Selina, the Useful Tool

In a small alley in the Ragunna City, Kexi found a hood somewhere and covered himself up, pulling the hood down to reveal only his chin.

The Order's wanted posters were plastered all over the streets and alleys, with his headshot every few steps, and the Monnaie reward for capture alive" written below.

Kexi couldn't help but complain, "As the young master of the Montelli Family, he's only worth 500,000?"

never mind.

He took out his terminal and dialed Selina's number.

"The Sai, I'm Tall Man, please respond."

There was a half-second silence on the other end of the terminal, then Selina's suspicious voice rang out. "Young Master, isn't your codename Commander?"

"Mind your own business. My codename is my own; I can call myself whatever I want. I hereby announce that the codename ' Tall Man' is officially in use."

"... Yes, Tall Man." Selina cooperated perfectly. "Where are you now?"

"There's someone standing under the wanted poster in the alley east of the city. How's it going on your end? What's the situation with Jinhsi woke up?"

"Magistrate Jin has woken up, but she is still very weak. Baizhi said she needs to be observed for at least two more days. Sanhua is staying by her side every step of the way, and Changli staying in the next room. Apart from Baizhi, anyone who goes to see Jinhsi must get permission from both of them."

Kexi clicked her tongue.

Sanhua now hates him to the core, not to mention Changli, who hasn't even forgotten the Tacet Mark he gave her in the hall that day.

If he barged in, he wouldn't even get to the sanatorium door before two knives were at his throat, let alone see Jinhsi.

"Forced entry is definitely not an option."

"We need to find a way around this. You just mentioned Baizhi..."

"Baizhi is a breakthrough point." Selina's voice became serious. "Baizhi is different from Sanhua and Changli. She has no emotional entanglement with you, Young Master, nor does she harbor any preconceived hostility. Today I heard some news that Baizhi is looking for a rare medicinal herb called Bloodleaf Viburnum, which is said to be very effective for recovery from excessive blood loss."

Kexi's eyes lit up.

"You mean, I should exchange medicinal herbs for Baizhi's help?"

"If you take the medicinal herbs to her, she'll at least be willing to listen to a few words. As long as she's willing to listen, you'll have a chance to explain things clearly."

"Okay. Where can I find Bloodleaf Viburnum?"

"There is a stockpile of valuables in Everard Vault."

Kexi grinned.

Everard Vault —coincidentally, he was going there anyway.

"Alright. I'll go to the vault to get the goods. You contact Baizhi for me and say... say that Montelli sent someone to deliver the medicinal herbs, and have her come alone to hand them over."

"Young Master, aren't you afraid I'll expose you?" Selina suddenly asked.

Are you willing to do that?

Selina didn't speak, but Kexi could imagine the curve of her lips even through the terminal.

"There's one more thing," Kexi said, her tone turning serious. "How's my second sister doing? Is the family meeting over?"

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the terminal.

"The meeting is over. Luca proposed removing you from the family and holding another vote on the position of family head. The second young lady held firm, and with Vito and Sera opposing, Luca's side didn't get a majority. But the second young lady promised him an explanation within five days, or she would have to step down."

Kexi clenched her fists.

"That old bastard Luca," his voice deepened, "Now that the old man's retired, he's learned to bang on the table."

"The second young lady said you shouldn't worry about these things and should focus on resolving Jinhsi's situation. She said she can handle Luca's side."

"She always says that." Kexi stood up and pulled her hood down further. "Alright, I'll get on with this. You keep an eye on Jinhsi's situation for me."

"Understood. Young master, please be careful; the Order's patrols have been very frequent lately."

Kexi arrived at Everard Vault shortly afterward and observed from a distance.

Six Echo stood in front of the vault door, arranged neatly like six door gods.

A row of security cameras was mounted on each side of the gate, their lenses moving around and scanning almost the entire open space in front of the gate.

Kexi's gaze shifted from the camera to the outer wall of the vault, and then from the outer wall to the roof.

There were also several small moving dots on the rooftop, which were probably patrolling Hetero Armament.

He pulled his head back, frowning as he pondered.

Forcing his way in is definitely not an option; he'd be surrounded like dumpling filling before he even reached the door.

Infiltrating would be difficult; the cameras here have almost no blind spots. If even one of them captures him, all the standby Echo will activate.

By then, he won't even be able to run properly, let alone steal anything.

