Chapter 44 Chapter Forty-Two

Zurich Savings Bank is open 24 hours a day. It operates a full set of modern anonymous business in the traditional way of opening an account in Switzerland.There are branches in Zurich, Colombo, New York and Paris, which use computer identification codes to handle anonymous business and have advanced digital support systems. The bank's business operation is actually the oldest and the simplest - providing customers with anonymous storage boxes.Clients can anonymously store anything—from securities to priceless paintings—and withdraw them anonymously at any time, using a whole host of privacy-preserving high-tech means.

Sophie parked the taxi in front of the bank. Langdon poked his head out of the car window and looked at the tall and solid building.The building is rectangular, without a single window, and is a giant made of steel.This "big iron block" stands on the side of the road.There was also a fifteen-foot-tall neon equilateral cross flashing ahead.Swiss banks are world-renowned for their secrecy, attracting clients from all over the world.This has also caused great controversy in the art world, as they also provide the perfect place for art thieves to hide their stolen goods.They can keep their loot for a few years and hide from the limelight.Since the stored items are protected by the privacy law and will not be inspected by the police, and only need to open a digital account when storing, and do not need to register the name of the depositor, those who steal can rest easy, neither worrying about the safety of the stolen goods, nor being afraid of being stolen. The police tracked down the clues.

A large gate blocked the bank's driveway, behind which a concrete ramp led to the basement of the building.Above the gate, there is a camera lens.Langdon reckoned that this camera lens was not like the fakes in the Louvre, but a real one. Sophie rolled down the window and looked at the electronic indicator on the right.There is an instruction displayed on the LCD screen in seven different languages.The top line is in English: Insert the key. Sophie took out the golden key with laser-molded holes from her pocket, and looked at the display screen again, only to see a triangular keyhole at the bottom of the screen.

"I feel like it's going to open," Langdon said. Sophie inserted the triangular prism-shaped key body into the key hole, and then slowly pushed in, stuffing the entire key body into the hole.The door opens automatically without turning the key.As soon as Sophie released the brakes, she slid the car in front of the second door and the electronic indicator.The first door closed slowly, like a closed ship lock. Langdon didn't like the oppressive feeling and wished the second door would open too! The second instruction is the same: Insert the key. Sophie inserted the key, and the second door opened instantly.So, they turned down the slope and turned under the building.

The private parking garage is small and dimly lit, with a dozen or so cars parked there.Beyond the garage is the central entrance of the building.The red carpet on the concrete floor continued to a thick metal gate. It seemed to Langdon a paradox that visitors were welcome but not easy to let in. Sophie pulled into a space next to the entrance and turned off the engine. "You'd better put the gun here." "It couldn't be better," Langdon thought, throwing the gun under the car seat. Sophie and Langdon got out of the car, stepped on the red carpet and walked towards the big iron gate.The iron door had no handle, and there was a triangular keyhole on the wall beside the door.This time there are no instructions.

"People without understanding can't get in," Langdon said. Sophie laughed, looking a little nervous. "Come on," she said, inserting the key into the hole.The door swung open inward.They exchanged glances and walked in.The door slammed shut behind them. The decor of this savings bank is imposing.Most banks usually only use polished marble and granite as decoration materials, but the walls of this bank are full of metal blocks and rivets.Who renovated this? Langdon was amazed.Is it the Consolidated Steel Corporation? Gray metal is everywhere on the floor, on the wall, on the counter, and on the door. Even the chairs in the corridor are made of iron.This shows people: you walked into the vault!

A tall, strong man behind the counter looked up at them.He turned off the small TV and greeted them with a smile.While he's muscular and carries a vaguely matchable weapon, that doesn't detract from his urbane image. "Monsieur," he asked in half English and half French, "what can I do for you?" Bilingual greetings are the latest way for European banks to greet guests, allowing guests to answer in the language they feel comfortable with. Sophie said nothing, but put the golden key on the counter. The man looked down and immediately stood up straighter. "Understood, your elevator is at the other end of the hall. You go first, and I'll call someone right away."

Sophie nodded and took the key back. "Which floor is it?" The man looked at Sophie with a strange look: "Didn't your key tell you?" She laughed: "Ah, yes." The guard watched the two men walk to the elevator, insert the key, and walked in.As soon as the elevator doors closed, he picked up the phone.He didn't call to inform other people, because there was no need for it.Because when the customer's key is inserted into the outside gate, the notification device is automatically opened. In reality, the call was to the night shift manager.While waiting to answer, the guard turned the TV back on, his eyes glued to the screen.The news he just watched has just ended.But that's okay.He had just met the two people who had appeared on the screen.

