The secretary outside didn't dare delay and ran out to search for quite a while before finding a small hammer to hand to me. I took the hammer and had Secretary Chen and the others step back a bit, then I swung the hammer down on the floor tile with several clangs.
The tiles quickly began to crack under my pounding, and seeing that there was hope, I struck several more forceful blows. The tiles couldn't hold out and a piece fell away.
Looking into the dark space below, I waved to the security personnel who had just returned outside. Two stout young men kicked the floor tiles several times with force, shattering them.
The broken tiles revealed a small space underneath, which was just the right size to hold a cardboard box. The young men lifted the box from below, and it seemed to have some weight to it.
