As soon as Rebecca informed Alex that Maxim had drunk enough and wouldn’t notice if something went missing, Alex quickly finished his drink and headed toward the target. His steps were relaxed, moving casually as if he were just strolling through the bar.

When he got closer to the drunk Maxim and walked behind him, the chip—the very reason they were here—slipped out of Maxim’s neck. Alex skillfully caught it and, without changing his demeanor, continued on his way toward Lucy and Kiwi, who were supposed to hack the device and extract the data.

“Too easy,” he thought with a slight smirk.

However, just as Alex thought that, he began to feel uneasy. The guards who panicked and ran to the restroom to avoid soiling themselves, Maxim, who quickly let his guard down because of the alcohol—it all seemed suspiciously smooth.

Alex knew his luck all too well, and it was notoriously bad. No matter how easy a mission seemed, things could go wrong, and they might end up running for their lives.

“Hey, luck, don’t fail me now. Let this go off without a hitch,” he mentally told himself as he continued toward Lucy and Kiwi.

While it would be fun to get involved in a chase and shootout, Alex understood that such situations could lead to serious consequences. In games, it all looked different, but in reality, a lot of factors could change the outcome. Especially if a stray bullet hit an innocent person who was simply heading home after a night shift.

“If things go south, I’ll need to minimize the damage,” Alex thought as he spotted Lucy and Kiwi ahead.

Approaching the girls with a smile, Alex greeted them, “Yaho.”

“Yeah, yeah, hand over the chip,” Lucy said, shaking her head, ignoring his greeting.

Kiwi simply nodded in approval, waiting for the handover. Alex placed the chip on the table and, glancing at the robot-dog G.I.R, who was sitting next to Lucy, sipping some strange drink through a straw, he smirked. He leaned on G.I.R’s head and asked, “Anything interesting happen while I was busy?”

Lucy, momentarily distracted from her work, glanced at Alex, unsure where to start. Her gaze shifted to G.I.R, and Alex immediately understood that the robot had probably caused some trouble. He raised an eyebrow, waiting for an answer.

“Some guys tried to hit on us, but G.I.R started… barking. Well, actually, he just kept saying the word,” Kiwi replied in a monotone voice, giving Alex a brief look.

Suppressing a laugh, Alex gave the robot a thumbs-up for a job well done. G.I.R, noticing his master’s approval, saluted, which gave Alex a slight pang of regret. He really shouldn’t have given G.I.R access to the internet—now the robot was trying to mimic Space Marines from the Codex Astartes.

Alex relaxed, leaning back on the sofa, waiting for Kiwi and Lucy to finish their work. His thoughts suddenly shifted to something else—to Gloria’s meeting with the goddesses. The thought made him tense up a bit.

“I hope they don’t blab about me and my affairs,” he thought anxiously, hoping Freya could keep the others in check.

Alex wasn’t ready for Gloria to find out that he was essentially the Demon King, who had fought gods and a terrifying deity—or rather, its avatar. His musings were interrupted by Lucy, who suddenly grabbed his hand.

“Maxim’s boss is calling him,” she said in a worried voice.

Alex sighed heavily, realizing it was time to switch to Plan B. Now all that was left was to steal the limousine and deliver it to the designated point.

“Switching to Plan B. We’ll steal the limo,” Maine said bluntly, summing it up.

Alex nodded and pulled a mask from his bag—the same one he usually used when causing chaos in Orario. Now it would come in handy here. Deciding to share his plan, he spoke to everyone over the communicator.

” Maine, Lucy and I will steal the limo. Let Rebecca and Pilar take my bike and cover us if necessary, ” Alex calmly said.

” Got it, choomba, we’ll be waiting for you at the location, ” Maim replied shortly, ending the conversation.

Alex turned to Lucy, noticing her slight unease.

“Take G.I.R. and head to the limousine. I’ll try to buy us some time before Arasaka starts messing with us, ” he said, looking into her eyes.

“Kiwi, you’ll come out later so you don’t draw attention, ” Alex added, nodding toward Kiwi.

The girls nodded in response. Kiwi slowly made her way to the other side of the bar, trying not to arouse suspicion. Lucy, picking up G.I.R., hurried to the limousine. Meanwhile, Alex pulled a hammer from his pocket and approached Maxim, who was sitting at the bar. As he passed Rebecca, he handed her his backpack.