He considered the layout of the vault.

After entering through the main gate, there should be a lobby, which then extends to two floors. The upper floor is the monitoring room, which manages the building's cameras and alarm system.

There are also office areas for Everard Bank employees.

The lower level is the vault itself, where valuables and treasures are stored.

The upper level is mainly populated by humans, while the lower level is entirely guarded by Echo.

To infiltrate the lower levels, at least two people are needed to work together.

Carlotta had mentioned this design to him before, saying that for security reasons, the vault must have someone on the upper level to block surveillance and someone else on the lower level to operate the terminal.

It takes two people working together to get in; one person simply can't manage it.

Here's the problem.

Where can he find a second person?

He pondered for a moment.

The answer was obtained in no time.

Who else could it be?

That's right.

That's our tool, Selina, of course.

Selina is a versatile talent rated by Montelli, and she must have learned the operating procedures of the monitoring system.

Besides, she's currently his secretary, so there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with her helping him steal from his own family's vault.

It's all Montelli stuff anyway, just a matter of transferring it from one hand to the other.

He pulled out his terminal and dialed Selina's number.

"The Sai, there's something I need your help with."

"Young master, please speak."

"Come find me at the entrance of Everard Vault."

There was a pause on the other end of the terminal. "Young Master, you're not planning to rob the vault, are you?"

"What do you mean by 'robbery'? This is called 'taking.' Can you call it 'robbery' if it's your own property?"

"... Wait a moment, I'll be right there."

Selina arrived quickly, having changed back into her black, blue, and gold combat suit, which combined practicality with aesthetic appeal.

"Selina, you've come at the perfect time."

Kexi hadn't finished greeting everyone.

A soft, yielding body bumped into his arms.

Kexi was jolted back by the soft object, her hands dangling in mid-air, unsure of what to do with them.

Selina's face rubbed against his chest, her hair carrying a faint fragrance that mingled with her indescribable aura, filling his nostrils.

"Um... The Sai." Kexi coughed lightly, "I'm fine, no missing limbs, let go first, we still have important business to attend to."

Selina didn't let go; instead, she buried her face even deeper into his chest, her voice muffled. "Young Master, do you know how worried I've been these past two days? I didn't even cry when the Second Miss scolded me. It's all my fault for not protecting you properly, causing you to be wanted by the police. Selina is so useless."

Kexi's heart softened a little.

He raised his hand and gently patted the back of her head. "Alright, alright, I'm fine, aren't I? I told you, it's not your fault."

Selina hugged him for two more seconds before letting go, taking a step back, wiping her eyes, and quickly regaining her usual capable demeanor. "Young Master, how would you like to enter?"

"Of course, we should go in openly and honestly."

"Open and aboveboard?" Selina looked puzzled.

Kexi stepped forward, leaned closer, and lowered her voice. "Just say you're here to take something from the vault on my second sister's orders."

"But that requires authorization from the Second Miss, which I don't have."

"Hehehe, what's so difficult about that?"

"Have you forgotten me? Yes, I have."

After saying that, Kexi took out the terminal and waved it, revealing the terminal's permissions.

Selina was clearly surprised; her mouth agape and her beautiful eyes widened. "Young Master, how did you get that?"

Kexi made a shushing gesture. "Shh! It's a secret."

He had Zani secretly get this for him years ago; otherwise, why would he be eyeing the knife in the vault?

This is the day we've been waiting for!

Kexi didn't explain to Selina; despite her doubts, she kept them to herself.

"Alright, enough chit-chat. Our viewers are eager to watch iXiTV, let's not waste any more time here. Let's go."

He grabbed Selina's small hand and walked openly toward the vault.

As they walked, he instructed, "From now on, I am a merchant from Huanglong. Your mission is to go to the treasury and retrieve the Bloodleaf Viburnum on my second sister's orders."

"Understood."

Selina blushed slightly and nodded.

Young Master's hands... are so warm.

Selina, standing behind, seemed to be lost in thought.

Kexi suddenly stopped walking.

She bumped right into it without noticing.

"Ah..."

She winced in pain, clutching her aching nose. "What's wrong, young master?"

Kexi did not turn around.

"Selina, there's something I have to tell you."

"You say."

"The consequences this time could be very serious, and might even implicate you. If that happens, are you still willing to help me?"

"I do."

"Even if it means being expelled from Montelli, are you willing to accept that?"