Russell looked at the safe in front of him, then at the door, his expression complex for a moment.
He could absolutely take advantage of the chaos to pick the lock, grab the goods, and run.
But... never mind.
Since I'm already here.
Fighting crime is everyone's responsibility!
Although I am trespassing in a private residence and stealing others' property, I am a good boy!
After thinking it over, he finally withdrew his hand from the dial, pushed the door open, and listened carefully to the movement outside.
No one nearby. Good.
He walked out of the storage room, then hoisted the unconscious Henderson onto his shoulder and placed him inside the storage room.
Immediately after, Russell took the only revolver and baton from Henderson's body and approached the direction where the smell was stronger.
The mask came with a filtration function, so he wasn't worried about being knocked out.
As the distance closed, the scent became increasingly intense, and Russell saw several corpses of guards on the ground.
More accurately, they were guards knocked out by ether.
This made him frown involuntarily.
Peers in the industry didn't seem very friendly.
The commotion just now must have been the sound of the Section B gate closing, aiming to cut off a portion of the guard force.
Russell's mind raced.
Able to activate the switch and carrying knockout drugs.
First, rule out the possibility that they were hiding inside from the start. Then, consider if they sneaked in like him.
That wasn't very practical either.
Then only one possibility remained... the safety channel.
Russell recalled the map of the underground storage room in his mind. The safety channel was over in Section A, which matched perfectly.
That was originally my pre-planned escape route... I was here first.
Damn it, there's a traitor among us!
There are bad people among the masses!
Russell quickened his pace, approaching the direction of Section A. The revolver in his hand already had the safety off, ready to fire at any moment.
As he got closer, he gradually heard voices conversing, and the air was filled with a pungent smell.
The situation was even worse than he had imagined.
In his year on the job, this was the first time he had encountered such a situation.
No wonder they call it a promotion match.
At this moment, the corridor in Section A-3 had turned into a dead silence.
Guards lay strewn across the floor, their hands and feet bound, with hemp cloth stuffed in their mouths.
Even their weapons had been taken away; they had almost no power to resist.
And the initiators were swaggering through the underground storage room, excitedly using the tools in their hands to pry open every iron storage door in sight.
Russell hid in the dark, calmly observing all this, his brows furrowed tightly.
These bandits were well-equipped. Not only did they have gas masks, but they also had professional lockpicking tools. They evidently came prepared.
They even pinpointed the Saturday night window when the security system was under maintenance.
First, use the noise of the switch to attract everyone's attention while cutting off the possibility of reinforcements from Section B.
Then, use drugs like ether to incapacitate the existing police force in Section A. Next would be the crowd-pleasing lucky draw segment.
Judging by the fact that the officers didn't even have time to put on their gas masks, I'm afraid that besides knockout drugs, these people have other tools that can quickly neutralize enemy resistance.
The passage was a "T" shaped structure. Russell hid at the corner.
While thinking, he stuck to the right side of the wall and moved forward slowly to widen his field of view.
Subsequently, he saw the situation on the other side clearly.
The guards on the ground were not spared; some seemed to have scorched black marks on their bodies, suggesting they had been electrocuted.
Just as Russell was observing with a frown, he suddenly noticed a figure in a police uniform moving out of the corner of his eye.
He hurriedly shifted his gaze and saw the person wearing a gas mask, holding a baton in one hand and a stun baton in the other, walking swaggeringly while occasionally dropping two canisters that were continuously leaking gas.
Although the other party wore a mask and Russell couldn't see his facial features, relying on his excellent observation skills, he still determined the identity from the figure.
It was... Richard.
You, with your big eyes and thick brows, you betrayed us too!
Just as Russell was shocked, Richard, who was setting traps, suddenly turned around and locked eyes squarely with Russell.
"..."
A brief silence later, a System notification rang out in Russell's mind.
[Richard has developed killing intent toward your witnessing act. Malice Points +50]
The next moment, he saw Richard, after a brief startle and daze, immediately raise the revolver in his hand and aim it in Russell's direction.
"Bang!"
The bullet grazed past Russell, drilling into the wall.
The huge commotion alerted the other bandits who were picking locks; they all cast their gazes in Richard's direction.
"Are you fucking crazy? What are you doing?!"