“Rebecca, grab Pilar and cover us if anything goes wrong, ” he tossed over his shoulder as he pressed the backpack into her hands.

Rebecca nodded, jumped off her stool, and rushed outside. Alex was now closing in on Maxim. His mask immediately drew the attention of those nearby. Maxim, having had too much to drink, lifted his bleary eyes and saw the masked figure confidently approaching him. Something told Maxim that things were about to go wrong.

“Sorry, buddy, but it’s just not your day. But don’t worry, you won’t remember any of this,”Alex said, swinging the hammer.

A powerful blow struck Maxim right on the top of his head. He didn’t even have time to process what was happening before he lost consciousness. At that moment, a security guard nicknamed “D,” who had recently almost “shat” himself in the bathroom, tried to rush to help. But Alex noticed him just in time.

“Hey, don’t come any closer; you smell! ” he shouted, kicking the guard in the stomach, sending him flying.

The guard landed on a group of unsuspecting patrons, and instead of the usual bloody puddle on the floor, a brown puddle appeared.. The smell was simply unbearable. Alex shuddered, relieved that he managed to push him away in time.

“And now it’s time to run, ” he said to himself.

The patrons of the establishment stepped back in fear upon seeing Alex with the bloody hammer and wearing a mask. In a panic, they scattered, not wanting to deal with the mysterious stranger. Alex ran toward the exit, laughing, which only frightened those around him even more. When he burst outside, his gaze quickly found the limousine, where Lucy was already sitting at the wheel, and G.I.R. was in the passenger seat.

“You’re driving; I’ll cover you, ” Alex said, giving a thumbs up.

Lucy started the engine, and Alex jumped onto the roof of the limousine, ready to protect them if a chase began.

“Alex, your katana! ” Rebecca shouted, tossing the weapon in his direction.

Alex deftly caught the katana, nodded at her, and tapped his foot on the roof.

“Let’s go, ” he commanded Lucy, signaling that it was time to leave the scene.

Lucy started the engine and abruptly pulled onto the road, accelerating to give Arasaka’s guards no chance to catch up. Alex, standing on the roof of the limousine, kept a close eye on what was happening behind them. He expected them to be pursued immediately since they had stolen a limousine containing the route data of a high-ranking member of the company. Even that person’s driver was accompanied by security.

“Something feels off, ” Alex said, contacting Lucy through the communicator.

“What do you mean? ” Lucy asked, keeping her eyes on the road.

“No one is chasing us. Maybe it’s because I sent Maxim to sleep with that hammer? ” Alex pondered.

“So you’re admitting it was a hammer? ” Lucy asked with a smile.

“It was just a slip of the tongue, ” Alex mumbled, sitting down on the roof of the limousine.

Lucy chuckled softly. If it had been a memory neutralizer, it certainly wouldn’t have looked like a hammer. Alex continued to scan the road when suddenly another car clipped theirs, crashing into the side. Alex barely managed to grab onto the roof to avoid falling. He glanced at the car that had caused the damage and saw its passengers.

“What the hell? ” Alex cursed, squinting.

“Those are garbage collectors. They’ll take any dirty job if the pay is good, ” Lucy explained, trying to regain control of the car after the impact.

“Got it; that actually simplifies things, ” Alex said, drawing his revolver.

He started shooting at the car’s hood, aiming to damage the engine. The driver lost control, and the car flipped over. Alex chuckled at the sight, not particularly wanting to comment on such a “cinematic” scene.

“Most likely, a bounty has already been placed on the limousine. These are just the first idiots looking for an easy score,” Alex said through the communicator.

“Arasaka always acts quickly,” Lucy replied, stepping on the gas.

Alex knew that in a world so connected to networks, such incidents were not uncommon. The city was literally crawling with mercenaries, and the higher the price, the more greed they exhibited, forgetting about potential consequences.

“How far are we from the meeting point?” Alex asked.

“Depends on how many garbage collectors and other bounty hunters tail us,” Lucy answered, keeping her eyes on the road.

“Then I suggest you step on it. A few more motorcycles are closing in on us,” Alex warned, spotting them in the distance.

