Escape

But she did not need to do that. After all, Laterano people were best with firearms.

"Overtime pay, split evenly. You were free anyway."

Texas jumped down from the driver's seat and casually took a weapon from the car, hanging it at her side.

"Let's go." The girl's voice was somewhat cold, but Exusiai beside her was clearly long accustomed to her companion's personality. She chattered as they walked, unafraid of the awkwardness of getting no response.

The two entered the safehouse.

"Someone really did come here." Exusiai glanced around, a smile appearing on her face. "Interesting. Let's see what our guest did first."

Ifrit's voice came through the girls' earpieces. "I've sent the supplies list to the terminal. You can check against it."

"That must have been hard for you. There's a list even in a place this messy." Exusiai clasped her hands behind her back and looked over the disorderly storage shelves.

"I can't manage your miscellaneous junk..." Ifrit sighed. When it came to overtime, he was the one who never got a break. Aside from fighting, he had to handle everything.

Just then, Texas spoke up. "Two loaves of bread, a bottle of purified water, canned beast meat..."

"Did he come here for a picnic?" Exusiai plopped down in front of the workbench and wiped the tabletop. "Damn, he even ate right here."

"Weapons, clothes, a mask..." After checking the locker, Texas went over to the coffee table and looked at the opened box of Pocky sitting there.

"And a box of cookies."

"So he really did come for a picnic." Exusiai was speechless. "Why take one box away, then open another and not eat it? They'll go stale if they get damp."

"It's a code."

Texas sat on the sofa, looking at the long and short biscuits arranged in front of her.

"Hm? Could it be Sora? I remember only you guys played with this stuff. Didn't she just tell you about this cipher not long ago?" Exusiai spun idly in her chair.

Texas shook her head. She had plenty of doubts herself. For instance, only a few people seemed to know this code, so why was the intruder so familiar with it?

"So what message did that person leave behind?" Exusiai asked curiously.

"A terminal." Texas stood as she spoke. "There was only one terminal in the room."

Bai Ye naturally was not worried about being exposed. He only needed to accomplish his objective, then he could leave.

He was now sprinting toward the Central Database.

He was still too weak. Without strength, if he were a Great Beast incarnation like Nian, there would be no need for all this trouble. She could even directly read the data in the database.

"Beep—"

Everything went smoothly. Without needing any further verification, Bai Ye successfully entered the Lungmen Central Database.

The vertical server cabinets stood like bookshelves all the way to the ceiling. This place could indeed be considered a different kind of library; most information could be found here.

Bai Ye had originally worried there might be other people here, but fortunately, there was nothing besides server units.

Modifying the data did not take much time. He only needed to follow the walkthrough step by step, and Bai Ye quickly completed his plan.

The next part was the key—he had to find a way out.

In truth, this would not have been so troublesome originally. Unfortunately, Bai Ye had been spotted in the restroom and could only knock the person unconscious.

I wonder if they've discovered it yet...

Bai Ye packed up his things, lifted his mask, and tossed a piece of chocolate into his mouth.

His stamina was not unlimited either. His earlier actions had consumed quite a bit, and he needed high-calorie food to replenish himself. Chocolate was a good choice.

Maybe that was why Texas liked eating Pocky too?

Still, in his previous life, Players always claimed Texas was actually smoking, merely replacing cigarettes with Pocky.

The moment he returned to the building, Bai Ye sensed that something was wrong.

The entire building had gone into lockdown. The lights were blazing, and alarms rang without pause.

"So I really was exposed."

After pondering for a moment, Bai Ye did not leave immediately. Instead, he ducked left and right before barging into an office.

"Not bad. The armor hasn't been taken away."

The Guards Bureau's standard armor was fully enclosed. Once the helmet was on, nobody could recognize him.

A while later, a "Guards Bureau officer" casually walked out of the Guards Bureau building.

"Wait."

Just then, a sharp feminine shout rang out behind him.

Getting Away

Chen discovered the unconscious officer in the restroom. (Mm-hm, ah, ah, ah, ah.)

Ever since taking office, she had never encountered such an absurd assault on an officer. But Chen did not find it funny at all. The girl wore a stern expression and said nothing, like the calm before a storm.

The officers who saw her all stayed silent. Especially after the unlucky man who had been knocked out woke up—he opened his eyes to find Chen glaring at him and nearly fainted again from fright.

"What are you all staring at me for?! Lock down the building, check the surveillance footage, hunt down the criminal! What did you learn in the police academy?!"

Chen could not help but berate her slow-witted subordinates.

After all, it was late, and there were limited officers on duty. Most were clerical staff, with quite a few rookies among them. They lacked experience and were probably encountering something like this for the first time.

Only after Officer Chen's scolding did the officers snap out of it. Veteran officers led the newcomers as they organized the search and investigation in an orderly manner.

Under these circumstances, Bai Ye put on the standard armor and prepared to slip out amid the chaos.

However, Chen stopped him at the entrance.

"Stop!"

The girl's sharp shout was not drowned out by the alarms. At the same time, Bai Ye could feel a pair of eyes fixed tightly on his back.

"Officer, I just saw a shadow climb out over there."

Putting on an anxious act, Bai Ye pointed toward the Guards Bureau's entrance.

