I'm on the Ark, and I start out as Gretchen.

P.S.: I found some time to come back to the game, but I came back too late, and the big loli didn't have anything, except for unlocking a character.

Chapter 97 The Eve of Action

“I didn’t expect you to buy a mask, Sister Pado. Then wear this one tonight.”

At this moment, Gretchen, who was wearing a light brown plaid fitted dress with white trim and a dark red cloak, picked up the gold and red wolf mask that was placed to the side and said with a smile.

"Oh, it's a small matter, so let Gretchen decide. After all, you look great in all these clothes." Patto smiled and gave Gretchen a thumbs up after hearing her words.

"Oh, right. I also bought you some clothes, do you want to try them on?" As if she suddenly remembered something, Cat clapped her hands and quickly pulled out a set of clothes that had not yet been opened from her space.

"Huh? No way! Don't think I don't know what kind of clothes Pado bought. I don't want to wear anything so flashy!" Xiao Shi said with a look of disgust as she looked at the clothes Pado took out.

Because they were connected in spirit, Xiao Shi naturally knew that her little brother Pado had also bought her clothes, and she even knew what they were.

However, since the cat hadn't taken it out, she didn't bring it up and just pretended not to know anything about it.

Now that Pado has brought it up herself, Xiao Shi will naturally choose to firmly refuse! The great Herrscher of Knowledge has no desire to wear those flashy, cumbersome dresses...

"Hey, Boss, are you really not going to give this a try? This outfit, like Gretsch's, has a hood, which is good for hiding your identity at night..."

Pado, who was still trying to persuade him, grew quieter and quieter under Xiaoshi's increasingly "fierce" gaze... and finally fell silent, revealing a cowardly and pitiful little expression.

Seeing that the person in front of him had quieted down, Xiao Shi's gaze softened, and then he put his hands on his hips and said in an annoyed tone:

"I already said I don't want to! And when has my great Herrscher of Knowledge ever needed to hide like this! Anyone who sees my face, just kill them!"

"Little knowledge..."

Before Pado or Gretchen could react to Xiao Shi's words, Hua, who was sitting not far away, frowned and then spoke helplessly.

"...Old antique, don't speak!" The moment Xiao Shi heard his name from Hua's mouth, his scalp tingled and he sensed something was wrong, so he quickly interrupted.

After successfully interrupting Hua's next "spellcasting", Xiao Shi crossed her arms and turned to look at her, muttering softly, "Really, I'm not really going to do anything reckless!"

"Xiao Shi, be careful, don't make too much noise." Hua, who had been interrupted, had no intention of continuing to lecture him, but just shook his head helplessly and gave him some advice.

"I know, I know, old man, don't worry." With that, Xiao Shi waved gently at Hua, then turned back to Pado and said:

"Anyway, I will absolutely not wear that dress you have! But as for the mask... I can wear it for a bit, Pado, you should have prepared one, right?"

"Ah...oh! Of course, this mask and Gretchen's..."

It's also custom-made, and I think it suits you quite well, Boss.

Pado, who was watching the show while lying on the table, snapped out of her daze when her name was called and quickly pulled out a black and white kite mask from her storage space and handed it over.

"Ah...it's alright." After taking the mask and observing it for a moment, Xiao Shi gave a fair assessment. Then, as if she had thought of something, she turned her head slightly and added, "Ahem...of course, in my opinion, it's still unnecessary."

"Hehe~ I'm glad you like it, Boss." Hearing Xiao Shi's words, Pado chuckled and scratched her head, then quietly put the skirt back.

It seems this dress won't be needed this time, so naturally, the cat won't keep it in front of her. After all, what if she accidentally angers Xiaoshi and she stops helping her?!

Heaven knows how convenient the Herrscher of Knowledge's abilities are for facilitating procurement. If they suddenly stop helping, Pado will have nowhere to turn for help.

"Alright, it's almost time. The takeout we ordered will get cold if we wait any longer. You guys come and eat." Hua said, reminding everyone as the fitting event drew to a close.

"I'm coming!"

Upon hearing this, the other three people in the hotel room put down what they were doing and gathered around with smiles.

-----------

On the other side, the Royal Guard Bureau—

"Here, I brought you some food, Old Chen," Swire said as she walked to Chen's desk, carrying a packed dinner.

"Still not finished your work? You've really got a great time going out, but now you're facing a work nightmare!"

"Stop talking nonsense, we're almost done." Chen said without looking up at Swire's teasing.

"Oh, right, there's something I haven't told you yet. Lin Yuxia is also interested in what happened tonight and plans to get involved." After hearing Chen's words, Swire first shrugged, then seemed to have thought of something and spoke up.

"If nothing unexpected happens, that guy should have already started making his move."

"reason?"

Although he still didn't look up, Swire's words clearly piqued Chen's interest.