Alex kept a close eye on the approaching bikes, contemplating their course of action. He could simply shoot them down or make it more spectacular. Meanwhile, the garbage collectors who caught up to the limousine opened fire. Alex drew his katana and began deflecting the incoming bullets. The mercenaries watched in shock as the man on top of the limousine deftly repelled their shots.

“Hey, idiots! Shoot more accurately, or you’ll never hit me like this!” Alex shouted, mocking them.

Furious at the taunt, the garbage collectors intensified their gunfire. Alex continued to parry the bullets, waiting for the moment when they got close enough to attack.

“G.I.R., to the roof! Cover me,” Alex ordered.

Hearing the command, G.I.R. immediately opened the limousine’s window and climbed outside. Lucy threw him a quick glance, but before she could say anything, the robot was already on the roof. She just shook her head and closed the window in case of a possible side attack.

“G.I.R., turret mode. Non-lethal fire,” Alex commanded.

The robot saluted and activated the mounts on its legs, securing itself firmly on the roof of the limousine. Its arms transformed into machine guns, electric sparks running along them. Alex nodded, ensuring G.I.R. was ready for battle.

“Fire at anyone who gets past me,” Alex instructed.

He moved to the back of the limousine, continuing to deflect bullets. When the first motorcycle came close enough, Alex crouched, preparing to jump. Suddenly, he surged forward and drove his knee into the driver’s face, knocking him off the bike.

Then, before the motorcycle could flip, Alex struck the passenger with his katana, slicing him in half. Quickly leaping onto the next bike, Alex repeated the attack: his legs slammed into the heads of both the driver and passenger, sending them crashing into a parked car.

“And now for the last one,” Alex thought as he headed for the final bike, preparing to finish the fight.

Alex did a somersault and landed on the last motorcycle, right behind the passenger, who, still firing, was trying to hit him as he jumped from one bike to another, taking down their pursuers. Once behind, Alex wasted no time and struck the passenger on the head, sending him tumbling onto the road.

“Mind if I take your spot?” Alex smirked, pushing him with a strong blow.

Sitting behind the driver, Alex wrapped his arms tightly around his torso, gradually squeezing in a steel grip. The sound of cracking ribs echoed. The driver lost consciousness and collapsed onto the road, while Alex took the wheel and accelerated, chasing after the limousine.

“How are things on your end?” Lucy’s voice crackled in his earpiece, laced with curiosity.

“All good. I even scored a bike,” Alex replied with a smile.

Lucy, glancing in the side mirror, saw Alex on his motorcycle catching up to them, waving cheerfully at her. She shook her head at his carefree attitude when she suddenly noticed a large jeep rounding the corner directly toward Alex.

” Watch out! ” she screamed.

Alex barely had time to turn his head, blinded by the headlights. The jeep was racing full speed right at him. At the last moment, Alex jumped, and the vehicle crashed into the motorcycle, crumpling it into a heap of metal. Landing on the roof of the jeep, Alex clenched his fists in irritation—his plan had been disrupted.

” Hey, asshole, do you realize this is dangerous? ” he yelled, stomping hard on the jeep’s roof, leaving a dent.

Jumping down onto the hood, Alex looked inside, where the driver and passengers were already drawing weapons. A predatory smile appeared on his face. Raising his fist, he declared:

” This is for trying to run me over! “

With a powerful strike to the hood, Alex twisted the front of the jeep, embedding the engine into the asphalt, causing it to flip over spectacularly. The jeep soared over Alex’s head. He gave the driver and passengers the middle finger, noticing their terrified faces.

” Alex, are you okay? A jeep just crashed into you! ” Lucy’s concerned voice came through.

” I’m fine, but now I’m without a bike. Don’t worry, I’ll catch up soon, ” he said, stretching his legs.

” I’m almost on the bridge, but I still have a few cars on my tail. G.I.R is firing back, but they’re not backing down, ” Lucy replied tensely.

” Okay, hold on for a couple of minutes, I’m on my way, ” Alex responded, starting to speed up.

Hearing Lucy’s worry, Alex decided not to delay. He began to run, holding his katana with one hand. Spotting an alley, Alex turned in, trying to cut through, but found himself in a dead end. He pushed off the wall, leaped over it, and landed on the other side. The sound of gunfire grew louder, and G.I.R’s curses at the heretics echoed even more intensely.

” Looks like I need to go that way, ” Alex said to himself, turning toward the sounds.

