Chapter 216 - 97: Violent Safe Cracking (Part 2)
The hardness of the blue stone was very high. Chiseling on the steel plate's surface sparked a bit, while also shattering some stone debris.
A shock ran through his hand, and seeing the slight indentation at the edge of the gap, Chen Zhou slightly adjusted the angle of the stone and continued pounding downwards.
The tip of the wedge-shaped stone soon became flat and blunt in such violent collisions, wearing away cleanly.
The damage to the gap at the edge of the safe door was slight but clearly deforming, with a trend of expanding to either side.
"Effective!"
With a joyful heart, Chen Zhou found a new wedge-shaped stone and continued striking.
The incessant "dang dang dang" sound of metal clashing filled the air. By the dying campfire, sparks flickered from time to time.
Lai Fu couldn't understand what madness had possessed his master again. With its keen hearing, it was even more affected by the noise. It glanced sneakily at Chen Zhou, and seeing that its master wasn't paying attention to it, it slinked away from the camp with its tail hanging low.
...
Chen Zhou didn't know how many wedge-shaped stones he had broken. He clenched his left hand, feeling a slight sting in his palm.
Raising his hand into the light to look,
he found that despite the cloth protection, the sharp edges of the stone had still cut his palm, with fresh blood seeping out.
"Damn it, I should've brought those rabbit fur gloves.
Although they are crudely made and uncomfortable to wear, they are sturdy and could protect my hands!"
"Now my hand's cut and I have to disinfect it with alcohol, just more suffering."
Shaking his head, Chen Zhou didn't want to stop working because of this small injury.
The gap was getting bigger, and success seemed to be within reach, beckoning him.
At this critical moment, he couldn't drop the ball.
He found a clean strip of cloth to wrap his palm, and also wrapped the stone in a thick layer, adding another layer of insurance. Under this "double insurance" protection, Chen Zhou continued his arduous task.
Around midnight, the gap at the edge of the safe door had widened enough to fit an entire chisel.
The second phase of the violent safe-cracking had begun.
Long periods of physical labor had honed Chen Zhou's strength and willpower. He was full of energy, seemingly with endless strength in his body.
He worked in silence, only knowing to swing the hammer in his hand.
In the camp, the metallic sound of hammering continued throughout the night.
...
By dawn, Chen Zhou's violent methods had pried the safe door slightly upward.
Inserting a crowbar into the gap, bracing a foot against the safe's body, and pressing down forcefully with both hands, Chen Zhou heaved against the safe door with his strength and the weight of the safe itself.
The thick steel plate emitted a tooth-aching creaking sound, as if numerous tightly-connected clasps were slowly disintegrating.
But this disintegration had its limits.
As it stood, only one of the two hinges on the safe door had been pried off, with the other hinge still firmly holding onto the door, fulfilling its duty.
Releasing the crowbar, and seeing that the cloth wrapped around his palm was soaked with blood, Chen Zhou decided to take a break; the work had reached a pause.
Unknowingly, he had been busy all night, and it was now eight or nine in the morning.
Both his body and mind were exhausted, his stomach hungry, and injured as he was, he only wanted a good rest.
With a simple breakfast, he poured some rum over his palm to disinfect it, and lay down on the ground for a nap.
Around three or four in the afternoon, he suddenly woke from his sleep. Sitting up, he cleared his mind and then picked up the crowbar to continue the unfinished work.
...
The closer he got to the moment when the truth would be revealed, the more excited Chen Zhou became, his spirits so high that he temporarily ignored his exhaustion.
Unknowingly, night fell again, and the campfire was rekindled.
With a crisp snap, the last hinge on the safe door broke apart completely, leaving only the front latch securing the door.
At this point, whether he could open the safe was merely a matter of time.
Taking out the screw jack, adjusting the angle, Chen Zhou turned the handle.
This old mechanical structure was simple but effective.
Under the strong leverage, the safe door was pried higher and higher until Chen Zhou could see what was inside through the gap.
Though the outer walls were thick, the interior space of the safe was not very large, with the left and right sides divided into two parts.
The left side was directly exposed to Chen Zhou's view, vaguely showing a pile of paper documents, blue leather files, and red leather certificates printed with a string of Russian text.
Chen Zhou was somewhat knowledgeable; he could read, speak, and write English without much trouble.
But when it came to Russian, he was like someone with seven orifices but six of them blocked — completely clueless.
As for the right side of the safe, it was a locked small drawer.
Luckily, the drawer had a key in it, so it could be opened without further ado.
While turning the handle, Chen Zhou kept his head low, peeking through the gap in the safe door for a long time but failing to decipher what the Russian words meant. He had no choice but to continue dismantling the safe door.
...
After the unbreakable line of defense was breached, the work of opening the safe became increasingly smooth.
An hour later, Chen Zhou could finally remove the screw jack, grab the safe door, and pull out the bent lock cylinder.
With a "clang," he casually tossed the heavy safe door aside, and all the items inside were laid bare before his eyes.
Ignoring the "waste paper," Chen Zhou first turned the key and opened the drawer.
"The most important things must be hidden in the drawer," he thought.
...
Once the drawer was opened, the result was just as anticipated.
Inside was a revolver wrapped in oil paper, gleaming with a dark luster, with six bullets scattered beside it.
The revolver was very well maintained, with no rust on any of its parts, and not even visible scratches or wear.
Turning out the cylinder, with the mechanical damping sensation, the empty chamber revealed itself, the exquisite black metal possessing the unique beauty of a deadly weapon.