C27 It Is Difficult to Enter the Door

Lin Hao's declaration left Qin Sisi utterly astonished.

She moved forward, her voice trembling with fear, "You're joking, right?"

"These are the footprints of a child?"

Consider that this is an ancient tomb, heavily guarded on the outside. No child, no matter how brave, would dare to venture inside.

Lin Hao nodded, "I can't say with absolute certainty. After all, a child's footprint... shouldn't be this forceful!"

Indeed, the footprint sank three inches into the soil. No ordinary child could stomp with such might, not unless they possessed some kind of herculean strength. Otherwise, there must be another explanation.

"Then, what are we waiting for? We need to inform Senior Ouyang!"

Qin Sisi made to leave, but Lin Hao caught her arm.

"Don't," he said with a wry smile. "He's likely already aware. He knows something's off about this tomb; he's just not been forthcoming about it."

"If you rush to tell him now, not only might Senior Ouyang not appreciate it, but you could also incite panic. The resulting chaos would be unmanageable."

Qin Sisi paused, mulling over Lin Hao's words, which had clearly made an impact.

She realized the gravity of the situation. If the truth came out, it could be disastrous.

"But we can't just do nothing," she protested, her face etched with worry. "You know so much, so think of something, quickly!"

Lin Hao hesitated to dampen her spirits, considering the current predicament wasn't something he could easily resolve.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," he advised. "For now, let's take it one step at a time. Just stay close, because if trouble arises, I might not be able to reach you in time."

Without a word, Qin Sisi's actions spoke volumes.

She stayed right by Lin Hao's side, wary of any misstep that might lead to danger.

In time, they made their way into the first chamber of the tomb.

The chamber held few items, mostly everyday objects like pottery jars and bowls.

On the wall was a shelf, its wood clearly rotting, yet the cut of the timber suggested it was crafted from yellow sandalwood. Disregarding its historical significance, it was worth no more than thirty to fifty thousand.

"These are all imperial treasures from the Tang Dynasty. Outside, these items are considered exquisite!"

"Take a look at this tri-colored bowl. It's easily worth a seven-figure sum."

"And what about that? Check out this tri-colored camel. I recall a museum that has one, and it's said to be priceless!"

"Hehe, what's with all the stares? This is an ancient tomb. Everything here belongs to the nation. Is it really appropriate to be appraising them?"

"…"

"It's fine. They're all treasures close to our hearts. I often use these items to gauge value myself!" Ouyang Derong said with a laugh.

Elder Sun chuckled and asked, "Mr. President, did you bring us here just to appraise these items?"

Ouyang Derong shook his head and replied, "Come with me!"

With that, Ouyang Derong led the group to a corner of the wall.

He pointed to a pair of open bronze doors in front of them, adorned with numerous rivets, standing about two meters tall and one meter wide, reminiscent of a scaled-down version of ancient city gates.

"This appears to be the entrance to the next chamber. The door itself holds significant research value, so we need to find a way to open it without causing any damage."

"I won't lie to you, I've consulted many experts in this area, but none have been able to unlock it. That's why I've called you here, in hopes that you might have some ideas!"

After Ouyang Derong finished, several of the elders approached, each sharing their thoughts. To them, this was a relic; they discussed the tomb door's value, craftsmanship, and materials at length, yet none could offer a method to open it.

"This seems to be constructed with a Lu Ban lock. It's impossible to open from either side. The only solution is to unlock the internal mechanism!"

Lin Hao added, "But be warned, the mechanisms within tombs often carry risks. If we trigger the wrong one, we could set off a lethal trap."

"Exactly!" Ouyang Derong nodded in agreement. "I've had it examined with modern equipment. There's a pouch of poison gas hidden behind the door, and there are gaps along the edges. I suspect that's the heart of the mechanism. If we accidentally trigger the trap, the poison gas will be released, and it will be fatal."

As Ouyang Derong's words hung in the air, a wave of panic swept through the crowd, particularly among the older gentlemen who began to nervously back away as if the poison gas was already upon them.

"Scared already?" Lin Hao taunted with a sneer.

"Who's scared?" Elder Sun retorted with indignation. "We're just being cautious. It's better to be safe than sorry."

"And you? You're not scared? Then go ahead and open the door!" another elder challenged.

Lin Hao's eyes narrowed as he scanned the monitor, which was flooded with information. At first glance, it seemed to detail the door's history, but it offered no practical use.

The data wasn't much different from what the elders had described. Still, Lin Hao knew he needed to devise a strategy to unlock the door.

"Fine, I'll give it a shot."

Taking a deep breath, Lin Hao advanced with determination.

Beside him, Qin Sisi clutched his arm, cautioning, "Don't overdo it!"

Lin Hao flashed a confident smile. "Stay back. I wouldn't want you to get splattered with blood."

Qin Sisi's anxiety spiked at his words, her mind racing with visions of cinematic traps and a barrage of arrows piercing Lin Hao's heart.

Approaching the door, Lin Hao inhaled deeply and reached out to test it. It was immovable, as secure as a fortress.

"There are 108 rivets on this door, an auspicious number in Buddhism. It appears each one can be twisted to the left."

"People used to fear exactly this—loose rivets meant a door wasn't properly fixed. Given the high standards of this place, such an obvious flaw seems unlikely."

"I suspect these rivets are akin to a modern combination lock. Twisting certain ones should trigger the mechanism to open the door."

After Lin Hao's analysis, Ouyang Derong nodded in agreement. "You're quite observant, but I've already tried that. Twisting the rivets leads to no response."

"Heh, I thought you had some real skill, but it's all just baseless talk!" Elder Sun scoffed.

Lin Hao didn't bite back. Instead, he met Ouyang Derong's gaze and said with a smile, "Elder Ouyang's observations aren't wrong. However, everything in the world follows a pattern. Without the correct approach, the mechanism won't budge. But if we can discern the right pattern, opening this door shouldn't be too difficult."

"Have you figured out the pattern?"

Ouyang Derong's composure vanished, giving way to an expression of anxiety. He hurried forward with excitement, clutching Lin Hao's arm.

Lin Hao just smiled in response. "It wasn't hard!"