Alex dashed onto the road, seeing a speeding limo with G.I.R shooting from the roof. Picking up speed, he chased after it. At the moment another car passed him, he crashed into it with such force that it flipped over.

” Lucy, I’m on my way, ” Alex reported.

” Got it, hurry up, there are three more on our tail, ” Lucy replied, glancing worriedly in the mirror.

Alex sped up, quickly catching up to the first car. During a jump, he sliced it in half along with the driver. Not slowing down, he continued, cutting through the next car and destroying the pursuers. The car lost control and crashed into a wall, turning into a pile of metal.

“How many are left? ” Alex mumbled.

” Three more on our tail, ” Lucy replied, glancing in the mirror.

As he flew past the vehicles, Alex dodged bullets that miraculously missed him.

” G.I.R, aim better and shoot at the nearest car. I’ll handle the rest, ” Alex commanded.

G.I.R focused fire on the closest target, and Alex caught up to the last car. Landing on its hood, he caused it to flip, then jumped to the next one, finishing off the driver with a shot to the head. G.I.R destroyed the last car.

” I caught up, ” Alex said with a smile, jumping onto the roof of the limo.

” You took your time, ” Lucy replied irritably.

” Took my time? ” Alex frowned. ” I caught up to the limo at full speed! Even Sandy’s user wouldn’t have managed it faster. “

But they were interrupted by Maine’s voice in the earpiece:

” How’s it going? “

” Lost the tail, but I suspect more will be coming soon, ” Alex replied, scanning the road behind.

” We helped you out a bit by taking care of a few idiots, ” Maine said with a chuckle.

” Then we’ll stay in touch, ” Alex concluded, ending the conversation.

Alex approached the front of the limousine and leaned towards the window. After knocking, he waited for Lucy to crack it open.

“What?” she asked, not taking her eyes off the road.

“Try to stick to less crowded streets in case the idiots start chasing us again,” Alex said, looking at her upside down.

Lucy glanced at Alex, who was still hanging upside down at the window, and realized that it was sound advice. She nodded, and Alex returned to an upright position, looking around. At that moment, a bright light hit his face, and squinting, he saw that the light was coming from a drone following them.

Alex had already reached for his weapon to take down the drone when he heard Maine’s voice in his communicator.

“Choom, I’ve got bad news,” he said.

“Surprise me,” Alex grunted, shielding his eyes from the light with his hand.

“It seems you’re being pursued not just by garbage collectors and mercenaries, but also by the police. All because of the noise you made,” Maine continued, with noticeable concern in his voice.

Lucy tensed upon hearing this. As if they didn’t have enough problems with the mercenaries and garbage collectors, now the police were involved too. Alex realized that the situation had become even worse than he thought, likely due to the shootout and accidents he caused while getting rid of their pursuers.

“How bad is it?” Alex asked, wondering how much force the police had committed to catching them.

“Not critical yet. But MAX-TAС is on the way, so you still have a chance to escape,” Main reported. “And… at the end of the bridge, there’s a blockade waiting for you. But I think you can handle it.”

Alex realized that after splitting up, Maine and his group were also under attack. He had to figure out how to get rid of the drone before thinking about the blockade. Alex raised his middle finger at the drone and, with a few shots, brought it down.

“What are we going to do? We’re almost at the bridge, but we can’t change routes—they might intercept us along the way,” Lucy said, concerned.

The mission that initially seemed simple had turned into a full-scale conflict. Lucy sighed heavily, remembering how Alex had mentioned his “terrible luck,” which always led to trouble. She even mentally blamed him for getting them into this situation for a moment. Alex heard her muttering curses at him and shook his head.

“Let’s keep going. We have GIR and his unique protocol,” Alex said, outlining his plan.

Lucy tightened her grip on the steering wheel, realizing that Alex was planning to use GIR’s protocol as a last resort.

“You want to blow up GIR?!” she asked almost shouting, realizing that the explosion would be massive.

Alex and GIR exchanged looks, as if Lucy had misunderstood. Alex decided to explain.

“No, I’m not going to blow him up. Rebecca will kill me if I do. GIR has a ‘Blackout’ protocol. It will just disable all electronics around,” Alex said calmly, lighting a cigarette.

“You scared me,” Lucy sighed with relief, patting her chest.

