Guanzhong Tomb Robbery Notes

Chapter 444: Toothpaste Skin, the Person in the Dog Cage

That weak cry gave me an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

But since my parents left, the person who calls me "Stone" most often is my grandfather.

Well, there is also Professor Zhang from a few years ago.

There's no way my grandfather would be here.

Could it be that the person calling me in the tile-roofed house was Professor Zhang?

My heart shuddered.

Thinking carefully about the weak cry I just heard, it really sounded a bit like Professor Zhang's voice.

its not right!

Huang Ziran had said before that Professor Zhang and Zhang Nan were taken to Blackwater City...

and many more!

Could it be that Huang Ziran made up the story that Professor Zhang and his team went to Blackwater City?

Before entering the village, I was willing to believe what Huang Ziran said.

Ever since he left without saying goodbye, I've started to doubt what he said.

Now, the weak shouting voice that sounded like Professor Zhang's voice made my trust in Huang Ziran completely collapse.

"call!"

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down.

The most important thing now is to go in and find the person who called me to see if he is Professor Zhang!

If Professor Zhang is really in there.

Could Zhang Nan be in there too?

Will she be hurt...

When I thought of Zhang Nan, my heart couldn't help but tighten.

He immediately rushed to the gate, took down the hanging lantern, and walked into the village courtyard.

Uncle Zheng didn't hesitate at all and supported Han Bin to keep up with me.

It was Ma Dong and the others who began to hesitate.

"Hey!"

Ma Dong lowered his voice and shouted, "Do you really want to go in?"

"Those weird things just now all came out from various courtyards."

"Wouldn't it be a trap to go in?"

Without even turning my head, I said coldly, "Even if there's a net of heaven and earth ahead, I'm going to break through it."

"If you're willing to follow, come in and close the gate."

"If you don't want to follow me, go wherever you want."

Ma Dong was so anxious that his eyebrows were about to be twisted into one.

He looked around with doubtful eyes.

After a few seconds, he stomped his feet hard as if he had made a huge decision.

He waved his hand and said, "Enter the courtyard!"

The five of them immediately closed the gate after entering the yard.

A strong man was about to lock the gate with the bolt when Ma Dong grabbed his arm.

"Are you stupid?!"

"God knows what's in there."

"If Chen goes in and runs into evil, we can still run away quickly."

"If you lock the door, you'll ruin our chance to escape!"

The strong man quickly threw the bolt aside.

He slapped his forehead and said, "Look at my stupid head. I almost hurt everyone."

Ma Dong ordered: "Let's guard the gate of the courtyard, each of us watching in one direction!"

"Everyone, cheer up and keep your eyes open!"

The five of them huddled behind the courtyard gate.

One person looked out from the crack in the door, while the other four were staring at various directions in the yard from different angles.

At this moment, I have walked to the door of the tile-roofed house in the middle.

The newly painted vermilion wooden door exudes a faint smell of paint.

Listening carefully, I heard faint breathing sounds coming from inside the door.

This matched the weak cry just now, indicating that the person inside was not in good health.

"Cough cough."

I coughed twice to alert the person inside.

So as not to startle the other person by speaking suddenly.

"Is that Professor Zhang?"

As I asked this question, beads of sweat appeared on my palms due to nervousness.

I both hope that the person inside is Professor Zhang and not hope that the person inside is Professor Zhang.

If the person inside is Professor Zhang, we can quickly obtain a lot of useful information.

Maybe we can find the key to breaking the deadlock.

So I hope the person inside is Professor Zhang.

The reason why I didn't want the person inside to be Professor Zhang was because I was afraid that Zhang Nan had been hurt...

"Yes, it's me."

"Shi Tou, please open the door and come in."

Professor Zhang's voice seemed weaker than before.

But when I heard Professor Zhang say "It's me", my heart instantly turned cold.

It’s really Professor Zhang!

That Zhang Nan...

I didn't dare to think too much and raised my foot to kick the door.

Uncle Zheng quickly stopped me: "Don't!"

"Kicking the door makes too much noise!"

I suppressed my impatience and growled, "How do I open the door?!"

"I'll do it, let me open it."

Han Bin said as he took out a square piece of metal from his pocket.

The metal sheet is rectangular and very thin.

The material looks like it's cut out of toothpaste tube.

At that time, toothpaste tubes were made of metal, mainly composed of lead, tin, aluminum and other metal components.

Because of its metal content, toothpaste tubes were a popular item for recycling at that time.

Most people save up their used toothpaste tubes, and if they have enough, they sell them to junk collectors for a few cents.

"Toothpaste tube?" I couldn't help but ask.

Han Bin grinned and nodded, "That's right."

"You don't know that this thing can open the door, do you?"

I really don’t know about that.

At that time, most people in the village could not afford toothpaste, and few had even seen toothpaste.

I first saw toothpaste when I was studying with Professor Zhang.

Han Bin stuffed the thin toothpaste tube into the crack of the door.

Then pinch the exposed part and move it towards the door lock position little by little.

"The toothpaste skin is thin and can be bent easily."

"It can easily fit under the door."

"After inserting it, just move it upwards slowly until the inserted part moves to the lock tongue position."

"If you push harder, you can push the lock tongue open."

"But you have to be clever when you hit it, after all, the toothpaste skin is not rigid enough..."

Han Bin explained the technical essentials to me while he was operating.

It seems that he has used toothpaste tubes to open door locks many times.

Before the early 1990s, most homes used single-bolt door locks.

The lock tongue of this type of lock is not square.

Instead, it has a curve, like a small tongue sticking out.

As long as there is enough gap in the door, you can easily open the door lock with a soft and tough object.

For example, from the late 1990s to the early 2000s, thieves loved to use phone cards and game cards to open single-bolt doors.

Click.

As the door lock made a slight click, Han Bin retreated to the door, winked at me and said, "I'm glad I did it."

I immediately reached out to push the door.

Just as his fingers were about to touch the door, he paused for a moment.

I was nervous and scared.

I was worried that after opening the door, I would see the tragic scene of Zhang Nan being hurt.

Uncle Zheng noticed that I was in a bad mood.

He whispered, "How about you and Xiao Han stay outside and I go in and take a look first?"

"No!"

My eyes became firm.

The fingers that touched the door pushed forward with force.

crunch.

The door slowly opened with the sound of friction on the hinges.

I held the lantern high in my right hand.

The orange flames lit up the room.

What I saw before me surprised me.

Uncle Zheng and Han Bin, who came up to me and looked inside, were also shocked and gasped.

This room was supposed to be used as the village brigade's office, but there were no tables, chairs, benches or other office supplies.

Instead, there was an iron cage that looked like a dog cage.

Professor Zhang and a white-haired old man were half-curled up in a cage, unable to squat or lie down.

This posture of being unable to squat or lie down is very torturous.

In the past, when interrogating criminals, they would use similar postures to first test the suspect.

Those who are not strong enough will not be able to hold on for half an hour and will reveal everything they should and shouldn't reveal...

I glanced at the two people in the cage, then quickly looked around the room.

I felt a little relieved when I didn't see Zhang Nan.

"Professor Zhang..."

I went forward to ask about Zhang Nan's situation, but Professor Zhang raised his finger to his mouth as a gesture of silence.

He said in a very soft voice: "Don't talk!"

"come on in!"

"The ghost next door..."

Before he could finish, the door of the next room suddenly made a click.

That's the sound of the door lock being opened!