Genius Club

Chapter 53: Chapter 53 The Crowd

At last.

The trio, after some searching, found the oxyacetylene cutting equipment in an advertising storefront.

A cylinder of liquid acetylene and a cylinder of liquid oxygen, Lin Xian and Big Face Cat made two trips to finally load the two heavy liquefied gas cylinders onto the van.

Meanwhile, CC grabbed the gas hose and torch, and also stole three welding masks from the next door store to ensure a clear view of the flame during cutting and to prevent retinal burn.

“Got the lighter, too, everything’s all set,” Lin Xian said.

Lin Xian checked his watch, too much time had been delayed.

“Let’s go, to the bank!” he announced.

He, along with Big Face Cat and CC, got back into the van.

Fastened their seatbelts.

Everything went smoothly.

Boom—

The shaky van started once again.

On the drive, Lin Xian specifically instructed Big Face Cat:

“Brother Lian, since there’s no money in the bank vault anyway, don’t rush to clean house and betray your own people, spare those three underlings of yours,” Lin Xian said.

“We two alone can’t carry these two big cylinders, we have to rely on your little brothers to help transport them.”

Big Face Cat nodded, silently turning the steering wheel:

“I’ve already arranged everything, just trust me,” Big Face Cat said.

“But don’t tell them about the lack of money yet. Those three are only after profit; if they knew there was no money inside… they definitely wouldn’t join us in this risk,” Big Face Cat continued.

“You just focus on planning your strategy, I’ll take care of those three,” Big Face Cat assured.

…

Before long, the van arrived at the familiar bank entrance.

Lin Xian looked at his watch, it was nearly twelve; the equipment search had taken too much time.

He opened the door, and three masked underlings were already waiting by the vehicle.

Two of the underlings were carrying the acetylene cylinders. Big Face Cat and another underling were carrying the oxygen cylinders, Lin Xian held the three welding masks in his left arm and the torch and hose in his right, while CC, light on equipment, held a small computer for cracking passwords.

The six-person crew stood ready at the bank entrance.

“Go!”

Big Face Cat gestured expansively.

The makeshift group of odds and ends marched imposingly into the bank.

Smooth sailing all the way, the six made it to the door of the bank vault, gazing at the silver-colored password door shimmering with a dim light.

The three masked men rubbed their hands together excitedly:

“After we pull off this job, I can go back home and get married!” one of them said.

“Brother Lian, have you organized our escape? Are we staying in the country?” another asked.

“Are you two idiots? Whether it’s gold bars or cash, we’d still need to launder it! But I’ve already found a way, I’ll help you move the assets when the time comes,” the third chimed in.

Lin Xian watched the three underlings, amused yet dismayed.

Still thinking about the boss’s wife!

Each one with their own ulterior motives… Big Face Cat’s team was too difficult to manage.

But the blame was also on Big Face Cat, as the leader, for not setting a good example, leading by doing as one should, for if the upper beam is not straight, the lower beam will be crooked.

Big Face Cat chuckled and stepped forward.

He rubbed the face of the middle masked man and then put his arms around the shoulders of the other two, bringing all three close together:

“You three have really suffered with me in this life.”

“If there’s a next life, let’s not engage in such life-threatening business. Instead, we’ll hang out carefree on the streets, not overthink everything, and just muddle through life,” Big Face Cat said wistfully.

“Just like when we were young… causing trouble, collecting protection money, being street punks was pretty good.”

The three younger brothers teared up, hugging their big brother tightly.

“Now go on, put those gas cylinders by the wall and stand them up. After we finish this job, we’ll celebrate properly!” Big Face Cat laughed heartily as he pushed them toward the wall:@@novelbin@@

“The good days are still ahead of us! Hahahahaha!”

Bang!!

Bang!!

Bang!!

In the moment the three underlings turned around—

Big Face Cat instantly drew his gun from his waist and fired three shots in a row at the heads of the three men!

Thud, thud, thud…

As three sprays of blood burst forth, three silent bodies fell straight to the ground, their gazes vacant, blood gushing out.

Click!

CC took a step back and leaned forward, raising her gun and pointing it at Big Face Cat, her entire body tensed and her eyes vigilant.

“Easy, relax a little.”

Big Face Cat spun the gun and slid it back into his waist.

He then tore off the mask on his face and threw it on the ground.

Pulled out a cigarette from the cigarette case.

Clinched it between his lips.

After lighting it with a lighter, he exhaled a thick cloud of smoke:

“Every family has its rules, I was just teaching my little brothers a lesson, it doesn’t affect our plans.”

CC hadn’t completely let down her guard.

She just lowered the muzzle a bit and turned her head to look at Lin Xian.

Lin Xian waved his hand:

“It’s okay CC, go crack the passcode door. It’s tough to judge family affairs fairly; his cleaning of the house doesn’t concern us.”

CC stayed put, not saying anything.

After a few seconds, she too holstered her gun, picked up a small computer, and went to crack the passcode door.

Lin Xian watched Big Face Cat, who was engulfed in smoke and clouds.

Kicked the corpse at his foot to the side:

“Have you always been this ruthless, or did it start after something happened to your daughter?”

“I can’t remember…”

Big Face Cat, biting the cigarette butt, grinned:

“But I indeed wasn’t like this when I was young. They, too, weren’t like this when they were young.”

He gestured at the three bodies on the ground, sighed, and with a cloud of dense smoke coming out:

“We used to be in the same village, all good brothers, they followed me and even though we might not have done many good deeds, at least their hearts weren’t bad.”

“But after stepping out into the world… people’s hearts change, and the team becomes hard to manage. When there’s no money, everyone’s a good brother, but once there’s money, they all get greedy, each playing their own game.”

“However…”

Big Face Cat paused and looked at Lin Xian to continue:

“Maybe you’re right, if my daughter hadn’t died, I probably wouldn’t have ended up like this.”

“If my daughter were still alive, I definitely wouldn’t be doing these acts of killing and arson, risking my head. I would’ve wanted to live a few more years, to cut a somewhat respectable figure, to say a word or two at my daughter’s parents’ meeting.”

“But, there are not so many ‘ifs’… My life has turned out like this, and it can’t be changed. As long as I can avenge my daughter, I will die with no regrets.”

…

Lin Xian looked at Big Face Cat as he stamped out his cigarette butt, remaining silent.

[Life can change.]

When Professor Xu Yun publishes his paper, and the hibernation technology is launched hundreds of years ahead of time, both the present and the future trajectory will undergo monumental changes.

Under the influence of the Space-Time Butterfly Effect…

Not just the life of Big Face Cat.

The lives of CC, of every person in the plaza, of the future 600 years from now, the entire Dream World will be revitalized, transformed into something completely different from the present.

Would Big Face Cat still be a desperado then?

Would CC still be obsessed with cracking the safe?

Would the Otter Brothers still be dueling on the plaza as usual?

Everything is an unknown.

But everything will, ultimately, change.

…

Beep, beep.

The passcode door made two crisp sounds.

Then, with a click, the light on the password lock turned from red to green, and the heavy silver passcode door swung open.

CC turned her head and looked at the two:

“The door’s open!”