The First Operation

Xing Yao glanced up and out the window. It had already gone completely dark, the heavy curtain of night pressing down-the golden hour for stirring up trouble.

His lips curled into a slightly wicked grin. "It's pitch-black already. How about we head out now?"

Clone No. 1's eyes instantly lit up like little bulbs, and he could barely contain his excitement. "Absolutely! I've been waiting forever!"

The two exchanged a look, matching devilish grins spreading across their faces. Their eyes brimmed with excitement at the trouble they were about to cause, and even the air carried a whiff of "we're doing something big tonight."

Clone No. 1 casually picked up the big joker mask, looked it over, then quietly tucked it into his pocket. Next, he pulled a three of hearts from the pile of masks and hefted it in his hand.

Xing Yao looked at him in confusion. "What do you need two for? Why take the three of hearts?"

Clone No. 1 cleared his throat, putting on an utterly serious air, looking every bit the man desperate to save face:

"Think about it. I'm the big joker of Group One. As the organization gets bigger and bigger, what if someone recognizes me and says the mighty big joker of Group One actually came out to do this stuff himself? Wouldn't that cheapen me and ruin my image? It's also to bluff my way through for my talent. I can't let the truth slip so easily!"

He waved the three of hearts in his hand, looking as though it were only natural:

"So I'll wear this. If someone really spots me and starts talking, we'll just say I'm some small-time nobody in our organization who has absolutely nothing to do with the big joker of Group One. I get things done and preserve the prestige of my identity. What's not to love?"

Xing Yao was left speechless by this face-saving maneuver and couldn't help roasting him:

"Well, look at you. You've thought of everything! So face matters more than anything, huh? You're such a drama queen!"

Despite all his roasting, he picked up a three of spades himself.

But inwardly, he quietly defended himself: I'm doing this to conceal my identity and coordinate the operation, not because I care about saving face.

At any rate, he had fooled himself first. Whether he had fooled anyone else... only heaven knew.

Next, Xing Yao fished a pair of compact walkie-talkies out of his consciousness world and casually tossed one to Clone No. 1, looking both exasperated and amused:

"We haven't unlocked the skill for seamless communication with clones yet. Once we're too far apart, screaming ourselves hoarse won't help, so we'll have to make do with these for now. Let's not end up having to yell if we get separated. That'd be embarrassing!"

Clone No. 1 caught it and clipped it to his waist, looking unbearably smug. "Got it, got it. A professional team needs proper equipment!"

The next second, they moved at the same time-

Clone No. 1 put on the three of hearts mask, and Xing Yao put on the three of spades. One red, one black, understated yet coordinated.

The moment their masks were on, Clone No. 1 started snarking. "Oh, so you complain about me caring about face, but you put yours on pretty fast too! Solid proof you say one thing and do another!"

Xing Yao rolled his eyes hard and shot right back. "This is called tactical concealment. How is that anything like your pure vanity? Don't drag me into it!"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Explaining means covering up, and covering up means it's true!"

"Keep yapping, and see if I don't confiscate your Group One big joker mask and make you wear the three of hearts as a grunt for the rest of your life!"

Clone No. 1 immediately backed down, waving a hand as he declared with complete self-assurance:

"Fine, fine. For the sake of my talent, I won't hold it against you."

Trading barbs and bickering, barely suppressed wicked grins lurking in their eyes, the two pushed open the door and plunged into the heavy darkness.

Tonight was destined to be anything but ordinary.

Under the deep night sky, the two masked figures immediately lowered themselves as soon as they stepped outside, moving cautiously along the foot of the wall.

Xing Yao spoke into his walkie-talkie, his voice extremely low. "You go around the back in a bit, and I'll take the front. We absolutely cannot expose where we live. Got it?"

Clone No. 1, the three of hearts, immediately lowered his voice to reply. "Roger, roger! Don't worry. I've got that much sense!"

They quietly turned into a narrow alley nearby. It was secluded and dim, with nothing around-not even a single surveillance camera. It was the safest route for moving elsewhere.

"No cameras in this alley. Just right for changing direction before heading out. Safer that way." Xing Yao scanned their surroundings, and after confirming it was safe, gave the instruction calmly over the walkie-talkie.

"Understood!"

The two figures, one red and one black, used the night and the alley as cover, sneaking off separately and completely skirting the area around their home.

Clone No. 1 hurried along, heading straight for a stretch of road usually packed with office workers. But it was nighttime now, and the street was deserted, with hardly anyone around, so quiet one could hear a pin drop.

Xing Yao himself went near the entrance to a residential complex where students usually clustered on their bikes on the way to school. It was just as quiet, with barely a soul in sight, empty as hell.

One to the south and one to the north, the two took their positions. There wasn't even a random passerby nearby. It was practically a heaven-sent setting for committing a crime.

Xing Yao drew a deep breath and spoke into the walkie-talkie, crisp and decisive, uttering just one word:

"Go!"

As soon as he spoke, Clone No. 1 instantly got into gear. Hunched over, he slipped toward a row of electric bikes and bicycles by the roadside. He swept his gaze left and right, confirmed there wasn't so much as a ghost in sight, and deftly got to work.

He crouched down, his fingers swiftly gripping the quick-release lever beneath a seat. With a click, he loosened it, then drove the seat all the way down with a sharp shove, almost against the bike's frame, making the riding position as cramped as could be. Once he finished, he gave it a gentle jiggle. Solid as hell, without leaving the slightest trace.

Meanwhile, Xing Yao wasn't idle either. His footsteps light as a cat's, he crept up to the bicycles parked by the residential complex's entrance, his movements flowing like clouds and water.

He likewise quickly released a seat clamp, then lifted his hand and pulled the seat straight up to its highest limit-so high an ordinary rider would have to stand on tiptoe to reach the ground. Once he finished, he snapped the clamp shut to lock it in place. His technique was clean and efficient, without a single unnecessary sound throughout.

In just a dozen or so seconds, they had each finished with their target bikes. After adjusting them, they even stepped back a couple of paces to look them over, confirming everything was flawless, without the slightest sign of tampering.

All the seats had been adjusted.

Clone No. 1 spoke into his walkie-talkie in a lowered voice:

"I'm done here. Are you done?"

A little while later, Xing Yao's steady voice came through the walkie-talkie:

"I'm done here too."

Clone No. 1 thought for a moment, then said quietly into his walkie-talkie:

"I'll head to the park first and loosen all the exercise equipment."

Xing Yao replied calmly, "I'll steal all the toilet paper from the restrooms."

Clone No. 1 was instantly curious and immediately pressed him. "What about the women's restroom?"

Xing Yao rolled his eyes hard on the spot and cursed into the walkie-talkie in a low voice:

"Are you missing a screw? Can I just waltz into the women's restroom? Do you want me arrested as a pervert?"

Clone No. 1 froze for a moment before belatedly realizing, then gave two awkward dry coughs:

"Ahem... right, I forgot about that. All right, I'll go handle the park first. I'll call you when I'm done."

"Hurry up. Don't dawdle, and don't get caught."

"Relax, relax. Professional team. Solid as hell!"

The two figures turned away, each plunging into a different dark corner.

One headed straight for the park's fitness area, while the other crept toward the public restrooms,

The Playing Card Organization's grand late-night troublemaking enterprise officially swung into full operation.