In his previous life, he had dealt with Guards Bureau officers quite often and had even completed missions alongside them, so he felt his performance was fairly convincing.

"Did you forget everything I said? Don't act alone when something happens! I tell you every time, and you never remember!" Chen frowned as she examined the officer before her, then casually grabbed a baton from nearby. "Come on. I'll chase after him with you."

Beneath the sealed helmet, Bai Ye frowned. Chen's actions gave him a headache. All he could do now was play along and run out the door.

Chen followed behind him.

"Just the two of us?" Bai Ye asked without turning his head.

"Heh, that's enough." The girl sneered.

At the same time, Bai Ye felt a sense of danger. He spun around sharply, drew his straight sword with his right hand, and swung it backward.

Clang—

That strike happened to block the baton Chen had thrust at him.

"Whew—"

Bai Ye let out a breath. His right hand was numb; Chen's strength was terrifying, and he could barely block that blow.

Using the force to retreat, Bai Ye sheathed his sword and began sprinting.

He did not have much time. Shouts from the police had already come from behind him, and before long, police cars and motorcycles would be after him.

And there was also Chen, who was even faster.

After exchanging a single move, Bai Ye knew that his current self was no match for this girl, even though she was not holding a sword and only wielded a baton.

But Bai Ye did not panic. He only found it exhilarating.

He recalled being level thirty in his previous life, when he had encountered three Sarkaz in the outskirts of a Mobile City in Columbia while on a mission and had been chased and beaten just like this.

His first death in his previous life had happened there.

The situation was not that bad now. At least he would not die. He would only get caught and suffer a little.

Besides, his face had never been exposed. Lungmen's armor was also rather bulky, giving people the illusion that he had a large, burly build.

The only flaw was his voice, but he had deliberately used a fake one.

Stimulated by the danger, his thoughts raced until he finally found an answer.

"When in doubt, go underground."

That was advice given by veteran Players.

Not only could he avoid pursuit by cars and motorcycles, but he could also use the darkness and maze-like terrain to hide and counterattack.

That was right. Most Mobile Cities on Terra had extremely complex underground structures. It was inevitable.

The taller a tree was, the deeper its roots beneath it would be.

To support an entire city, the industrial foundation beneath it had to be sturdy enough.

Many Players in the past had used this trick to evade pursuit.

Having made up his mind, Bai Ye began fleeing. He had previously searched the Penguin Logistics safehouse terminal for entrances to the lower structures around the Guards Bureau. Most were not open, but his luck was good—one of the entrances was currently under maintenance.

"Stop!"

Chen had clearly realized what this man wearing Guards Bureau standard armor was planning. Honestly, she had not encountered such a brazen criminal in quite some time.

How could Bai Ye possibly stop? He ran all the way to the entrance, slashed through the temporary railing with one stroke, kicked open the hatch, and jumped straight down.

In an instant, he entered the pitch-black underground world.

As he ran, he began removing his armor. The armor offered decent defense, but it was too heavy. If he kept running in it, Bai Ye would not be able to endure it.

However, Bai Ye did not throw the armor on the ground. Instead, he stored it in his inventory.

"Hope it leads somewhere."

Bai Ye heard sounds behind him and knew Chen had jumped down after him. A moment later, several more dull landing sounds followed. He knew those were the officers who had arrived afterward.

Bai Ye activated his mask's night vision function, and his field of vision immediately turned green.

This time, he had the advantage.

The officers who had rushed in directly had clearly not had time to bring lighting equipment and could only grope their way through the passage in darkness.

The passage was narrow, and sounds continuously reflected and echoed through the space before blending into a muddle. That also benefited Bai Ye, because the chaos concealed his own footsteps.

After turning several corners, Bai Ye used the momentum of his run to kick off the wall and leap onto a thick pipe running along the ceiling. Half-crouching there, he began calming his breathing and heartbeat.

The sudden stop after such intense movement made it feel as though his lungs were about to burst, yet he could not breathe loudly. It was truly agonizing.

Below him, the footsteps gradually faded away. Clearly, a group of police officers had rushed past.

Once again, Bai Ye thanked Higashi's ninja techniques, and he also had to thank his body. He could actually perform those movements with ease, vanishing right before everyone's eyes.

After regulating his breathing, Bai Ye silently slid down from the pipe and then sprinted in the opposite direction.

After he left, the second group of officers arrived downstairs. This group carried lighting equipment and crossbows, while the officers above sealed off the entrance.

Unfortunately, they had missed Bai Ye.

By the time Chen regrouped with the rear team, Bai Ye was already nowhere to be found, having vanished into the sewers of the dark underground levels.

Bang—

Chen slammed her fist into the wall.

As the leader of the Lungmen Guard Department's Special Inspectorate Team, she had actually been played. The Lungmen Guard Department Standard Armor worn by Bai Ye had caused her to misjudge the situation.

The armor was too heavy. Based on the force Bai Ye had shown while taking that baton strike head-on, Chen had concluded that he did not have enough explosive power to jump.

Even if he could jump, he could not possibly do so without making a sound.

If Bai Ye had been wearing light gear, she would definitely have considered the pipes.

The only thing Chen could not figure out was how Bai Ye had removed the armor, and where he had hidden it afterward.