aircannonsinc Chapter 82, Act 1
Chapter 82, Act 1
Upon realizing that Selena had gripped the steering wheel and was about to speed away, the group of people who had been listening attentively jumped out of the car. First, Royce dragged the bewildered Oswald away, followed by Jason.
His reaction was rather slow; he stiffly got up and looked around.
"I...I need to go to the restroom."
In the end, only Qin Wei was left, and he was thrown onto the roller coaster with its ups and downs, screaming at the top of his lungs.
He knew that Selena had feelings for him and was a little jealous because of Talia's situation, so the key right now was to appease his ally.
But the key point is, can Selena really believe me? — A woman I didn't know came to cause me trouble, and then we sparred a few times. In the end, the woman accidentally drank a sleeping tea, and then I took you two home together.
"Fine, if you don't want to talk about it..."
Seemingly sensing Qin Wei's current predicament, the kitten took the initiative to end the topic. She didn't even give Qin Wei a chance to argue, and fiercely shoved the simple map in front of him.
"Now, let's figure out which damn room Maronny might have hidden it in!"
Selena swore, a rare occurrence for her, and looked at Qin Wei with a gaze that seemed to want to devour him whole.
Just then, there was a knock on the door of the ice cream truck.
"I didn't mean to interrupt their conversation," Royce poked half his head in, "but that kid Dick just messaged me saying he found a map of Gotham Bank at the architectural design institute."
Royce sent the email to Qin Wei's computer, and the group of people then furtively gathered back at the table.
Unlike the simple map, the map Dick sent back was extremely precise, a grid of square lines with a scale bar in the lower right corner and detailed annotations of the function of each room. Apart from the archives and storage room, the other 26 rooms were all private vaults.
"It doesn't seem to be helping much! There's no 'Thrall's private room' on this map!" Oswald complained.
"In my opinion, we don't need any map at all. When the robbery starts, we'll just tie Richard up, stick pliers in his mouth and interrogate him. If he doesn't talk, we'll pry his teeth off one by one!" Jason suggested.
"That's a good idea, but considering that this behavior is tantamount to betraying Maroney, even if you knock all of Richard's teeth out, he probably still won't open his mouth."
Reus rejected this crude proposal.
He knew Maroni well; death was the best relief than enduring the man's cruelty. If Richard dared to utter a single word, his parents' bodies would float down the river to Adams Port the next day.
"etc!"
While staring at the map, Oswald suddenly noticed a detail that everyone else had overlooked.
The group had been studying the standard map but forgot to compare it with the simplified map drawn by Qin Wei. It wasn't until he accidentally counted the rooms that he discovered the simplified map was missing a room.
Upon pointing out the problem, the group suddenly realized the answer.
The map Dick sent was the original design and construction drawings for the bank before its construction. According to industry standards, every room must be marked. However, the underground vault was later renovated, and one room was hidden. This resulted in the simplified map, drawn from camera footage, showing that one room was missing.
In other words, the hidden room was very likely Maroney's private vault.
"That's quite a surprise, Oswald! I didn't expect your brain to be as sharp as your fists!" Royce patted the little penguin on the shoulder excitedly.
"I don't think so. Compared to his weak fists, he's obviously smarter." At this critical moment, the sharp-tongued Jason didn't forget to stab him in the back.
As for Qin Wei, he didn't say a word the whole time.
He drew the simple map, and he discovered this detail earlier than Oswald. The reason he didn't speak was that he was considering the rationality of the entire heist plan.
He took only a small step and encountered a series of unexpected events. Although he barely achieved the same result as planned, the uncertainty of reality taught him a good lesson.
If Selena's memory hadn't been so excellent, and she hadn't been able to piece together a simple map from the surveillance footage, or if Dick had failed in his mission and hadn't sent another map, then Qin Wei's first step would have been a complete failure.
He knows how to deceive, how to manipulate people, and how to scheme. However, with so many uncertainties involved, these strengths cannot guarantee that the plan will proceed steadily along its original trajectory.
Fortunately, Qin Wei has a group of reliable teammates around him.
They were all newcomers, some timid, some lazy, some irritable and sensitive, but when they came together, they became a huge force capable of changing the course of Gotham.
Because of the few words they had just exchanged, Oswald and Jason started arguing again, while Royce calmly lit a cigarette and watched from the sidelines.
They're clearly a group of "problem children," so why do I always feel exceptionally at ease with them?
Qin Wei scratched his head.
The ice cream truck sputtered and drove away from the intersection, its exhaust fumes billowing.
But Qin Wei seems to have forgotten to notify one of his teammates to evacuate.
From daylight to dusk, and into the dead of night, a light drizzle fell over Gotham. A kilometer away atop the water tower, Deadshot Floyd shivered and sneezed violently.
……
Having completed his mission, Dick stood outside the abandoned factory.
In fact, he was not sure whether he still needed to step into the factory.
Before this operation, Qin Wei had already revealed to him the ultimate goal of the plan: "to bring down Maroni".
Dick harbors deep hatred for Maronny, the mastermind behind his tragedy, yet he also doubts his own importance in the plan. He's only responsible for stealing the map, and even that's a backup plan; if Selena succeeds, his efforts will be meaningless.
Qin Wei's words that night completely changed the boy's mindset. Dick realized that the law was just a tool to maintain stability, and only a crazy revenge could wash away the hatred and numb his wounded heart.
He bit his lip and made up his mind. If he was destined to be an insignificant presence in this group, then he might as well leave now.
Leave this place, and take revenge in your own way.
Infiltrating Maroney's mansion might be incredibly difficult, or he might be torn to shreds by the bodyguards before he even gets close, but that doesn't matter.
At least he tried, instead of numbing himself like he is now, pretending to seek revenge to evade responsibility.
Having made up his mind, Dick pushed open the warehouse door.
The factory was dark, but moonlight streamed in through the skylight on the top floor, illuminating the gloomy dust in the air.
"They...left?" Dick murmured.
Although he was determined to leave, the sensitive young man felt a pang of sadness when he realized that he might be abandoned by the team.
"I really am useless..."
Before the words were finished, accompanied by several ear-piercing "gunshots," the lights suddenly came on.
Dick crouched down in panic, covering his head, only to find that what landed on him were not bullets, but confetti and fluorescent films.
"Look who it is! It's our great hero back!"