Emergency Situation

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Matilda curled up on the sofa, clutching Paddington Bear tightly in her arms, already deep in slumber. A full day of playing had exhausted her energy, and she was like an electronic device with a depleted battery, urgently needing sleep to recharge.

For Beta, however, such exertion was merely a stroll after a meal.

He was still full of energy, took out his laptop, and inserted an encrypted USB Drive. As the program overwrote the original system, the familiar black chat interface soon appeared.

This was Beta's daily routine, checking messages to avoid missing important orders.

In the underworld, he had earned an excellent reputation for his reliability, swift action, and terrifyingly accurate long-range sniping skills, so many people contacted him through this encrypted channel.

While getting up to pour hot water, Beta casually picked up a blanket and gently covered Matilda. The little girl had just bathed, her hair still damp, and she was sleeping soundly curled up on the sofa.

As soon as he returned to his seat, a "ding" notification sounded.

Beta put down the hot water he hadn't yet drunk and clicked on the new message.

A fluorescent green system message popped up on the screen:

[Notification] You have a new contact request

Sender: System Administrator

Content: A user is attempting to contact you. Please check the message details promptly. If no reply is received within 24 hours, the system will automatically use the backup contact method reserved during your registration to notify you.

Beta rubbed his chin thoughtfully, then clicked on the unread message.

The sender ID displayed as "@#qwer1234," clearly a randomly typed username.

The message content was presented in glaring red font: We heard about the Downing Street case. We have a big job now with a generous reward, and we believe you'll be interested.

Beta straightened his back, his fingers tapping rapidly on the keyboard, and white reply text appeared in the chat box: What do you need me to do?

After pressing Enter to send, Beta leaned back in his chair, quietly waiting for a reply. He had no way of knowing the other party's true identity or location, and he wasn't even sure if they were online at the moment.

Picking up his mug, Beta took small sips of hot water, his gaze involuntarily drifting to the sleeping Matilda on the sofa.

He quietly got up and re-covered the blanket that had been kicked off her, carefully tucking it around her curled-up feet, before returning to his seat.

"Ding!"

The system notification sounded again, and a glaring red message popped up on the screen: Can we meet to discuss in person?

Beta replied without hesitation: Impossible.

The other party replied almost instantly: Budget of 10 million US dollars. Additional rewards upon completion of the mission. Can we meet now?

Beta's fingers hovered above the keyboard, pausing slightly. This was indeed a shockingly exorbitant order; even the experienced Beta had never encountered such a high commission.

However, refusing to meet clients was an unshakeable iron rule for Beta; he would never violate his principles, even when faced with an order worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

Cases like actively seeking out debtors were a separate matter.

Principles are principles precisely because they are uncompromising. A seemingly harmless exception could become a fatal flaw that exposes one's identity, leading to investigation by law enforcement agencies or retaliation from enemies.

Beta replied: Impossible. If you insist on meeting, I suggest you find someone else. I believe with such a generous reward, you will find many capable individuals.

The other party quickly sent a reply: An additional 1 million US dollars for an offline meeting. A deposit of 500,000 will be paid upfront, and the remaining 500,000 after the meeting.

Beta typed without hesitation: No meetings. If there is a genuine intention to cooperate, a deposit of 5 million can be paid upfront, with the remaining 5 million settled upon completion of the mission.

The chat interface fell silent; the other party did not reply.

Beta leaned back in his chair and took a sip of the now lukewarm hot water. He took out his phone to check; there were still no new messages from Ashley on the screen, so he casually put his phone back on the table.

"Ding!"

A computer notification sounded.

A fluorescent green system message popped up on the screen:

[Notification] You have a new contact request

Sender: System Administrator

Content: A user is attempting to contact you. Please check the message details promptly. If no reply is received within 24 hours, the system will automatically use the backup contact method reserved during your registration to notify you.

Beta straightened his back again, staring at the screen with a slight frown. He began to suspect that he might have inadvertently revealed clues about his identity.

Normally, receiving two or three commissions a year was the usual frequency. But today, two people had contacted him one after another; this abnormal situation made him feel vaguely uneasy.

Beta did not reply to the message. Instead, he quickly unplugged the USB Drive, shoved the laptop into his suitcase, and packed all his belongings with the utmost speed.

He strode quickly to the sofa and gently shook the groggy Matilda: "Matilda, wake up! We need to leave for Morocco immediately, hurry and change your clothes."

"Morocco?" Matilda rubbed her sleepy eyes, her voice full of confusion: "What Morocco?"

Without another word, Beta scooped up the not-yet-fully-awake little girl and strode towards her bedroom.

He placed Matilda by the bedside, casually grabbed some outdoor clothes, and tossed them to her. Pointing to the bathroom, he said, "Go change in there and be quick. This isn't a joke; it's about our safety."

He turned and began efficiently packing Matilda's luggage. "We'll leave as soon as you're changed."

Matilda was fully awake now. She hugged the clothes and walked into the bathroom. Through the door, she raised her voice and asked, "What happened?"

Beta efficiently finished packing Matilda's luggage. He then picked up the plastic bag next to the trash can, gathering all used personal items, straws, cups, and toothbrushes into it.

"Are you done?" Beta tied the knot on the plastic bag. "I'll explain on the way."

The bathroom door opened, and Matilda walked out with her canvas bag on her back.

Beta immediately took out disinfectant wipes and quickly cleaned details that hotel cleaning staff often missed: the doorknob, the air conditioning panel, the light switches, the window frame, and the electric kettle buttons. He stuffed the used wipes into his jacket pocket.

Finally, Beta carefully wiped the room key card and quickly left the room with Matilda.

To ensure the hotel would clean the room immediately, he used his newly purchased prepaid phone to call the front desk. He pretended to be a new guest booking the room he had just checked out of, with check-in time set for one hour later.

This timing was urgent enough to prompt the hotel to clean the room immediately, while also giving the cleaning staff ample time to replace all the bedding, thoroughly vacuum any stray hairs and skin cells, and ensure the next guest would enjoy a truly spotless, high-end suite experience.

At the same time, this would minimize any biological traces Beta and Matilda might have left in the room.