“And besides, I don’t want Gloria to be mad. She’ll be upset if that stupid dog blows up,” Alex added with a smirk, taking a drag.

Hearing Alex call him a “dumb dog,” G.I.R. approached him and punched him in the leg. Alex merely raised an eyebrow, watching as G.I.R. tried to express his anger. Shaking his head, he chose to ignore it.

“How far to the bridge?” Alex asked, tossing out his cigarette.

“A couple of minutes,” Lucy replied, glancing at the map.

“As soon as you get close, slow down,” he said, lifting G.I.R. by the head.

Lucy nodded, focusing on the road. Alex stood on the hood of the limousine, waiting for them to reach the bridge. As soon as they entered the bridge, Alex noticed a police blockade ahead.

“Slow down a bit, and when I give the signal, hit the gas with all your might,” Alex commanded, jumping off the car and starting to run ahead.

Lucy slowed down, keeping her eyes on what Alex was about to do with G.I.R. He stopped at a safe distance from the police post.

“Are you ready, my young Ultramarine?” Alex asked, looking at G.I.R.

“For the glory of the Emperor!” he shouted, saluting.

“Then let’s go. YEEEEET!” Alex yelled, launching G.I.R. toward the police blockade.

The police officers at the checkpoint noticed a person stopping ahead. They were already preparing to open fire when suddenly they saw a green dog flying toward them, shouting, “Bad dad!”

G.I.R. landed right in the center of the blockade. The police immediately aimed their weapons at him, but he calmly stood up, brushed off his suit, and looked around, confirming that he had arrived at the right place. G.I.R. prepared to activate his protocol but decided to do it with extra drama.

“PIKA-CHUUUUUUUU!” G.I.R. shouted loudly, releasing a powerful EMP charge that disabled all devices and turned off the lights within a radius of two hundred meters.

Hearing G.I.R.’s scream, Alex just sighed. “Maybe I should revoke his internet access,” he thought. But knowing G.I.R., he would surely complain to Gloria, and his access would be restored again.

Lucy, seeing G.I.R. unleash a massive wave of energy, understood that this was the signal from Alex. She suddenly pressed the gas pedal, speeding up. Alex heard the approaching sound of the car, and when the limousine was almost next to him, he jumped, landing softly on the hood.

Meanwhile, G.I.R. was proudly saluting, standing in the epicenter of the EMP blast, as if celebrating his victory. He was about to start his victory dance, but Alex grabbed him by the head and lifted him up.

“You can dance later; there’s no time,” Alex said, holding G.I.R.

Climbing through the window into the limousine, he sat G.I.R. on his lap. He immediately started complaining that he wanted to sit on his “mom’s” lap but received a light smack on the head and a reminder that Lucy was driving and couldn’t be distracted. G.I.R. pouted and started crying, continuing to call Alex a “bad dad,” but Alex remained unfazed and had long since stopped paying attention to such fake tears.

“I don’t think anyone will chase us any further,” Alex muttered, glancing briefly in the side mirror. The lights behind them were still out.

Lucy nodded and increased her speed, trying to get to their destination as quickly as possible. As Alex expected, they lost their pursuers and arrived at the desired location peacefully. From a distance, Alex spotted their whole group. Rebecca was sitting on his motorcycle, swinging her legs. When she saw the approaching limousine, she began waving her hand, attracting the attention of the others.

Lucy parked not far from the group and got out of the car. Alex, grabbing G.I.R. by the head, also exited.

“Well, you really caused a mess, Choom,” Maine said with a smirk, looking at Alex.

“It could have been worse,” Alex replied with a grin.

Maine patted him on the shoulder, acknowledging that he had done a great job—protecting the limousine and Lucy, getting them there safely. Rebecca was already about to run up to Alex to congratulate him but suddenly stopped.

“Who the hell are you?” came Kiwi’s sharp voice. She aimed a gun right at Alex’s face.

Alex heard her words and slowly turned his head. Right in front of him was the barrel of a gun. Frowning, he reached for his katana with one hand, tensing up. The situation instantly heated up, making everyone on edge, especially Rebecca, who was now confused, unsure how to react.

Alex tried to understand what Kiwi wanted and why she aimed a weapon at him, and her cryptic question only heightened the tension.

To be continued…

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep