Turning the small key in the lock, he entered what looked to be a replica of a war room. The display would have been more impressive had Albion not noticed the still-attached price tags.

  After a moment of brief contemplation, he settled in the upper-left corner.

  A large repurposed pool table stood in the center of the room, accompanied by a map of nearby districts, giving the space a grand feel.

  He quietly muttered to himself, a small smile forming, “At least the geezer has a plan. All I have to do is fulfill my part, and hopefully, it will be worth it and we'll be even...”

  In the next moment, Caligos stood directly to his right, followed by the degenerate and the barbarian, with Gerard arriving last. The five of them gathered around the table under the single orange light above.

  After a few minutes, each of them settled down, turning their complete attention to Gerard. The old man smiled as he began, “Now, onto the specifics of the plan!”

  Gerard walked closer to the table and pointed to the area circled in red on the map. It was a warehouse which was in the business district, a relatively short distance from where they currently were.

  “My employer has informed me that this is where the item is being held. Security is minimal, but they seem to be aiming for discretion.”

  “How do you propose we get past it then?” Caligos inquired.

  “Despite security rotations every four hours, I've identified a gap between 11:55 p.m. and 12:10 a.m. It seems the poor fools may not fully grasp the true significance or even know about what they're guarding. Thanks to their desire to leave, it gives us a brief opportunity to borrow it.

  “Follow the alleyway to the building's unguarded back door. Once inside the manager's office on the second floor, locate the small safe beneath the desk containing a black box with the item. The code is four digits. Grab it, swap it for the decoy box I'll provide, and make your escape. Any questions?”

  ????'???? ???????????? ???????????????? ???? ???? ?????? ???????? ???? ?????????????? ??????????????? ???? ???????? ?????????? ???????? ?? ?????? ???? ?????????????? ?????????????? ?????? ?????????????? ???????? ???? ?? ??????'?? ????????...

  ?????? ?????? ???? ???????? ?????????????? ????????????? ?????? ???? ?????????? ???????????????? ?????? ???????? ??????????????????? ??????????'?? ???????? ???????? ???????? ???? ???? ???????????? ???? ?????????????? ?????????? ?????? ?????????????? ???????? ???????? ????????? ????????... ???????? ???????????????? ?????? ?????????????? ?????? ???????? ???????? ???????? ????????????????.

  Albion remained silent and nodded as the others deliberated further. It was decided that he would be in charge of keeping surveillance inside.

  Meanwhile, his brother would serve as a distraction outside.

  After reviewing the plan once more, discussing payment, Albion stifled a yawn and heard his stomach growl faintly. He discreetly signaled his intent to Caligos by tugging at his sleeve.

  His brother informed Gerard, who happily granted permission for their exit. Albion followed Caligos back the way they came, leaving the tavern.

  He was only halfway down the road when he came to an abrupt halt, catching Caligos' attention.

  Albion was lost in thought, and after a few moments, he reached a decision.

  ??????????'?? ???? ???????????? ???? ???????????????????? ?????????? ????????????'?? ????????. ?????? ??????'?? ?? ???? ????????... ???????????????????????????? ?????????? ????'?? ?????????? ???????????????

  Even though he had no idea how he would use the information, seeing it in person ahead of time seemed to be advantageous!

  The grand heist was scheduled for tomorrow night, which was quite short notice, a fact not lost on Gerard. That's why the wolf made sure to emphasize the generous amount they would each receive.

  As he absentmindedly fidgeted with the two knives in his pocket, Albion couldn't help but feel pride in his own clever idea. He was unaware of his own suspicious expression, and was only snapped out of it at his brother's voice.

  “Hey, are you okay? You're just standing there with a silly smile on your face.”

  “I'm fine, don't worry!”

  “If you say so, now hurry up. You said you were hungry, me too.”

  He avoided his brother's burning gaze, coughing nervously as Albion quickly caught up. He was walking alongside Caligos and flashed an awkward smile that was met with a genuine look of concern.

  “Don't give me that look. I saw the way you were staring at that fierce woman,” he teased, bringing up the barbarian.

  After seeing Caligos' blushing face as he rushed ahead, Albion chuckled and followed suit.

  “Rat-on-a-stick! Come get your—”

  The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  “Fresh fish from the void sea!”

  “Come try the best mushroom soup in Stygia!”

  Among the roaring shouts of street vendors, Albion saw a group of kids running around and laughing happily. As he turned the corner, a variety of smells assaulted him, ranging from raw sewage and cheap perfume to thick factory smoke.

  Although it didn't surprise him as they were far away from Varast Castle, the Prince's residence. The districts closer to the castle not only appeared more luxurious but they also seemed more connected to the inner Empire. From his perspective, every territory was set up in a similar manner, except for the Imperial Capital. Those who didn't like it were welcome to try their luck in the deathlands.

  ???????????????????? ????'?? ???????? ???? ????????????????, ??????.

  Albion suddenly groaned, feeling a pang of hunger that he couldn't ignore.

  “Cal, I'm hungry.”

  “I already packed you some. What? Is it too good for you now?”

  “No, but we're about to embark on a potentially dangerous heist. We might end up in jail for eternity, so I want to savor something delicious beforehand. Or perhaps we'll strike it rich, either way...”

  “Hmm, fine. Just this once, okay?”

  “Yes, sir!”

  ***

  ????????, ?? ??????????'?? ???????? ???????? ???????? ???? ?? ??????????! ???? ???????????????? ?????? ???? ?????????? ?????????? ???????? ?????????? ???? ????????.

