America: I'm really not crazy

Chapter 106 123

Li Wei opened the safe without much effort.

He felt that the Viper Gang seemed to be doing poorly lately, even the security level of their safes had been downgraded.

However, it has now become convenient for him.

As for what's in the safe... well, that's rather stereotypical.

A "distributor list".

Li Wei glanced at it twice, then crumpled it up and threw it into the trash can.

A "raw material purchase order".

This time, Li Wei took a closer look. Unfortunately, he wouldn't be able to use much of it, but it was better than nothing. So, Li Wei folded it up and put it in the inner pocket of his trench coat, intending to take a closer look later.

Some cash.

But the amount wasn't large, only a few thousand yuan. It's clear the industry isn't doing well lately.

Finally, there's one more key.

Li Wei took it out and examined it, finding that the key had very distinctive features.

It's a cross-shaped, segmented key, often used in large safes, similar to those used in bank vaults.

Li Wei couldn't help but glance at the few rather meager DVDs in the safe, and then at the safe key in his hand.

What level? Using a bank vault-level safe? Is it a Viper-like company?

Li Wei's curiosity was immediately piqued.

He immediately turned and left the office.

However, the guy whose toes he broke was gone.

"Okay, looks like there's no way to 'slack off' anymore."

Li Wei flipped his wrist and hung the key ring on his index finger.

The key spins between my fingertips, and I begin...strolling.

However, he wasn't just wandering around aimlessly; he was looking for a target while he was wandering around.

This key, which is nearly 20 centimeters long, weighs several tons, including the door and lock.

Therefore, such a vault must be at least ten square meters in size; otherwise, the door wouldn't be thick enough to be of much use.

After exploring the second floor, Li Wei discovered that there wasn't enough space to accommodate such a place.

So Li Wei went down to the first floor, took a walk around, and also checked the walls.

There isn't such a space on the first floor, and the walls aren't that thick either.

The answer is obvious—underground.

Where is the vault door?

Li Wei, standing in the center of the first floor, began to scan the area.

To ensure security, these vaults are not built with particularly complex structures, prioritizing ease of guarding and stable security.

Of course, cost is also a consideration.

Therefore, unlike the secret passages in movies where the entrance is on the second floor and an additional staircase is built, they are usually built directly on the ground floor, following the principle of proximity.

The floorboards, tiles, and other similar materials provide the best camouflage.

If you dig deep enough, you can even evade military-grade metal detectors.

Thinking of this, Li Wei lowered his head.

There were no floors or tiles underfoot, only a dusty cement floor.

guessed wrong?

wrong!

Li Wei turned around and looked toward the control panel.

There are no tiles or flooring underneath, which is quite reasonable.

These kinds of places require frequent cleaning, and cement floors are easier to clean and maintain than tiles or wood flooring.

However, from a tactical perspective, "no disguise" can sometimes be a form of disguise.

Li Wei stopped turning his fingers, letting the key crash into his palm.

He crouched down at the corner of the workbench and looked at the cement floor beneath the table legs.

There are scratches.

"Hmm, that's very suspicious."

Li Wei got up and repeatedly checked the floor under the other three table legs.

It also has scratches.

Li Wei smiled.

Then, with a piercing creak, he pushed open the control panel.

Li Wei immediately noticed that the texture and color of the cement floor under the control panel were different.

Moreover, the blind spot blocked by the control panel was simply left with a pull ring on the ground.

Li Wei walked over, bent down, and grasped the pull ring.

He squatted into a horse stance, adjusted his breathing, lowered his body to reduce his center of gravity, and used his feet, legs, waist, and arms to exert force together.

"Bang!"

The ground was directly ripped up.

This is a sliding door.

But Li Wei almost strained his back.

The main reason was that he hadn't expected the thing to be so light.

Li Wei, with his back bent, walked around to the back of the sliding door.

"Damn! No wonder the color and texture were off! Turns out only the top centimeter or so is cement, and the bottom is super high-strength plywood!"

Li Wei lowered his head amidst his grumbling.

A large metal door, roughly one square meter in size, came into view. It had no keyhole, only a rotary mechanical lock.

Li Wei's gaze sharpened.

For an "experienced" person, a low-end roulette wheel lock can be easily fixed with a stethoscope.

Electronic locks require hacking programs and sophisticated disassembly techniques. Of course, the ports on them are usually reserved for manufacturer maintenance.

However, there is also a high-end rotary mechanical lock.

Because it operates mechanically, it doesn't even have a port for hackers to connect to.

At the same time, due to the complex operating mechanism, it is not possible to determine whether the password has been entered correctly simply by observing the rotation of the spring.

To ensure the stability of these sophisticated mechanical structures, they are typically made from very high-end materials. This, in turn, creates an additional benefit—robustness.

Even using the most efficient destructive methods, such as exploratory drill bits or high-temperature cutting, it can take anywhere from several hours to several days.

Li Wei couldn't help but open his palm and look at the key in his hand.

There was no keyhole on the door, so based on Li Wei's understanding of this type of door, the door in front of him should only be the first layer of protection.

There is at least one more layer of protection behind the door.

This is no longer a bank-level security measure, but a military-level secret.

Li Wei became increasingly curious.

What exactly is inside?

However, the door in front of him was hindering his thirst for knowledge.

Fortunately, Li Wei suddenly remembered that he seemed to have worked in the "security industry" before, so he tried hard to recall.

Soon, he remembered a sentence that some old bastard, who seemed to be one of his "friends," had once casually mentioned to him.

"No matter how sophisticated the security measures are, they can never escape one rule—convenience for the owner to use."

Li Wei began to examine the key in his hand.

He soon discovered that the key could be turned like a Rubik's Cube.

Or, to be more precise, he understood when he turned the key and discovered the numbers hidden inside.

The key itself is also a combination lock.

According to that old bastard's theory, this key is usually used to protect the real "password," and owners generally don't leave a password of dozens or even hundreds of digits like a vault door.

The purpose is to prevent myself from forgetting those dozens or hundreds of digits of password one day.

After turning it over a few times, Li Wei realized that the key's password only had three digits.

Even using the brute-force method, it will succeed after trying a maximum of 999 times.

So, Li Wei started turning the key in his hand, as if he were playing with a Rubik's Cube.

123.

This is the first password Li Wei is preparing to test.

There's no particular meaning or pattern to it; I just randomly tried the simplest one based on my own habits.

As the "3" was turned to the designated position, a crisp "click" sounded, and the key in Li Wei's hand popped open from the middle, revealing a dense array of numbers.