One of them cursed.
Richard glanced at Russell, who had shrunk back, then shouted to his companions at the other end:
"There's someone who hasn't fainted!"
As his voice fell, all the bandits busy unlocking doors stopped their movements in unison and looked toward Russell's position.
"Are you sure?" the man from earlier questioned.
"This stuff could knock out an elephant. You say someone is here without even wearing a mask?"
"It's true, I saw that guy!" Richard said with certainty, then looked toward Russell's position.
"Come out, Frederick."
That voice echoed in the empty underground corridor, carrying the confidence of a cat catching a mouse.
"The only exit has been blocked by us; you can't get out.
"For the sake of us being colleagues, join us, and I can let you go.
"You said it yourself, you don't want to keep working in this ghost place. Now is your chance."
Russell pressed tight against the wall, making no sound and giving no response.
He was merely thinking, judging the number of people on the field.
Walking over just now, he saw at least five or six unconscious guards.
And that wasn't counting more.
If Richard let people in from the emergency escape channel, then by default, all the guards near there had already fallen.
The worst-case scenario now was that he was the only one left on the field.
One against six. The advantage is mine... right?
"Frederick, don't play the hero," Richard's voice sounded again.
"We... we don't want to cause unnecessary casualties. However, I have to remind you, our patience is limited."
A blatant threat.
Russell let out a sneer.
He weighed the revolver in his hand; there were only six bullets in total.
Adding the one in his own hand, it was no more than twelve rounds in total.
And the opposing firepower was higher than his no matter how he thought about it, plus he had to avoid accidentally injuring those unconscious guards.
This battle couldn't be fought from the front.
But luckily, I don't fight head-on teamfights anyway.
Russell took a deep breath, then opened the System Shop.
[Twilight Shroud x5, Purchase Successful]
[Malice Points Balance: 1050]
"Frederick, I'm counting to ten."
Richard seemed to have lost patience.
"..."
"Nine."
Russell took a smoke grenade out of his pocket and weighed it in his hand.
"Eight."
He calculated the lead time, then threw the smoke grenade in his hand forcefully toward the center of the corridor.
"Seven."
"Poof—!"
The next moment, black smoke spread instantly, and Russell's figure vanished from the spot along with it.
Go tell it to my teleport!
"Cough cough! Damn it, it's a smoke grenade!"
"He's there! Fire!"
Dense gunfire rang out frantically in the smoke, pouring madly toward the middle of the corridor.
However, the instant the smoke grenade was thrown, he was no longer in his original spot.
Relying on the extra effects attached to Twilight Shroud, Russell appeared directly on the right side of the corridor.
His position was less than ten meters in a straight line from those bandits holding pistols.
In an instant, facing Russell who had appeared in the crowd, the surrounding bandits failed to react.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The revolver's gunshots rang out in succession, precisely hitting the bandits' limbs.
Painful screams rang out accompanied by System notifications, transforming into tangible Malice Points lining his pockets.
After emptying the bullets, Russell didn't pause in the slightest, throwing out another smoke grenade at his feet.
Black smoke spread out once again, and the Phantom Thief's figure vanished from the spot.
Richard stood at the other end of the corridor, his vision cut off by the smoke.
However, just as the first wave of smoke dissipated, before he could make a move, he felt someone tap his shoulder from behind.
He subconsciously turned his head, only to see a dark muzzle aimed right at him.
Russell was standing behind him, expressionlessly holding a shotgun, the muzzle aimed at Richard's head.
"Frederick...!"
Richard's pupils contracted abruptly, but he reacted immediately after.
That consumptive ghost Frederick couldn't possibly have this kind of skill!
"No, wrong, you aren't Frederick, you are Moriarty!"
"Correct answer, but unfortunately no reward."
Russell spoke, then pulled the trigger.
Richard instinctively closed his eyes, but the expected gunshot did not ring out.
[Skill: Fighting C—Upgraded. Current Level: C+. Malice Points -300]
[Malice Points Balance: 950]
Just as he wanted to open his eyes in confusion, the sound of something breaking the wind came from beside his ear.
The body of the shotgun smashed ruthlessly onto his head.
"Bang!"
Gunfighting is also Fighting!
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