  Albion contentedly sighed as he patted his stomach and let his gaze wander lazily. The stale city air carried a moist, sweet scent like a candy shop with questionable ventilation.

  While Caligos was procuring a mask, Albion realized that the moment was ripe to set his plan in motion.

  Before sneaking away, he informed a shopkeeper of his whereabouts for his brother's own knowledge. He skillfully navigated through the wild, bustling crowds. Multiple hands reached out for him; they were either traffickers or pickpockets.

  He continued forward until most of the crowd dispersed and the noise died down. Then, he finally stepped into the alleyway, quickly checking that nothing was missing.

  There was nothing truly noteworthy except some graffiti. The messages ranged from kind to wildly obscene.

  Deeper within, he found piles of strewn trash and a few branching pathways.

  Halfway down, he noticed a suspicious mound of random dirty, mismatched clothes. As he got closer, he saw the gentle rise and fall of the mound. An elderly man lay there; his face worn with age and fatigue.

  He seemed to be talking in his sleep. Only snippets of an incoming enemy threat were discernible. It was a pitiful sight.

  It was best to leave him alone.

  As Albion continued, he silently left some change before reaching the end and arriving at his destination.

  At first glance, the building appeared completely normal like any other old warehouse. However, the presence of guards by the doors ruined the illusion. After taking a few seconds to carefully inspect their outfits, he cursed under his breath.

  ???????? ?????????????? ????????'?? ?????????????? ???? ???????? ???????????????? ???????? ?????? ????????????!

  Albion let out a frustrated sigh and face-palmed.

  “If there is a hell, I'm so screwed.”

  Although Albion didn't really believe in Kyrious, there was no reason to risk offending a god. Moreover, it was the only religion lawfully recognized by the immortal Archemperor. The possible consequences of getting caught were horrific. Having dealt with corruption and harsh punishments in his mortal life, he doubted it would be any better in a place like this.

  “I guess I just have to make sure I'm not caught. At least there aren't any cameras or motion detectors. From what I can gather, ten armed guards are on the first floor.”

  ?????? ???????? ???? ?????? ?????? ?????????? ??????'?? ???????? ?????? ?? ?????????? ???????? ???????? ????????. ?????? ?????????? ????????, ?????? ???????? ???????? ???????? ?????????????? ???? ???????????? ?????? ???????? ???? ????????.

  He would have known what they were called, as well as their major flaws and interesting drawbacks, had he been paying attention in school. However, history had never been his strong suit.

  In any case, Albion confirmed that the building only had two entrances. The first and most obvious were two doors at the front. The second was a single back door, both guarded by personnel with guns on their hips. There were two guards at each entrance.

  They also seemed to be actual trained guards. It wasn't that uncommon for a damned to lie about their previous occupations just to earn money. The most common thing to pretend to be was doctors. However, most of their fancy academia and overreliance on modern technology didn't prepare them for the horrors and brutality of the Inbetween.

  There were exceptions though, like those who had experience in war and knew how to mend gruesome wounds. There were also tribe shamans, witch doctors, and holy men who survived famine and drought.

  “This included ???????????? survivalists who knew how to cauterize their own fresh wounds in the middle of a forest...” Albion mumbled to himself.

  However, most actual doctors had already earned high positions in the Empire, associating with Princes and the upper class.

  This didn't include freelance doctors who were rare and expensive, traveling healers who used primitive tools like flint and thread woven from hair. While they could save lives, they would do so without anesthetic. Another issue was the uncertainty of the person's true background.

  It was unknown if the damed in front of them was an actual trained doctor or somebody who had just murdered one and taken their clothes.

  With all this information in mind, he couldn't help but wonder how skilled they were. However, Albion inwardly knew that they shouldn't be messed with.

  ?????? ??'?? ?????????? ?????????????? ???????? ???????? ???????? ???? ?? ?????? ??????????, ???????? ???? ???? ????????????.

  After thinking about it for a while, he decided he had seen enough, and began walking back out.

  A few moments later, just as he was about to leave.

  THUD!

  “Thanks for your walle.... fuck.”

  “Ugh, what the—did you just try to rob me?” Albion asked, still slightly dazed.

  Slowly lifting his eyes, Albion was left stunned by the girl who sat the ground before him.

  Warm, her smooth sun-kissed skin seemed to radiate warmth, with eyes that would have been more at home by the sea on Earth. Her flowing midnight hair with purple underlights, matched the clean black and white uniform she wore. There was also a small rose tattoo on her neck.

  She was the kind of pretty that was both approachable and intriguing...

  “What? Are you just going to stare at me without even apologising? You'll never get a girlfriend with that kind of behaviour.”

  “Apologise? You tried to rob me!”

  ?????? ????'?? ?????? ???? ?????????? ?????? ????????'?? ?????????? ?????????? ?????? ???????? ??????????... With this in mind, Albion shot the girl a glare.

  “Fine, fine, let's agree to disagree, alright?”

  Not wanting to argue, he reluctantly nodded at the strange girl with a mildly pretty face and said, “Sure... let's agree to disagree... when it's clearly not my fault.”

  She smiled mischievously—more than just mischievously. It was one of those rare smiles that contained an amused and playful quality. At first it seemed to be directed at the whole world for an instant, then focused on him with an irresistible allure.

  ?????? ???? ?????? ?????????????? ???? ???? ???????? ?????????

  The girl suddenly chuckled and said with a laugh, “Well, stranger, how about I make it up to you?”