Inside the surveillance room of the building, a man stared at the screen, his face dark with frustration. The monitor played back a live feed of Matt—Daredevil himself—glowing like a neon sign in the night. His red, fluorescent suit radiated through the shadows as he ran, drawing the attention of every ninja he passed.
Matt weaved through the dim hallways, agile and unpredictable, dodging strikes and slipping past traps. Behind him, a steadily growing number of red-clad ninjas pursued like a pack of wolves chasing a firefly. From the thirteenth floor down to the eighth, the number of pursuers had ballooned to over twenty.
"Too arrogant. Far too arrogant!" the man in charge bellowed, slamming his fist against the desk.
One of his subordinates, hunched over the controls, said, "Sir, we're checking the source, but something's wrong. Some of the camera feeds are looping."
The man's eyes narrowed. "Looping?"
"Yes. They're playing the same ten seconds on repeat. Someone must have tampered with the system."
"Pull up the footage from the eighteenth floor. Now."
With fast, tense fingers, the technician switched feeds. What appeared on the screen made the entire room go quiet.
At first glance, nothing seemed out of place. Erica was still seated in the center of the room, bound to a chair, unmoving. The ropes appeared untouched. But then, a figure stepped into frame—black clothes, mask, and a large, bulging sack slung over his shoulder.
Robert.
He casually examined one of the statues on the wall, weighed it in his hands like a vendor at a flea market, then nodded to himself and dropped it into the sack. He did the same with the next. And the next. The room filled with the soft clinks and rustles of expensive items being sorted like produce.
The man in charge leaned in closer. "What the hell is he doing?"
One of his men ventured an answer. "Uh…stealing?"
"He's not stealing," the man muttered, face twisting in disbelief. "He's shopping."
No stealth. No panic. Just a calm and meticulous sweep through their collection room.
"Send everyone! Everyone to the eighteenth floor!" the man barked. "Forget the glowing clown downstairs. He's just a distraction. This guy's going to strip the building clean!"
The room erupted in movement as commands were given and units rerouted. The trap had been sprung, but not by them—by the intruders.
Meanwhile, down on the eighth floor, Matt stood confused. He had just yelled his usual distraction—"Baga! You're dead!"—only to watch the latest group of ninjas ignore him completely.
They ran right past, muttering their own curses in Japanese as they rushed upstairs.
Matt blinked. "Uh-oh."
He quickly activated the communicator. "Robert, you've been made. They're coming to you. All of them."
Robert's voice came through, calm as ever. "How many?"
"At least thirty."
There was a pause.
"…What the hell!?"
Robert looked at the two large sacks at his feet, both stuffed with priceless relics. Then at Erica, still tied up and unconscious in the center of the room.
This was going to be a problem.
He sighed, pulled a mana-charged orb from his pocket, and flicked it toward Erica. It burst softly in a flash of golden light.
Moments later, she stirred.
Her eyelids fluttered open, and her gaze locked onto him. She tried to speak, but Robert interrupted.
"No time for questions. I'm a friend. Matt Murdoch sent me. We've got thirty angry ninjas on the way, and I need your help right now."
To her credit, Erica didn't panic. She blinked the fog out of her mind and nodded. "Give me a weapon. I can fight."
Robert raised a brow. "I like that energy, but no. I have a much more important job for you."
He handed her a sack. It was heavy, filled to the brim.
"Help me carry this loot."
Erica stared at him.
"…Excuse me?"
Robert picked up a four-million-dollar statue and held it delicately. "I need you to hold onto this too. Careful with it, it's worth more than a downtown apartment."
Erica looked from the sack to the statue, then back at him. "Are you serious?"
"Deadly. Come on, we've got about ninety seconds before they come through that door."
Back in the stairwell, Matt was doing his best to slow down the stampede. But now he knew the stakes were higher than ever.
His voice crackled through the comms again. "Robert, we have to go. Now."
"I know, I know! I'm doing my best, but I can't carry all this alone. Erica's awake, though. She's helping."
"Helping how?"
"She's carrying the chamber pot."
Matt nearly choked on his breath. "What?!"
"It's worth six figures. Don't judge me."
From inside the collection room, Robert stuffed the final item into the second sack. He looked at the game system prompt hovering in the air.
[Progress: 2,950,000 / 3,000,000 USD]
So close.
He scanned the room again, eyes landing on a strange jade figurine tucked in the corner.
[Estimated Value: 52,000 USD]
Perfect.
He grabbed it, stuffed it into Erica's sack, and the system chimed.
[Achievement Unlocked: Super High School Level Thief]
[Reward: +1 Mana Core]
Robert's heart soared. Worth it. All of it.
Then the walls trembled.
BOOM.
The door to the collection room blasted inward. Smoke, shouting, and the glint of steel followed. The first wave of ninjas stormed in, weapons raised.
Robert grabbed Erica's arm. "Time to go!"
They sprinted past the wreckage, the sound of boots and blades closing in. As they burst into the hall, Robert glanced back to see more red uniforms flooding through the smoke.
"This way!"
Erica followed without hesitation, sack slung over her shoulder like a soldier on a mission.
"I hope you can run fast," she muttered.
"Lady, I'm fueled by adrenaline and greed."
As they darted down the corridor, dodging corners and slipping past patrols, Matt's voice came through one last time.
"I've got an exit planned. Meet me on the rooftop in five. And for the love of God, leave the chamber pot behind!"
"Not a chance!"
Robert grinned as he and Erica raced for the stairs.
This wasn't just a rescue anymore.
This was a full-blown heist.
And he was just getting started.
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