Chapter 648: Chapter 616 The Copper Lock Full of Green Rust_1
Zhou Ning put on his gloves and handed the lamp to Mr. Zhao.
He reached out and touched the ’stone’ behind him, fumbling for a while until just as Mr. Zhao was about to speak, Zhou Ning grasped the layer on top of the ’stone’ and yanked hard, lifting a layer of tarpaulin.
As dust flew up and the tarp fell, the items underneath were revealed.
Zhou Ning stepped forward, opened the top four boxes in a row, and upon seeing what was inside, he was so shocked that he couldn’t speak.
"Mr. Zhao, take a professional camera to photograph this, find a law enforcement recorder for Guan Jian, and have him start the recording feature. From now on, everything we say and do must be recorded. Those who didn’t come should not come over just yet.
Also, find a satellite phone. I’ll contact Director Huang, Mr. Hu, or Director Xu later. Guan Jian, you and the others should not come down. Just stay put. Record this, and once we’ve finished the inventory, I’ll report to the leaders and decide what to do next."
Mr. Zhao seemed bewildered, and Guan Jian was still flabbergasted.
"What’s up, Director Zhou? This stuff, I know, should be guns and some military supplies. They look pretty old, not very new. But what exactly is in that document bag?"
Mr. Zhao glared at Guan Jian. Blinking and confused, Guan Jian didn’t understand.
"Do what you’re told, and don’t worry about it harming you. The fewer people who see these things, the better. You know about Unit 731, right? If this were something similar, would you dare to spread it around? Do you want everyone to be buried with us?"
Guan Jian shuddered and hurriedly turned around to instruct his people.
After turning on the law enforcement recorder, they raised all the powerful flashlights to illuminate where Zhou Ning was. Mr. Zhao also jumped down and followed Zhou Ning, photographing each spot as it was uncovered.
Zhou Ning did not read the documents because by just seeing what was written on them, he knew their importance. He photographed them one by one, then took the box with documents down and began to meticulously inventory the layers below.
After completing the check, everyone was sweating. The sheer quantity of the firearms and ammunition was staggering. Just counting the boxes outside, there were twenty-four, excluding one box of important documents. The variety was vast: different models of handguns, automatic B-guns, hand Ls, and so on.
As for the boxes behind, Zhou Ning lifted the tarp but didn’t dare to proceed further. These boxes were yellow-green metal cases, made of the same material as the one holding the documents, but these all had locks on them.
It could only be called a lock in a generous sense, of a very ancient design, covered with green patina. Faint engravings could be seen on the body of the lock that seemed to read ’Made in Jap,’ and though the letters after were unclear, one could guess at their meaning.
Zhou Ning paused, then urged Mr. Zhao to carefully photograph that detail. Then, carrying the document box lined with several leather bags, he turned to Guan Jian.
"I’m going to make a call first, to report to Director Huang and our Director Xu. You can send someone to accompany me if you’d like. This matter is more urgent than investigating that sacrificial activity. If we’re not careful with these items, we could blow away an entire section of this mountain."
Guan Jian nodded eagerly, then shook his head and said:
"Director Zhou, you hurry and make that call. Elder Feng’s location should be closer. We will all stay here, and I’ll send one person to each side to notify them, so they don’t worry if they can’t find us. Don’t worry, our flashlights have enough battery life for several hours, and we have food in our backpacks."
Zhou Ning knew he was trying to put him at ease, prepared for a long stay.
Without wasting a word, Zhou Ning and Mr. Zhao quickly went upwards, towards where Elder Feng was. Just as they arrived, Elder Feng said, somewhat excitedly:
"Where have you been? They just went out to check, and the southern slope outside is a gentle slope, which would be easier to bring heavy objects up than the northern slope. We believe the coffins’ materials, or finished products, were brought up directly from here."
Zhou Ning raised his hand to interrupt Elder Feng, dragged the elder to the side.
In a low voice, he told Elder Feng about what they found inside. Zhou Ning was reserved in his explanation but got to the point, and Elder Feng understood that they had found plenty of extremely dangerous things inside.
Looking at Zhou Ning, he nodded quickly.
"You must report at once. We’ve already taken photos here; the four skeletons and artifacts have been packed. As for the remaining soldiers, they haven’t been cleared yet. We’ll all stop and retreat directly to the main cave at the entrance, and call for everyone to descend the mountain and wait at the bottom for reinforcements. Does that seem okay to you?"
Zhu Xingxing and Mr. Cui had already come over. Zhu Xingxing didn’t have to say anything after seeing Zhou Ning and Mr. Zhao’s serious expressions; she knew they had discovered something significant, which was why they were halting the exploration.
Zhou Ning smiled at Elder Feng and nodded vigorously.
Elder Feng waved his hand, addressing everyone:
"Stop whatever work you are doing at the moment, secure the things we’ve packed. Check your personal belongings, shut your mouths, and don’t ask any questions. Everyone follow me to evacuate. Be careful and move as quickly as you can. Do you all understand?"
Everyone nodded their heads, quickly began gathering their things, and Zhou Ning shook hands with Elder Feng, glancing at Zhu Xingxing.
"One of our colleagues has been injured and has been sent down the mountain. We need Elder Feng and Mr. Cui to help take care of them. Zhu Xingxing, you follow the retreat. We and Guan’s team will stay behind, waiting for professionals to arrive."
Zhu Xingxing nodded and, without saying a word, followed Elder Feng.
Mr. Zhao took out his cellphone and the satellite phone. Just as he was about to use the satellite phone, he found that the cellphone also had a signal. With a slap to his leg, Mr. Zhao guessed,
"I reckon the Thirty-three Skies Grottoes tourist area nearby the southern slope has been covered by a signal to promote tourism, unlike the desert next door to the northern slope. Go ahead and make the call."
After a moment of contemplation, Zhou Ning called Xu Dayuan’s number, which was answered almost immediately, and Zhou Ning, slightly disoriented by the promptness, took a moment to speak:
"Leader, were you waiting for my call?"
"You haven’t picked up anything good from Mr. Zhao, have you? What do you want? How is the construction of the forensic lab going? Has training started? What about the body suspensions in that cave you went to investigate? It’s been over twenty years; it must be hard to find clues, right?"
As a barrage of questions came his way, Zhou Ning smiled, the tension from earlier easing somewhat.
"Leader, don’t bombard me with questions. Let me first tell you that we’ve found something significant here."
"About the case?"
"Yes, those mummy-like wrapped dry corpses, we dissected one, found some issues related to beliefs. Mrs. Fei led a team for a covert investigation. We thought of coming here a second time for an inspection, to see if we could find other clues.
After exploring, we found an exit through the mountain, some centuries-old skeletons. Because Zou Jialong and his two colleagues had gotten separated, due to an error of luck at the hidden section of the underground river, we found a camouflaged hideaway."
Xu Dayuan’s voice paused significantly.
"Oh? What did you discover?"
