"If you're coming with us, you'll need a weapon."
Anby quickly walked back to her room and returned with a longsword, placing it in Su Chen's hands.
The blade was 150 cm long with a 20 cm handle—a beautiful two-handed straight sword.
Su Chen accepted the blade and drew it from its sheath to admire it.
The edge gleamed with a cold, steely luster. The blade bore thunder-like etchings, and arcs of blue-purple electricity occasionally danced along its surface.
"This was a trophy from a previous battle. I think it's called [Raiga] or something. Pretty powerful."
Anby looked at the blade, a flicker of nostalgia in her eyes.
"It really is a fine sword."
Su Chen sighed in admiration, carefully fastening it to his waist.
Anby's origins were mysterious—rumored to be an instructor from some classified unit in the Defense Forces.
Anything she'd kept as a trophy couldn't be ordinary.
Su Chen figured this blade might be nearly blue-tier in the system's rating.
More importantly, this was the first gift he'd received since arriving in this world—it deserved proper respect.
"Anby, why've I never seen you bring out this sword before?"
Nicole stared at the blade, Dennies signs flashing in her eyes.
With such a beautiful weapon, selling it could surely bring in a decent sum.
"I couldn't bear to part with it."
Anby gave Nicole a glance, then turned her head away.
This weapon was extremely valuable to her. Unless she was truly out of options, she'd never sell it.
Even with her massive appetite and love for food, she hadn't been willing to let it go.
Now, giving it to Su Chen felt like finding it a proper home.
"I'll put it to good use."
Su Chen gently stroked [Raiga] and hung it on the opposite side from Nicole.
Seeing this, Nicole pouted slightly.
"What's that supposed to mean? I'm not the kind of boss who covets her subordinates' weapons!"
"Of course not."
Su Chen offered a mysterious smile that revealed nothing of his true thoughts.
"Anby gave Su Chen a sword—then I'll give him a gun!"
Billy reluctantly unholstered a pistol from his waist and held it out to Su Chen, full of sorrow.
"A gun is a man's best companion—you better treat it right!"
Su Chen didn't know whether to laugh or cry. If he really took it, Billy might end up crying motor oil.
"You'd better keep it for yourself." Su Chen swiped his hands at his waist—[Ebony & Ivory] instantly appeared. "I've already got my companions. A pair of lovely twin sisters."
"Whoa!"
Billy gasped at the black-and-white twin pistols. "By the stars! They're beautiful! Brother, you've got real taste!"
"But of course."
Su Chen holstered the guns without returning them to the system space.
The system space was useful—but it could only store items produced by the system, which was a bit of a drawback.
So, he's hiding more secrets than we thought, huh…
Nicole gave Su Chen a meaningful glance but didn't probe further.
One rule: the Cunning Hares don't keep freeloaders. Everyone's got secrets.
"Now that we've got our weapons, it's time to head out." Nicole was full of energy. "Let's finish the job quickly and claim our handsome reward!"
"Mission guaranteed, Boss Nicole!"
Billy threw up a victory sign with both hands.
"Don't worry, Nicole." ×2
Su Chen and Anby answered in unison.
Nicole shot Su Chen a look and pouted.
Hmph. Just one day and you're already picking up Anby's bad habits. You don't even call me Boss Nicole anymore…
…
Fourteenth Street. Inside a long-abandoned high-rise.
"Kyle, do you feel that chill down your back?"
A patrolling grunt shivered and shrank his neck.
"Stop scaring me, man—it's the middle of the night!"
Kyle's scalp tingled, his legs slightly trembling.
He swept his flashlight around. The corridor was silent—save for a single Bumboo statue doing its business.
The two of them sensed something eerie and quickened their pace.
"Phew… finally gone. Security here's getting tighter and tighter."
Nicole patted her ample chest and let out a breath of relief.
Along the way, they had seen over a dozen patrol squads. Guard posts were arranged tightly and nearly impenetrable.
If the Red Fang grunts weren't so untrained, they would've been spotted long ago.
"The tighter the security, the closer we are to the target. We're on the right path."
Anby remained calm, showing no sign of tension.
To someone like her who'd seen real battle, this was at most… moderately challenging.
"Couldn't agree more." Nicole nodded approvingly, then gave Su Chen a thumbs-up. "Your first time stealing with us and you've already got this down—you're born for thievery!"
Su Chen's infiltration had been professional-level. He even warned them several times along the way.
She'd expected to have to baby him more—but he'd proven completely reliable.
"Thanks… I guess." Su Chen sighed. "If we could change 'thief' to 'agent,' I'd appreciate it."
"Ahem, next time for sure." Nicole stuck out her tongue sheepishly, then turned serious. "Up ahead should be the vault room. Let's divide up."
"Billy, Anby—you two go inside and grab the target. Su Chen and I will stand guard."
The vault room appeared to be ahead. The area was wide open, with four guards posted at the entrance.
Any noise would surely draw a large Red Fang response.
Two inside, two on lookout—it was a solid plan.
"Roger." ×3
Su Chen, Anby, and Billy responded in unison.
Even usually silly Billy had turned serious.
Billy and Anby sprang from the corner like leopards. The four guards had no time to react before collapsing to the floor.
Anby and Billy signaled an [OK] gesture and slipped into the room.
"Everything's going smooth—maybe the so-called infamous Red Fang Gang isn't all that!"
Nicole was glowing with excitement.
"Maybe." Su Chen wasn't convinced. "I've got a bad feeling it won't stay smooth."
In the opening CG, Nicole's crew got the vault—but ended up running for their lives.
If this were a clean job, they should've just waltzed out.
"Ugh, jinx! I'm docking your pay!"
Nicole shot Su Chen an annoyed look.
Couldn't this guy think positively for once?
Su Chen suddenly pulled Nicole close and pinned her against the wall.
Feeling the masculine pressure—and the way her chest was being pressed—Nicole reflexively struggled.
Even if she was thirsty, now wasn't the time to show it!
Her face flushed red as she wriggled in his arms.
"Shh—someone's coming."
Su Chen whispered near her ear.
Nicole froze and fell silent. Though Su Chen was still savoring the softness, he let go and pointed in a direction.
She widened her eyes and followed his gaze.
A sharp-eyed youth with white hair led a crowd of goons toward them, barking orders.
"Damn it! A bunch of useless trash—didn't even notice we had intruders!"
The underlings got a harsh scolding, but none dared talk back.
Seeing how Red Fang was reacting, Nicole instantly realized—they'd been discovered.
"Anby and Billy aren't done yet?"
Su Chen asked Nicole.
It had been several minutes since the two went in. It shouldn't take this long to grab a safe.
"Nope. The vault is locked inside another vault. They're trying to break it open by force."
Nicole glanced at a message from Anby, her expression darkening.
Apparently, the noise inside had tipped off the Red Fang Gang.
"Then we've gotta stall them—buy some time."
Su Chen sighed, calmly drawing his twin pistols.
He'd hoped for a peaceful infiltration… but now it was time to show what real stealth looked like.
"I know."
Nicole gripped her transforming suitcase weapon and moved in front of Su Chen protectively.
Those tiny pistols? Meh.
Let the real firepower handle this.