"Hello," came the voice of the duty manager on the phone. "There is a situation below." "What happened?" the duty manager asked quickly. "French police are looking for two fugitives tonight." "So what?" "Those two people just entered our bank." The duty manager cursed softly. "Very well. I will contact M. Vernet at once." The guard hung up and dialed again.This time it's for Interpol. Langdon was surprised to find that the elevator was not going up but down.The elevator kept descending, and after a few floors, it finally stopped.He didn't care what floor it was! He was very happy to get out of the elevator.

The receptionist had been standing there with a smile on his face, waiting for them.He looked older, in a neatly pressed flannel suit, which made him look odd and out of place for the place—an old-fashioned bank worker in a high-tech world. "Sir," he said, "good evening. Come with me, please?" Without waiting for an answer, he turned and strode down a narrow metal passage. Langdon and Sophie descended down several corridors and past several rooms containing large computers. "This is it," said the receptionist, opening an iron door for them, "Here we are."

Langdon and Sophie stepped into another world.This small room looks like a luxurious living room in a high-end hotel.Instead of steel and rivets, there are oriental rugs, black oak furniture and upholstered chairs.On the large table in the center of the room, there is a bottle of mineral water next to two crystal glasses, the mineral water is still bubbling, and there is a pot of steaming coffee on the table. Langdon couldn't help sighing: "The Swiss are really typical of step-by-step." The man smiled knowingly: "Is this your first time here?" Sophie hesitated, then nodded. "Understandable. The keys are often passed on to the next generation as a legacy. Most of the customers who come to us for the first time don't understand the agreement." He pointed to the table with drinks and said, "As long as you want to use, this room is always It's yours." "The keys are sometimes passed down from generation to generation?" asked Sophie. "That's right. A customer's key is like a digital account number in a Swiss bank, often passed down as a legacy. On our account, the shortest safe deposit box lease is fifty years and requires payment in advance, so we'll look at to descendants of many families." Langdon opened his eyes wide. "Did you just say fifty years?" "At least," replied the receptionist, "of course, you can also rent for a longer period. But unless further arrangements are made, if an account has not been used for fifty years, we will automatically destroy the contents of the safe .Need me to initiate the procedure to get your case?" Sophie nodded. "OK." The receptionist pointed to this luxurious room and said: "This is a secret room for you to check the safe. As soon as I leave here, you can check or change the contents of the safe here for as long as you want. And the box is Here." He led them to the opposite wall, where there was a wide conveyor belt that looked a bit like baggage claim. "Insert the key into this hole, please," the man said, pointing to a large electronic indicator on the opposite side of the conveyor belt.The device has a familiar triangular keyhole. "After the computer confirms that it is the key, please enter your account number. Then, your safe will be automatically sent by the machine from the vault below, and you can check it. After checking the box, please put it in on the conveyor belt, and then insert the key into this hole, and the procedure will be repeated automatically. Since the whole process is automatic, your privacy can be guaranteed, even the staff of this bank will not know it at all. If you have If you need anything, please press the call button in the center of the table." Sophie was about to ask a question when suddenly the phone rang.The receptionist looked a little confused."Excuse me," he said awkwardly, walking to the phone next to the coffee pot and water bottle. "Hello?" He picked up the phone. Listening to the voice coming from the microphone, he frowned. "Yes... yes..." After hanging up the phone, he smiled awkwardly at Langdon and Sophie, and said, "I'm sorry, I have to go out now—down. Please feel free." Then, he walked out quickly . "Excuse me," Sophie called, "can you explain to us before you go? Did you mention that we have to enter account numbers?" The man stopped at the door, his face pale. "Of course. Like any other Swiss bank. Our savings deposit box business has a number account, not a name account. You should have a key and an account number that only you know. Otherwise, if you lose the key, whoever finds it can use it .” Sophie asked hesitantly, "What if my giver didn't tell me the account number?" The receptionist's heart was pounding.Then you obviously have nothing to do with the safe! He smiled at them pretending to be calm, and said, "Then I'll find someone to help you. He'll be right here." The receptionist went out, turned and closed the door, and then turned a thick key, locking them tightly in the room. Across the city, Collet was at the North Railway Station.Suddenly, his phone rang. It was Fache. "Interpol has a lead," he said over the phone. "Forget about the train. Langdon and Neveu just arrived at the Paris branch of Savings Bank in Zurich. I want your men to get there right away." "Is Saunière trying to tell Neveu and Robert Langdon something?" Fache replied coldly, "Cole, if you catch them, I can interrogate them myself!" Collet understood what he meant. "24 Hawkes Street. Be there soon, Chief." He hung up the phone and used the walkie-talkie to gather his men together.