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Chapter 22: Finding the Key
Li Yi slowly approached the office building of the meat processing plant. Seeing that no one was around, he seized the opportunity and slipped inside.
The factory director's office was on the fifth floor. Aside from a large conference room, the entire floor belonged to Liu Tongfu. Even the deputy factory director, Wei Kangan, had his office on the fourth floor.
This arrangement highlighted Liu Tongfu's immense power within the plant and his domineering style.
Upon entering the building, Li Yi refrained from heading directly to the fifth floor. After all, it was a working day, and the building was busy with people coming and going. If he was spotted, it would complicate things.
He first turned right into the bathroom on the first floor. Finding a squat toilet by the window, he entered, locked the door, and settled in to wait.
Li Yi knew that his best chance would come after noon. Once the workday ended, the building would be locked and remain closed until 2:30 PM. During that time, most of the rooms would be empty, giving him the freedom to act without worrying about surveillance.
He stayed in the toilet from 8:30 AM until 12:00 PM. Several people passed by, some even trying the door to his stall, but Li Yi remained silent.
Around 1:00 PM, he heard the sound of iron chains jingling outside, signaling that the gatekeeper was locking the entrance. That was the moment Li Yi had been waiting for.
He recognized the sound—it was the chain the gatekeeper used to secure the door. After locking it, the gatekeeper would typically return to the duty room for a nap. That was his cue to act.
True to form, Li Yi saw the gatekeeper enter the duty room, smoking a pipe with a bunch of keys in his hand. After the gatekeeper settled in and shut the door, Li Yi slipped out of the bathroom and made his way to the fifth floor.
Upon reaching the fifth floor, Li Yi noticed that Liu Tongfu's office was locked, and there was no sign of activity inside. He couldn't be sure if Liu Tongfu was there, but he felt it was worth investigating.
This wasn't mere curiosity. Li Yi had already deduced that the key to the secret vault—a place that held critical assets—was tied to Liu Tongfu's personal honor and security. The old man couldn't possibly carry it around with him; the consequences of losing such a key would be disastrous.
Li Yi was confident that Liu Tongfu would have hidden the key somewhere private and easily accessible, and that place would most likely be his office. After all, Liu Tongfu's home was out of the question. His wife was a notorious figure who would never tolerate the secretive nature of such an item being kept there.
Determined, Li Yi approached the locked office door. However, it was not going to be easy to get in.
Fortunately, the weather in Jiangnan Province was sweltering, and most people preferred to keep their windows open. Liu Tongfu was no exception. Even more fortunate was the fact that Liu Tongfu's office was adjacent to the small conference room, which was usually unlocked. Li Yi could enter the conference room first and see if anything useful could be found.
He tried the door handle to the conference room, and to his relief, it opened easily.
Inside, he quickly moved to the window and saw that Liu Tongfu's office window was open. Even better, Liu Tongfu had recently renovated his office, replacing ordinary windows with large floor-to-ceiling ones and even adding a small balcony. Unfortunately, the balcony wasn't large enough, so part of the space had been "borrowed" from the conference room.
This gave Li Yi a perfect opportunity—he only needed to climb out of the conference room window and onto the balcony of Liu Tongfu's office.
Although the fifth floor was quite high, and the climb was dangerous, Li Yi knew he had no choice. If he didn't take action, he and his family wouldn't stand a chance.
Li Yi cautiously stuck his head out of the window, scanning the area below. The courtyard was empty—no one was out in such hot weather. He listened carefully and heard nothing coming from Liu Tongfu's office, confirming that the old man was likely taking a nap, a habit he had demonstrated before during staff meetings.
With a deep breath, Li Yi climbed out of the conference room window and, with one hand gripping the outer edge, extended his foot toward the small balcony. The sensation of being suspended in midair was terrifying, but he had no choice.
He gritted his teeth and carefully made his way to the balcony. Though it felt like a risky maneuver, he knew it was his only shot.
Finally, his foot touched solid ground. He took a deep breath, fought back his fear, and made his way to the small balcony of Liu Tongfu's office.
Though it was a nerve-wracking experience, Li Yi had successfully made it.
Looking through the glass doors of the small balcony, Li Yi saw that the office was empty.
Without hesitation, he climbed through the window and entered the office.
Inside, Li Yi was taken aback by the office's spaciousness—around 150 to 160 square meters. It was divided into two areas: the inner lounge and the outer office space.
Li Yi first explored the office area, which spanned more than 100 square meters. A large 2.5-meter desk was positioned prominently opposite the door, with a set of leather sofas opposite the desk. Two walls were lined with bookshelves, filled with books.
However, judging by the newness of the books, it was clear that Liu Tongfu wasn't much of a reader. It was all for show—a display of wealth and status.
Li Yi scoffed at the pretentiousness, but time was of the essence, so he didn't waste any more time on the decor. He began searching the office thoroughly.
He first opened the desk drawers, but only found ordinary items—no keys or anything unusual.
Then, when he opened the lower drawer, he found two stacks of bills—brand-new "Four Great Men" hundred-yuan bills, still smelling faintly of ink.
Without even counting, Li Yi estimated that there were around 20,000 yuan, an impressive sum in a time when ten thousand yuan was considered a substantial amount.
Despite his current financial struggles, Li Yi didn't bother with the money. In his previous life, he had donated billions, so this amount was trivial to him.
He didn't want to attract attention or leave behind any traces. His goal was to find the key, not to take petty money.
After a thorough search of the office and finding nothing, Li Yi had no choice but to move on to the lounge.
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