Liang En and his team discovered that the living area and equipment zone of the base had little to offer in terms of valuable items, as almost everything of worth had been removed. Only some old, tattered furniture and yellowing posters on the walls remained.
The only significant piece of information they gathered was from a duty roster posted on the wall, which indicated that this place was abandoned in 1992 and later sold off as leftover Cold War materials to a private individual.
Indeed, the U.S. military did not retain this warehouse. Even as the world's top and only superpower, after the Cold War, they did not have the funds to maintain such military strength.
Therefore, after the Cold War, the U.S. began a massive reduction of its military, simultaneously stripping away buildings and equipment like these from military ownership to reduce costs.
It now seemed that a certain major, taking advantage of his position, had purchased this place and used it to hide something.
But then again, what was hidden here was likely a private matter, which is why the place had almost no electronic surveillance equipment, minimizing the risk of leaking secrets.
From the PRISM scandal, it's clear how extensively Americans monitor electronic devices and networks, so from a security standpoint, avoiding electronic instruments might be the best way to prevent leaks.
For the same reason, the base had been cut off from external power long ago, with all energy coming from within. For example, in the deepest part of the equipment zone, Liang En and his team found two diesel generators, a fuel tank, and a forklift.
“Something seems odd.” After inspecting the generators and forklift, Jeanne raised her head curiously and asked, “Why are the generators in a ready-to-start state, with several barrels of diesel nearby?”
Under normal circumstances, such flammable and explosive fuel shouldn't be present in a sealed warehouse, and the machinery should have been stored away, so their readiness for use seemed strange.
“It’s possible that this place was abandoned, not sealed,” Liang En said after gently touching the dust. “If I recall correctly, the major died of a stroke, so he might not have had time to finish the final sealing.”
“Do you remember? Elizabeth mentioned that the antique shop owner told her this item was sold by one of the major's nephews, and the reason for the sale was that his uncle mentioned in his will that it was a valuable item.”
“So, knowing it was an antique, the heir was naturally pleased and didn’t suspect anything, but he didn’t know that the real value lay in the secret within the Buddha statue,” Jeanne quickly deduced.
“Yes, that’s likely the case—” Liang En said, moving toward a blast door on the side of the tunnel, then motioned for Jeanne to help him open it.
“What a large warehouse!” Jeanne exclaimed softly after the door was unlocked because what lay before them was a massive space.
This space had formed naturally but had been reinforced with steel and concrete. Some supporting stone pillars or walls had been left intact, dividing the space into several sections.
The largest section was as big as an indoor basketball court, with a tunnel leading directly to the massive blast door at the cave's entrance. It was clearly the central hub of the warehouse.
When the area was still in use, vehicles would drive directly into the building and load or unload goods inside the bunker.
Although this process was cumbersome, it offered the advantage of reducing casualties by several degrees in the event of an air raid or nuclear war, thanks to the bunker.
As they continued to explore, Liang En and his team discovered more details, such as two metal tracks on either side of the cave, likely used by a small gantry crane in the past.
Additionally, there were numerous steel nails on the cave floor, remnants suggesting that a series of vehicle repair equipment had once been fixed there.
This was typical of military warehouses. Besides simple storage, such facilities often took on various logistical tasks, such as vehicle maintenance.
However, after the base was privatized, many military-related facilities, like a simple field hospital, were dismantled, as they were no longer needed. The same happened to some maintenance equipment closely tied to the military.
But not all facilities were removed. Judging by the traces left behind, much of the equipment was retained and continued to function for a long time after the base was sold.
However, it appeared that these items were removed just before the site was suddenly abandoned. It seemed the decision to abandon the place and plan for its sealing had been a long-considered one.
The only unclear point was why the road leading to the warehouse had been blown up while the generators and diesel barrels remained inside.
For now, Liang En chose to keep his doubts to himself. He knew that solving these mysteries wasn't the priority; thoroughly inspecting the warehouses to uncover what was hidden inside was.
Before them were eight massive warehouse doors, each securely locked, but these simple mechanical locks were no match for Liang En's extraordinary strength.
After deforming the metal on the doors, Liang En easily opened them and began examining what lay inside.
The first few doors revealed nothing but empty spaces, with some broken wooden boards or decaying plastic. However, from the markings on some crates, Liang En realized that the major likely hadn’t conducted all his business legally.
The crates bore logos like Colt or HK, and the models marked on them were clearly not civilian firearm models, suggesting they were sold through less-than-legal channels.
But considering that these items were already packed and stacked in the corner, it seemed they were in the process of being cleared out before the site was sealed, though for some unknown reason, the process was abruptly halted.
“Do you think the treasure might not have been placed here?” Jeanne, remembering the two strange diesel generators and the fuel barrels, began to worry.
“That’s possible, but unlikely,” Liang En said after a few seconds of thought. “Since the other party left clues in the Buddha statue, the treasure should be of utmost importance.”
“So, I guess they might have brought the treasure in before finishing everything, and these things were left unfinished due to other reasons.”
“Let’s keep checking; there are still several warehouses left. I believe what we’re looking for is here.”
“Alright, I’ll follow your lead—” Jeanne nodded, her spirits lifted, and opened the next door. At that moment, she let out a small gasp.
“Oh my God! You were right, this really is a huge treasure trove.”
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