McCarthy dropped Su Mo off at the Anmi New District, parked the car at their previous meeting spot, and said, "Call me once you get the item, but if you fail or run out of time, donāt bother reaching out."
Su Mo nodded, "Understood."
He went to the parking lot, got on his motorcycle, and rode out of the city towards the Border District overnight.
...
[9:03 P.M., 4 hours and 57 minutes past the deadline]
Su Mo arrived at the "Binhe District" in the Border area. The journey was long and took him over an hour.
According to the information Audiana provided, this area was controlled by the "Eagle Claw Association."
The upcoming theft wouldnāt be carried out by Su Mo alone.
If this were in the game "Dawn," players could max out their "Steal" skill, allowing them to steal right in front of NPCs without getting caught.
But thatās just a game mechanic effect.
In reality, thereās no such thing as "skill points," and squatting in front of someone to steal isnāt feasible.
Before crossing over, Su Mo was just a law-abiding gaming enthusiast and definitely didnāt have any stealing skills.
So, this time heāll need a helper.
Anyway, Audiana only mentioned not letting the Eagle Claw Association find out or leaving any traces on the scene. She didnāt say anything about not hiring outside help.
When an employer doesnāt explicitly state restrictions, itās assumed permissible. This is an unspoken rule in the mercenary circle.
The helper Su Mo is seeking this time, like Nuobai, is an NPC from the game "Dawn."
A... pretty boy.
Actually, heās a bona fide, upstanding, strong-willed straight guy.
Players nicknamed him a pretty boy simply because he looks exceptionally handsome.
Su Mo arrived on a street in Binhe, muttering, "I remember he hangs around this area every night..."
Su Mo pretended to be a passerby, standing by the roadside playing on his phone.
After about ten minutes.
"Whistle~"
A whistle sounded in front of Su Mo.
He looked up.
Standing not far away was a figure, very slender and petite, less than five foot three, with medium-length hair, skin glowing white under the streetlights, and eyes like two black gems filled with a playful grin.
The person looked very young, around sixteen or seventeen, but at first glance, it was hard to tell if they were a "boy" or a "girl" due to the delicate and androgynous features.
Su Mo laughed inwardly: As expected, they appeared.
The person walked over, hands in pockets, smiled and made a "pop" sound with their tongue as a greeting, exuding a streetwise aura.
Even the voice had a gentle, androgynous tone: "Hey, buddy, just back from the Inner City?"
Su Mo began his baiting act.
He replied with a question: "Oh, how did you know?"
The person pouted, "You didnāt take off your dog tag. In the Border area, you donāt need to wear it all the time."
Su Mo made an "oh" sound, took off the Borderland Plaque and put it in his pocket, scanning the person up and down, feigning curiosity: "Are you... a boy or a girl?"
"Come on, why does everyone ask that? Of course, Iām a boy." The youngster smiled amicably, speaking lightly, "Just call me KK. People on the street respectfully call me Master K."
KK casually walked closer, elbowing Su Mo in the stomach, "Hey, brother, interested in seeing something good?"
Su Mo: "What?"
KK took out a watch from his pocket, handed it over, and asked in a low voice, "Want a watch?"
Su Mo took the watch and waved goodbye: "Thanks, itās our first meeting and youāre giving me a watch. Youāre really nice."
"No problem." KK said, suddenly realizing something was off, hurried to catch up, "Hey, hey, hey! Who said it was a gift?! How can you just take it and leave..."
Su Mo looked over the watch and chuckled, "Is this yours?"
KK replied calmly, "Yeah, itās a birthday gift from my dad last year, Iāve worn it quite a bit. Iāll sell it to you cheap, want it?"
Su Mo fastened the watch on his wrist.
The strap was so loose it could fit several fingers through.
He joked, "Not tall, but you have a thick wrist."
KK cleared his throat, leaned in and said, "Hey brother, letās keep some things unspoken. Not many people in the Border can afford watches; you just came back from the Inner City, you definitely have more money than those poor souls."
"I happen to be short on cash recently, selling it cheap to you. Letās make friends. If you ever need anything, Master K here will have your back."
Su Mo laughed: "With you being so impressive, you can have my back?"
KKās eyes were profoundly unfocused, his expression full of a godfather-like weariness: "Ha, I advise you not to underestimate me. Donāt be fooled by my height, every group in the Border shows me some respect."
"Last yearās King of the Borderlands āCrow Nest,ā the rising āAshen Gang,ā and the newly emerging āWolf Raid,ā all are my frequent clients. I casually chat with their leaders~"
Su Mo thought: You kid really knows how to smooth-talk, I lost my wallet to you in the first playthrough.
He pretended to lose interest and returned the watch: "Find someone else to pawn it off to, I have things to do."
KK got a bit anxious, walked with small steps behind Su Mo: "Come on, brother, this watch is good quality, 500 to sell to you? 400 is doable too, I really need money urgently!"
Su Mo deliberately ignored him.
"Brother, think about it, brother!..."
Persuading as he did, KKās previous composed demeanor suddenly vanished, he clung to Su Moās leg and began bawling: "Big brother! My dear big brother! Let me tell you the truth, my dad is seriously ill, Iām trying to raise money for his treatment!"
"My dad used to do heavy work on the construction site every day, enduring the elements just to earn some hard money to raise me, and now heās older and frail with ailments. You know heās only got me as a son, I canāt be unfilial!"
"Pfft." Su Mo couldnāt help but laugh at his barrage of nonsense.
KK opened his eyes wide: "Seriously, I tell you my dad is ill, and you laugh?"
Su Mo rubbed his cheek trying to suppress his laughter: "Oh, itās nothing, I just remembered something funny."
KK: "Let me reiterate, Iām not joking!"
Su Mo: "Keep talking, whatās wrong with your dad?"
KK quickly responded: "Cancer!"
Su Mo laughed aloud: "400 month coins to treat cancer? You might as well give your dad a noose, goodbye."
KK hurried to defend, "I saved up some money myself, just short of the final 400! Saving a life is a noble deed, big brother have some mercy!"
Su Mo kicked at him with his foot: "Scram, I said Iām busy."
KK clung tightly to Su Moās leg, began wailing again: "Whoa, big brother, Iām not lying! My dadās dead, my mom too, Iām all alone, havenāt eaten in two days, Iām starving! You donāt have to buy the watch, just spare me a few month coins for food!"
Su Mo raised his fist: "If you donāt leave Iāll punch you!"
"Hey, no, no, no!" KK hastily let go, his previously tearful display vanished, walking away while muttering, "If you wonāt give, you wonāt, why resort to violence..."
KK walked away faster and soon disappeared around the corner,
After KK left, Su Mo patted his pockets, then laughed.
Sure enough, the wallet had vanished without a trace.
The bait was set, the fish took it.
Time to reel it in.
...
(Another update at 8, please keep reading!!!)