Chapter 137

Suzy nodded, brushing aside the damp strands of hair clinging to her forehead.

Her face was dotted with raindrops, leaving her looking thoroughly bedraggled.

"This weather is seriously unnatural," Leonard muttered.

He didn’t look any better. Rain had already seeped through his coat, leaving his clothes underneath cold, wet, and uncomfortably sticky.

The two of them paused to adjust their rain gear.

As Suzy fussed with hers, she vaguely sensed a gaze resting on her. She looked up—and met Thomas’s eyes.

He stood directly across from her, his dark, hawk-like gaze fixed intently on her.

Her heartbeat skipped. "What is it?"

"Nothing." He lowered his eyes.

Suzy looked away, puzzled, though her cheeks warmed without her realizing.

"Alright, let’s move."

Leonard finished inflating the raft, and the three of them set off toward a nearby shopping mall.

This time, Suzy and Leonard had a clear objective—gold, jade, and antiques.

Before leaving, they had already chosen their destination. They headed straight for the closest mall to Starlight Towers.

Thomas had no objections.

The journey went smoothly.

They encountered a few people along the way, but with two armed men on the raft—both radiating an unmistakable air of danger—no one dared make a move without thinking twice.

Eventually, Suzy’s raft came to a stop in front of a half-submerged mall.

Once bustling with life, it now stood in eerie silence.

The mall was built on higher ground, so the flooding wasn’t too severe—only most of the first floor was underwater.

The glass doors at the entrance had long since shattered. Inside, darkness loomed, with murky water seeping in and debris floating aimlessly.

One by one, they stepped off the raft.

The water reached up to Suzy’s thighs.

"This is it." Leonard packed away the raft and glanced around. "Let’s start with the first floor."

Most jewelry stores were located there.

"We’ll split up," he said.

The three of them moved in different directions, checking nearby shops.

Suzy switched on her flashlight and entered the nearest jewelry store.

The door had already been pried open, hanging crookedly from its hinges.

Her beam swept across the interior.

A mess.

Display cases had been smashed, shards of glass scattered everywhere. Dirty water had already risen over the counters.

Her heart sank.

...They were too late.

Still unwilling to give up, she stepped further inside.

The flashlight swept across the back of the store and suddenly stopped.

The row of display cases along the wall was completely intact.

The glass was unbroken, covering neatly arranged gold jewelry inside.

Suzy’s eyes lit up.

She could almost feel the energy radiating from the gold—it was all genuine.

Quickening her pace, she approached.

Under the beam of her flashlight, the gold gleamed softly—bars, bracelets, necklaces, even an ornate diamond crown.

At a glance, there were at least dozens of pieces, all substantial.

"Jackpot," she muttered under her breath.

She looked around, then pulled a shovel from her storage and brought it down hard against the glass.

Bang!

A dull thud.

The glass didn’t budge.

She froze, then struck again.

Still nothing.

Leaning closer, she realized: this glass was much thicker than the others. Tempered, reinforced with metal edging.

This level of protection wasn’t something ordinary tools could break.

Suzy felt a flicker of frustration.

Was there a chance of finding a key? She quickly dismissed the thought. In a situation like this, searching for a key would be like finding a needle in a haystack.

She did have tools like drills in her storage, but taking them out now wasn’t convenient.

Just as she hesitated, the sound of water shifting came from behind.

"What’s wrong?" Thomas’s voice reached her ears.

She turned. He stood at the entrance, his flashlight casting a beam across her face.

"When did you get here?" she asked.

His gaze lingered on her. "Ran into trouble?"

"The glass is too strong," she said honestly. "I can’t break it."

Within moments, he walked over to her side.

He handed her a bag.

She took it—and felt its weight immediately.

Through a gap in the bag, she caught sight of what was inside—gold. Packed full.

She sucked in a breath. "You work fast."

"I have some experience," he said.

Before she could process what he meant, he had already begun examining the display case, sweeping his flashlight across it before crouching down for a closer look.

"This is blast-resistant glass," he said, straightening. "Regular tools won’t work. You need a different approach."

Suzy looked at him. "You have a way?"

He didn’t answer directly. Instead, he pulled something from his backpack—it was a small glass cutter.

Without explaining anything, he stepped up to the display and drew the cutter lightly across the surface.

A faint, sharp hiss followed the motion.

He worked slowly, focused. In the dim light, the lines of his profile stood out with striking clarity.

Watching him, Suzy felt an inexplicable itch in her chest.

"When you used to go on missions... did you do this kind of thing often?" she asked casually.

"Sometimes," he replied without looking up. "When I was stealing things."

Suzy blinked. "...What?"

He glanced at her, the corner of his lips lifting slightly. "Kidding. When rescuing people. Sometimes you need to break things quickly."

She was momentarily distracted by that brief smile and looked away. "Oh."

Once he had traced a full circle, he put the cutter away, then took out a small hammer and tapped lightly along the scored line.

"Step back," he said.

Suzy moved back a couple of steps.

He straightened, then lifted his leg and kicked—

Bang!

The scored section collapsed inward in one clean piece, rather than shattering outward, revealing the gold inside.

Suzy’s eyes sparkled. "Impressive."

He stepped aside. "Go ahead."

She didn’t hesitate.

Gold bars, bracelets, the crown—one by one, they went into the bag.

The weight quickly built, pulling at her wrists. But she couldn’t have been happier.

This gold... could upgrade her space.

Thomas stood beside her, holding the flashlight, making no move to take anything.

Halfway through, she paused and looked back at him.

"Do you want any?"

He shook his head. "I don’t need it."

"Then what do you want?" she asked. "If we find something later, I’ll grab it for you."

He fell silent for a second, his gaze settling on her face.

"What I want..." he paused, then looked away. "I’ll tell you after we leave."