“Gold, hehe, pure gold.” Fan Debiao’s fat hands seemed to have been pinched by the coffin just now, as he kept hissing in pain, but he now couldn’t care less. He gently stroked the coffin lid, his eyes crinkling with delight.
“Must weigh hundreds of pounds!” He added, lifting his head. His comment left both Liu Dashao and Ni Ren Zhang somewhat amused and speechless. However, his excited muttering had served as a shot in the arm for the restless grave robbers. If previously they were subdued by the intimidation of Master Diao, now they were simply overwhelmed by the sheer amount of gold. “Wow, this place really deserves to be called the Golden Ancient City. Gold is practically falling from the sky!” The coffin was seamlessly crafted, emitting dazzling glimmers under the dim lights. Thinking of this, one of the southern grave robbers even drooled, rubbing his hands together with a silly grin.
But a problem still remained.
How could they possibly open such a heavy coffin?
Yes, exactly how?
“Who has a crowbar?” Fan Debiao spat into his palms, shaking the flab on his cheeks: “Hey you, mummy guy, don’t just stand there. Help Dashao and me lift this lid again, so Master Fat can show off his strength and pry it open from the gap.”
“I do! I do!” The southern grave robber’s eyes lit up with excitement. He quickly crouched down, pulling out a black cylindrical rod from his tool bag and eagerly handing it over.
“Hehe, great! How about a couple more strong guys? This thing is way too heavy,” Fan grinned.
As soon as he said this, several burly men stepped forward from the crowd, eager to help.
After all, everyone wanted to contribute more and reap more in return. The saying “Three years without a deal, one deal for three years” was deeply ingrained in their minds. Only Master Diao furrowed his brow slightly.
“Wait!” Master Diao wasn’t a man of idle chatter; when he spoke, he meant business.
“I just checked. Four people should be able to pry it open, but standing too close to the coffin is dangerous,” Diao implied.
Liu Dashao was the first to catch on: “You mean…”
“Hmph, there’s something uncanny about this Golden Ancient City. If something strange bursts out from the coffin or if there are hidden traps and mechanisms, you’ll be in serious trouble,” Diao pressed his thumb against his temple.
Everyone nodded in agreement, their respect for Master Diao growing even more.
“So what do we do? The crowbar is too short; we can’t do it without standing close!” Fan hesitated.
“Use a tripod,” Diao glanced at Zhong Kui, then walked over to the coffin, tapping it and turning to Ni Ren Zhang: “Wait until they set up the frame, then start. Lift the lid from afar, and you should be safe. Even if something happens, there will still be room for maneuver.”
“Good!” Ni Ren Zhang nodded.
“Here!” Master Diao smiled, pulling out some cotton from his pocket and tossing it to Ni Ren Zhang, Fan Debiao, and Liu Dashao: “Stuff this into your nostrils. Remember, when you exert force, try to turn your neck outward to avoid inhaling the foul air from the coffin.”
After everyone followed his instructions, Zhong Kui was ready too. He opened several tool bags, pulling out some steel rods. After twisting a few screws, they connected together. Two extended rods could even be joined further. Soon, he assembled a steel structure resembling a yurt. Upon closer inspection, each joint formed a triangle. Liu Dashao knew from physics that triangular structures were the most stable, just like the wooden supports spaced periodically in mines. However, a question arose that made him both amused and perplexed: “Master Diao, these steel rods are so thin. Even with leverage, can they really support and lift such a massive golden coffin lid? This is pure gold after all!”
Before Diao could speak, Zhong Kui patted Liu Dashao’s shoulder: “Kid, don’t worry! This is tungsten steel from the Russian black market. It’s not even allowed for production in regular factories or domestically!” He lowered his voice mysteriously: “The internal structure of Russian T-90 tanks is built with this high-tech material. Do you think it can lift this coffin lid or not?”
“Tanks?” Liu Dashao was stunned: “This… this is military-grade steel? How did you guys get it?”
“Is there anything we can’t do? Russia is the world’s largest country for smuggling after all. Forget about military steel, even rocket launchers we can get our hands on,” Diao explained.
It turned out that Master Diao intended to use the principle of leverage, using this frame as the fulcrum. First, they would pry open a small gap in the coffin, secure it with a rope, then run the other end of the rope over a pulley on the frame and pull it outside. Thus, everyone could stand at a safe distance and pull the golden coffin lid open like a tug-of-war.
“Hehe, not bad, you really are clever,” Liu Dashao shook his head.
“Alright, let’s start!” At this moment, Fan Debiao and the southern grave robber had already taken positions on either side of the coffin, pressing the tips of their crowbars against it.
Liu Dashao and Ni Ren Zhang responded with a shout, starting to lift from the front and back.
“Lift!” Their arms strained simultaneously, teeth clenched tightly, their faces turning red like tomatoes.
At the same time, the sharp crowbars had already pierced into the gap. Fan Debiao even pressed his entire bulky body onto the other end of the crowbar, shouting furiously to add strength.
“Wooong…” Not sure how long had passed, when the massive outer coffin finally revealed a tiny gap, Master Diao quickly gestured, calling for help.
“Keep pushing! Keep pushing! Almost there, give it a final push!”
“Alright!” When the gap was wide enough, Master Diao swiftly threaded a nylon rope through the gap, looping it from both sides, then repeating the process from another angle, finally tying a solid knot.
The four legs of the triangular frame had already been fixed to the ground. With a command, the eager men began pulling like in a tug-of-war, grunting enthusiastically. With everyone’s combined strength, the saying “many hands make light work” proved true. Within just a few breaths, the coffin lid was lifted.
Everyone had expected a foul stench of decaying corpses upon lifting the outer coffin lid. Such gases were actually chemically toxic, so Master Diao had prepared cotton nose plugs in advance to prevent any accidents.
However, surprisingly, at the moment the outer coffin lid was lifted, instead of the expected nauseating rot, a faint, indescribable fragrance filled the air. Not overpowering, yet persistent, it lingered around their noses, stimulating every sensitive sense in their bodies. Although the corpse inside the coffin was not yet visible, Liu Dashao was even more convinced that this fragrance originated from a rare plant-based incense extracted from a plant native only to the remote mountains of the Western Regions. This plant was said to grow exclusively in the highlands of the West, extremely rare. In ancient times, besides being used for fumigating clothes and bathing, the extracted incense also had antibacterial and insect-repelling properties. However, extracting this incense was extremely difficult, rivaling even ambergris in its complexity and rarity. Therefore, it was especially precious. From this, one could deduce that the tomb occupant must have been of extremely high status, and very likely female.
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