from Lupin's forehead.
Lupin had endured a tumultuous life, and although the past two years of relative stability had helped heal some of the physical damage he had suffered, his prematurely aged appearance and streaks of white hair were irreversible. To the real estate agent, it was clear that Lupin and Tonks were a couple with a significant age gap, likely forced to elope due to family opposition. In such a situation, it made sense that their credit cards had been frozen, and paying in cash for the rental was perfectly understandable.
Of course, Lupin was unaware of the story the real estate agent had concocted in his mind. He simply felt that the rental process had gone smoothly. After paying the deposit and rent, the house would be entirely at Lupin's disposal for the next two years.
"This place is great", Lupin said after using the Two-way Mirror to inform those waiting at The Burrow. Soon, Liam and Hermione appeared in the house together. Lupin had learned from Dumbledore that Liam and Hermione possessed a special method of dimensional transfer that could bypass most of the Wizarding World's detection and dimensional barriers. However, even after witnessing it firsthand, he was still amazed.
Unlike the usual sound of a pop followed by a spinning appearance during Illusion Apparition, Liam and Hermione appeared suddenly, hand in hand, as if they had been edited into the scene in a video, materializing in the previously empty room.
"Can we ask what your plan is?" Tonks inquired curiously.
"Of course", Hermione nodded and explained. "We will spend the next three days digging an underground passage from here to Harry's aunt's house without using any magic. Once that's done, Harry will use this passage to evacuate. The rest of us will follow the original plan to draw the Dark Lord's attention and buy Harry time."
"Although the distance we need to dig is about 100 meters longer than we initially estimated, if we start now, we should be able to complete our preparations on schedule", Liam said after consulting with the spaceship orbiting in low Earth orbit, which was serving as a reconnaissance satellite. "We're starting now. I hope you can keep this confidential when you return, and only inform Mad-Eye Moody or Dumbledore."
"Understood. We'll head back to The Burrow and return in three days", Lupin nodded solemnly, pulling Tonks away as if he had realized something important.
"Alright, let's get started", Liam said once Lupin and Tonks had left. He first set up some gemstones inscribed with runes around the house to create a defensive alchemy array. Then, he opened a portal and retrieved a laser sintering tunneling machine about the size of a small silver-white van, which fortunately fit into the living room.
Liam had obtained this tunneling machine from the Men in Black world. He had initially acquired it to provide a new underground excavator for the Radiation World, allowing the Vanguard Team to quickly dig new shelters in dangerous areas they had never accessed before. Now, this machine was perfect for executing their evacuation plan.
Over the next three days, Liam and Hermione supervised the tunneling machine's excavation from the house until the day of the planned evacuation arrived.
(End of Chapter)
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