Unscrupulous

The office door plaque read: Safe Deposit Box Services.

The manager was a pot-bellied, blond middle-aged man with a slightly receding hairline. High-calorie food and a lack of exercise had badly distorted his figure.

"Opening a safe deposit box?" The middle-aged manager hurriedly rose to his feet and led Zhang Yuanqing to a reception sofa nearby.

After pouring them two cups of warm water, the receptionist withdrew.

Zhang Yuanqing took a sip of warm water and glanced at the middle-aged man's chest. His name tag read "Carl Parker." Smiling, he said, "Manager Parker, I'm here to open a safe deposit box. The box number is 0042."

Parker nodded. "Please show me your identification."

Customers could inspect and access their own safe deposit boxes at any time, but they had to carry identification whenever they opened one and sign a record afterward.

"You've already seen my identification." Zhang Yuanqing stared into Manager Parker's eyes.

The latter went blank for a moment, then rose and said warmly, "Please follow me."

Zhang Yuanqing followed him out of the office and deeper into the bank. They took an elevator underground and passed through the corridor leading to the vault. Parker and another bank employee took out their keys and opened the thirty-centimeter-thick security door.

After opening one final iron-barred gate, they finally arrived at the personal safe deposit box hall.

The boxes here resembled the walls in temples where urns were stored, row after row.

Manager Parker led Zhang Yuanqing to the 00 section and stopped before safe deposit box number 42. "Please help yourself."

With that, he stepped out.

Zhang Yuanqing entered the password, then positioned his face before the pinhole camera beside the keypad. A few seconds later, he heard the prompt confirming successful iris recognition.

Safe deposit box 0042 unlocked.

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