Hearing this, Amir didn't act immediately.
Soon, the three men surrounded him, maliciously blocking Amir against the wall.
The man on the distant roof looked disappointed. Not because of Amir, but because he wouldn't be the one to rob him personally.
"The Boss already issued the order: no one goes out to steal today. Everyone is to remain on standby in the camp. Why are you out?"
Amir thought for a moment and whispered to the three, "I spotted a very wealthy outsider a few days ago. Today was the perfect opportunity."
Hearing Amir's words, the three showed no sign of anger. They weren't there to discipline these pickpockets, nor was it their responsibility. Their only goal was to skim a hefty cut from these kids.
This was the exclusive perk of being a gatekeeper.
One of them reached out toward Amir's backpack.
Amir turned slightly sideways, dodging the hand.
"You have some nerve!" the man said. This pickpocket dares to dodge? Usually, a little hesitation was expected—after all, no one wanted to part with their hard-earned loot—but today, this little thief had violated the Boss's order and been caught red-handed. In this situation, he still dared to dodge!
Ignoring the man's anger, Amir continued, "While I was out today, I discovered a huge secret. I need to report it to the Boss immediately. It concerns today's transaction!"
"What secret?" Hearing it involved today's transaction, their tone weakened slightly. If it really was a major issue, they didn't dare risk intercepting it.
"I need to tell the Boss directly." Amir took a few credit chips from his pocket and handed them to the three men. "This is all I got."
Seeing the credits, the expressions of the three softened. They swept their eyes over Amir, checking for any held-back loot, but they didn't push it too far. This amount was already considerable—more than what other pickpockets usually brought in total.
Besides, they couldn't kill the goose that laid the golden eggs. If they squeezed too hard, the pickpockets at the bottom would rebel. Everyone needed to eat.
"The Boss is inside the camp. You'd better know your place. Even if you really have business, don't spoil the mood, or you'll get shot." Snatching the credits, the three men's attention shifted entirely to how they would split the loot, only tossing a casual warning to Amir.
"Mm-hm." Amir nodded.
He looked toward the distant roof. The sniper was staring intently at the credits in the hands of the three men below, carefully calculating the amount. If they dare give me a short share later, there'll be hell to pay!
Because of this distraction, he didn't notice a thumb-sized spider droid quietly crawling to his feet.
Silently, a powerful electric current erupted from below, instantly paralyzing his nerves.
With a muffled thud, his body fell uncontrollably from the roof, smashing hard onto the concrete ground below.
Despite being immersed in the joy of money, the three gatekeepers instinctively turned to look back at the sound.
At that moment, Amir, the young man hiding under the dark brown robe whom they had treated as a petty thief, drew a lightsaber from his sleeve.
Snap-hiss.
With a low hum, a green blade lit up the dim corridor. With just one horizontal sweep, the three men standing close to Amir were cut down. Before they could even scream, they fell to the ground, leaving only expressions of deep terror on their faces.
"It's done," Amir called into the Ratway.
The rest of the group walked out.
Picking up his credits from the ground and recalling the spider droid, Amir explained the situation to the others.
"Their Boss is inside the camp and has ordered everyone not to go out today."
"It seems we were right. If they are going to make the trade, it's most likely today." Joan nodded.
Amir asked, "Do you know where their camp is?"
"I know the general location, but I haven't been inside to scout." Joan had put in a lot of effort beforehand.
32 silently moved all the bodies into a corner to hide them. The later they were discovered, the better it was for the group.
"Then let's go. But we need to avoid people. The Dead Hand's defenses must be tight today. According to those three, all their members should have returned to this area. The camp itself will be even stricter," Amir told the group.
Not being discovered wouldn't be easy.
Diagonally across from the Ratway exit they just left was another entrance.
The entrances and exits of the Ratway throughout the city were usually paired like this, connecting to the outside world in the middle to facilitate movement.
Amir had a sudden idea. "Can we continue to approach through the Ratway?"
"We could, but I don't know the internal structure or the correct route. We'd be flying blind once inside. Besides, there must be a large number of Dead Hand members inside the Ratway as well."
"Walking outside will be very fast; the Dead Hand camp is not far!" Valera said.
"Then let's hurry!" Milisen said impatiently.
Joan interrupted them, speaking to Amir. "We still don't know where the artifact is. If it's in Nuludin's hands, trying to sneak it out is almost impossible. And if we try to take it by force, escaping will be too difficult."
"That is true. The Dead Hand members have almost all pulled back for defense. It looks like Nuludin places great importance on this transaction and has made foolproof preparations. We can only wait for an opportunity to see if we can confirm the location of the artifact first."
"Regardless, let's get closer first. We'll hide and observe," Joan made the final decision.
The group navigated through the city's alleys, stopping every short distance to observe the surrounding Dead Hand members. The closer they got to the camp, the denser the personnel became. It was getting harder and harder to hide.
"We can't avoid them!" Amir sensed people approaching, and there were also observers behind them. They were stuck in an alley with no way out.
Joan also became anxious, constantly looking around.
"To the roof!" Amir made a prompt decision and leaped up directly. Joan followed closely behind.
These heights were not a problem for the group. Milisen could easily jump up with the Force, and everyone else possessed high-performance mechanical bodies.
After Amir landed, he looked into the distance. There were many lookouts on nearby roofs as well, scanning the area with binoculars and blasters.
Amir hid behind some machinery installed on the roof. One couldn't let their guard down anywhere.
Milisen jumped up after 32. As soon as she landed, she heard Joan's low cry: "Hide!"
Startled, Milisen dropped directly to the ground.
Through the gap at the bottom of the machinery, she saw that not far ahead, a maintenance hatch leading to the roof suddenly opened. A man walked out, his old boots stepping onto the surface one by one!
Amir looked down. 32 and Valera hadn't had time to come up yet!
And the patrolling guards below were already closing in on the alley where they were.
If they jumped up now, they would definitely be spotted by the man on the roof.
There was no time to wait. Amir focused his attention on the man who had just stepped onto the roof.
Through the gaps in the rows of mechanical devices, Amir confirmed that this man was a Dead Hand member. He held a sniper rifle and was pacing back and forth on the roof, as if looking for a suitable vantage point.
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