Chapter 8: The Heist

In the frigid metal corridor, Cheng Lan had changed into a set of athletic wear, with a large, empty backpack slung over his shoulders, hugging the wall as he cautiously peered around the corner. He carefully extended his head, scrutinizing the upcoming hallway ahead.

The walls on either side of the hallway were equipped with four surveillance cameras, slowly rotating and vigilantly monitoring the entire corridor. Meanwhile, several laser beams slid along the walls, interweaving into a grid.

Cheng Lan was well aware that if he accidentally touched the lasers on the floor or was caught by the cameras above, he would be met with a barrage of advanced weaponry hidden within the walls. Any one of those weapons would be enough to reduce him to ashes.

Behind this intricate security system lay a tightly sealed metal door, his ultimate destination.

Now was the moment of truth to test his recent parkour skills.

After observing the patterns of the security measures, Cheng Lan took a deep breath, lowered his body, and sprinted towards the metal door. He pushed off with his feet, leaping into the air—perfectly timed to land in the center of the intersecting lasers just as the cameras switched angles.

The moment his feet touched the ground, without a moment’s hesitation, he leapt again, precisely avoiding the next scan, landing safely in the next unguarded area.

Suddenly, the walls on either side slid open, revealing new laser beams that instantly formed a grid, just a few meters in front of Cheng Lan.

The laser grid advanced rapidly towards him.

Shit! Old Six!

Cheng Lan quickly glanced at the control panel in the shadow next to the door, roughly calculating the distance to himself.

Good! I’m in range!

Just as the laser grid was about to touch him, Cheng Lan vanished from the shadows beneath his feet. In the next instant, he emerged from the shadows beside the control panel.

Lucky I’m a step ahead.

Cheng Lan wiped the sweat from his brow.

Sigh!

He sighed inwardly. He was still too weak.

Currently, his ability, ‘Shadow Walker,’ only allowed him to teleport within a 10-meter radius of shadows, with a 2-second cooldown after each use. This was why Cheng Lan chose to use parkour to bypass the initial traps. In his previous life, he would have simply walked through the corridor, bolstered by the arsenal of weapons on both sides, without breaking a sweat.

First, let’s collect the completion reward.

“I remember… the password is…” After a moment of thought, he entered something on the panel.

With the confirmation button pressed, the metal door began to open slowly. Behind it was a room filled with intricate equipment, humming with a deep, mechanical sound. In the center stood a transparent container, just large enough to hold a person.

Cheng Lan approached to inspect it. Inside, a clear, water-like liquid filled the container, with a doll-like girl submerged within. Her snow-white hair drifted like clouds, artfully concealing her slender form. Her porcelain skin gleamed under the light, her delicate feet swaying in the liquid like playful fish.

However, the wires connected to the back of her neck hinted that she was not human.

Thump! Thump!

Cheng Lan’s heart raced uncontrollably. Of course, it wasn’t her beauty that captivated him; he had seen enough of that before. It was what he was about to do that sounded… a bit twisted.

He turned to another control panel nearby and casually tapped the screen. Soon, a message appeared:

‘Enter the key’

“Key?” Cheng Lan muttered, “Could it be that mysterious sequence of numbers she always tells me about? Let’s try it first.”

He skillfully entered a series of mysterious numbers on the panel.

‘Key activated successfully’

‘Highest access granted’

Accompanied by a flash of blue light on the screen, the liquid inside the container began to drain rapidly, and the wires connected to the back of the girl’s neck disconnected automatically.

After a moment, the container’s lid slowly opened. Cheng Lan took a towel from his backpack, gently wiping the remaining liquid from the girl’s body, and carefully drying her snow-white hair.

Then, he wrapped her entirely in the towel. He unzipped his backpack, widening the opening, and carefully placed the girl inside. Her small frame made it easy to fit her into the oversized backpack.

Cheng Lan took a deep breath, trying to calm his heart, which was pounding wildly.

Damn!

This is the feeling of putting someone in a sack, huh!

It’s time to leave!

Cheng Lan put on the backpack.

Then…

“Damn, you’re heavy! Danya, has anyone ever told you to lose some weight!”

With a herculean effort, he managed to secure the backpack and walked out through the door. The security measures outside, which had been disabled due to his successful key entry, no longer posed a threat.

Following the faint traces of energy in the air, Cheng Lan made his way to the entrance of another corridor.

This was the boundary of the artificial world rift.

Without hesitation, he stepped forward.

In the next moment, he found himself in a park next to his apartment complex. It was already late at night, and the park was quiet, with no one else in sight.

Using his knowledge of the area, Cheng Lan carefully avoided the surveillance cameras, silently making his way home.

As he entered his apartment, he was grateful that he was a high school senior living alone, with his parents having rented a room for him to prepare for the college entrance exams.

He gently placed the backpack on the floor and unzipped it, carefully lifting Danya out. The journey had not awakened her; she remained fast asleep.

Cheng Lan first placed her lower body on the bed, ensuring the mattress wasn’t sagging, before finally placing her entire body on the bed. Looking at his beloved mattress, which had been slightly dented by Danya’s weight, Cheng Lan couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.

Maybe… I should just put her on the floor.

He pondered. After waiting a while and seeing no sign of her waking, Cheng Lan walked to the wardrobe and took out a set of clothes he had prepared for her, tossing them on the bed.

“Even if she’s a ‘turnip,’ it’s not right to keep her naked all the time.” Since he was idle, he might as well help her get dressed.

Cheng Lan propped up her upper body, intending to start with her underwear. Then, he froze.

Huh?!

How did she become flat?!

He remembered she had some curves, even if not much. But she definitely wasn’t this ‘flat.’

Could it be… she was modified in her previous life?!

Just as Cheng Lan was puzzling over this, the girl’s eyes opened. Their gazes met. They were a pair of clear, sky-blue eyes, and if observed closely, intricate circuit patterns could be seen within them.

“M…a…s…t…e…r…” The girl slowly parted her lips and spoke.

“Hey, you finally woke up!” Cheng Lan was initially pleased, but then he suddenly realized something, “Wait! What did you call me?!”