Translator: AnubisTL
"Scar Dog."
Chen Jiang crouched at the edge of the sidewalk, his eyes narrowed as he stared at the "Props Shop" across the bustling street. He murmured, "No problems detected. Let's move."
"Mm."
Beside him, Scar Dog, a gaunt figure perched on a fire hydrant, wore loose-fitting sportswear. He casually tossed his nearly finished cigarette to the ground.
Leaping down from the hydrant, he stamped out the glowing ember before replying, "Brother Jiang, let's get this done. After this job, we can finally take a few days off."
"Good."
Chen Jiang nodded slightly, glancing down at the high-tech wristwatch on his wrist.
[18:00:00]
Exactly six o'clock. Perfect timing.
He slowly rose to his feet and strode purposefully across the street toward the Props Shop, as if completely oblivious to his surroundings.
At that moment—
A driverless heavy truck suddenly swerved into the middle of the street, overturning several vehicles before finally tipping over itself.
Chaos erupted.
A cacophony of angry shouts and anguished cries filled the air, instantly drawing the attention of everyone nearby—including the fully armed patrol drones that had been circling overhead.
The moment had arrived.
Chen Jiang's pace quickened, escalating into a sprint as he charged toward the prop shop. Just as he reached the entrance, he drew a homemade hand cannon from his coat—its barrel as thick as a forearm—pressed it against the shop owner's forehead, who had rushed out to see the commotion, and pulled the trigger without hesitation.
Bang!
The shop owner's head exploded like a living oil painting.
Inside the shop, several employees rushed out at the sound of the gunshot. When they saw Chen Jiang's act of murder, the words "Player Chen Jiang" suddenly appeared above his head. Their faces twisted with fury and disgust as they drew their own weapons, aimed at Chen Jiang, and prepared to fire.
"Damn outsider scum!"
"Why are you calling for your grandpa?"
Scar Dog, who had already stormed into the shop, pulled out a terrifyingly large-caliber shotgun, aimed at the two employees, and fired first.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three thunderous shots rang out in quick succession.
Before the employees could even pull their triggers, their bodies were riddled with holes, like water-filled balloons thrown onto a bed of needles. They collapsed to the ground, their limbs twitching uncontrollably as blood gushed from their wounds.
"Move faster," Chen Jiang urged.
Chen Jiang glanced around, noticing that everyone's attention was drawn to the heavy truck. Only a few people seemed to notice what was happening here. Without hesitation, he shoved his hand cannon into his jacket, grabbed the two corpses, and dragged them into the shop.
Scar Dog also dragged a corpse into the shop.
There was no time to clean up the blood.
But it didn't matter. They hadn't expected to completely conceal their actions anyway; every minute of delay counted.
Once they had dragged all the bodies inside, Scar Dog quickly pulled down the shop's metal shutter and turned to gaze at the shelves inside, overflowing with props. He couldn't help but swallow hard, muttering, "Brother Jiang, we've finally struck gold."
"To the warehouse," Chen Jiang ordered without hesitation, hoisting the shop owner's corpse and striding toward the back room.
The items on display were just samples; the real bulk of the inventory was stored in the warehouse. Of course, a small shop's warehouse wouldn't hold a vast quantity of props, but it was more than enough to satisfy their appetites.
Soon, they reached an old-fashioned security door with a fingerprint lock—not a retinal scanner, so the information they had was accurate.
Chen Jiang lifted the shop owner's corpse and pressed its palm firmly against the fingerprint scanner.
Ding! Unlocked successfully.
With a crisp chime, Chen Jiang casually tossed aside the corpse. He ducked to the side and smashed the door open with the butt of his gun. After confirming there were no immediate threats, he pulled a small mirror from his pocket and extended it through the doorway, using the reflection to survey the warehouse interior.
But what he saw froze him in place.
The props stored in the warehouse far exceeded their expectations.
That futuristic-looking turret... it had to be a Steel Sword Autonomous Rotating Turret, a high-powered defensive weapon that would never be found in a small prop shop.
This time, they'd definitely stepped on a nail.
Just then—
Scar Dog's slightly urgent whisper came from outside: "Brother Jiang, the surveillance footage has been wiped, but this shop's security system is connected to the Law Enforcement Bureau in City 16. It's already triggered an automatic alarm."
"We're only a few blocks from the Bureau. We have, at most, three minutes."
"Damn it!"
Chen Jiang cursed under his breath. A typical prop shop would never have its security system linked to the Law Enforcement Bureau. They'd clearly stepped on a nail this time.
He rolled up his sleeves and pulled a large burlap sack made of special material from his chest. Rushing into the warehouse, he began frantically stuffing props into the sack while barking, "Call Ma Zi! The plan's changed. Tell him to send a car early for extraction!"
"Yes, sir!"
Scar Dog dialed Ma Zi while also pulling a burlap sack from his chest, ready to charge into the warehouse. But when he saw the sci-fi-looking turret, he froze in place, his voice trembling with disbelief.
"Brother Jiang... could that thing be the Steel Sword Autonomous Rotating Turret?"
"How the hell did something with that kind of firepower end up here?"
"How the fuck would I know? We've clearly stepped on a landmine this time. Some big shot probably placed a massive order with this prop shop, and all the goods are here."
"Brother Jiang..."
Scar Dog swallowed hard, a glint of intense greed flashing in his eyes. "I want to take that thing."
"It's too big! How are we gonna move it?"
"Just tell me, Brother Jiang, do you want it or not?"
"..."
"Fuck!"
Chen Jiang couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "Birds die for food, men for wealth. You carry that thing, I'll pack the rest."
"Got it!"
A flicker of excitement flashed in Scar Dog's eyes as he rushed over, caressing the smooth metal lines of the turret like a lover. "Flawless condition, Steel Sword Autonomous Rotating Turret," he exclaimed, his voice trembling with excitement. "This must be worth at least five hundred thousand Credit Points!"
But just then—
Outside the shop, the familiar mechanical rasp of a drone suddenly echoed.
"First warning: Criminals inside the shop, immediately drop your weapons and surrender."
"Second warning: Criminals inside the shop, immediately drop your weapons and surrender."
"Damn it!"
Hearing this, Chen Jiang froze, hoisted the half-full sack onto his shoulder, and casually removed the wristwatch from the shopkeeper's corpse. He drew his hand cannon from his chest pocket, aiming it at the tightly closed shop curtain.
His voice urgent and slightly panicked, he demanded, "Where's Ma Zi?"
"That bastard! If he doesn't send a getaway car soon, he won't get a single share of this haul."
(End of the Chapter)
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