"Do I even need to explain the reason? It's obvious that he suddenly became interested because of what happened at her family's candy store. He probably wants to get revenge or something."

"Alright, Chen, keep it up and try to finish this as soon as possible. I'm going back to prepare now. This time, we absolutely can't let that Padovalis get away again." With that, Swire walked to her seat, quickly packed her things, and then turned and headed for the door.

"I almost forgot, Hoshiguma also has some things to take care of. She asked you to go see her after you've finished yours, and then you two can come to my place together."

"understood."

"Okay, see you later!"

……

After leaving the office, Swire unconsciously quickened her pace, and even her face showed a hint of excitement and determination.

Although the little tiger's feelings towards Pado remain complex so far, and he is still very grateful for Pado's previous life-saving grace, ... however, even the best senses can't withstand being constantly met with disapproving glances!

The previous small items were one thing, but this time they even sent out a notice, which, given that it has alarmed the big shots of Longmen, can no longer be considered a trivial matter.

Such a commotion was beyond Swire's control, so since she couldn't stop it, she might as well join in. Besides, she had no reason to stop it, after all, she wasn't over her anger yet.

The little tiger really couldn't understand why Padophilia was always so fond of his things. Was it because he was very rich and had a lot of stuff?!

Chapter 98 The action begins

As time passed, the black night gradually deepened, enveloping the bustling city that had already lit up its lights.

"Wow, this is quite a grand affair tonight~" Pado, who was hiding in the shadows observing the situation near Daigo Plaza, reached out and tugged at the brim of her hat, and exclaimed softly.

Because she was afraid that going out to investigate in the afternoon would alert the enemy and let that old fox Wei Lao Er discover her true target, and then keep a close watch on her, Maomao waited until after dinner and parted ways with the others before sneaking over to scout the place.

The final result was pretty much what Pado had expected. Although Wei Yanwu didn't confirm exactly what the "treasure" he was going to buy was, he definitely notified Swire's family.

What? You're asking how the cat knows? She's not blind. There are clearly more security personnel at Swire Properties' properties than before. Who else are they guarding against if not her?

"Ah~ It's still early, I'll find a place to slack off." Pado yawned, thought for a moment, and after confirming that nothing had been missed, she gently wagged her tail and turned to leave.

The cat was waiting for the mall to close. There was still plenty of time before that, and staying here might attract attention, so it was better to sneak off somewhere else to have some fun. It could even leave its mark in a strategic location to create some confusion.

……

Meanwhile, at the Swire Villa—

"To be honest, this is the first time I've felt that my home security is this good." Sitting in her living room, looking at her two friends in front of her, Swire shrugged and complained.

"After all those"

"With the authorities involved, how could security not be good?" Hoshiguma joked with a laugh as she leaned back on the sofa with her hands behind her head.

"Ah~ good security is useless, tonight is going to be tough. That guy didn't say when he was coming or what he was going to steal..." Chen, who had experienced a lot today, couldn't help but cover his mouth and yawn.

"While that's true, the thought of catching that wretched Padophilia tonight still excites me."

At this point, Swire paused slightly, looked at the two of them, and changed the subject, saying, "Old Chen and Hoshiguma, if you're tired now, you can go to my guest room and take a nap. I'll call you when there's any noise or someone appears."

Upon hearing this, Hoshiguma waved it off nonchalantly: "Oh well, I won't go. It's not like I'll miss a minute. Old Chen, you go get some sleep."

"Okay, remember to call me if you need anything." After hearing what his two friends said, Chen, who was indeed a little tired, didn't stand on ceremony and nodded in agreement.

"Go ahead, go ahead, to the room on the right on the second floor."

"Oh, by the way, although I think it's unlikely, please let us know if you hear anything up there."

"Ah."

----------------

As night deepened, the darkness in the sky grew ever more intense, and the bustling city seemed to drift into a dream. The once dazzling lights that illuminated the entire city gradually went out and faded into silence.

At 11:30 p.m., all the customers in Otani Plaza Mall had already left, and the venue was completely dark and quiet after the lights were turned off.

The only remaining possible source of light is the flashlights carried by patrol personnel who come periodically.

Unbeknownst to all the security personnel, there was actually an uninvited guest in the restroom on the second floor of the mall who had not yet left.

"Wow, I'm exhausted. I need to rest for a while after this job is done." The uninvited guest, Padma Cat, muttered quietly as she peeked out from the bathroom and looked in the direction of her target in the distance.

To be honest, if she had a choice, she really wouldn't want to hide in the mall restroom. But unfortunately, the restrooms were the only parts of the mall without surveillance cameras, and the checks weren't very strict.

'It's almost midnight, I'm ready, Gretchen, are you there?'

'Yes, I'm ready, Sister Paddy!'

'action!'

As Pado's clear voice fell, Gretchen, who was waiting near the Daigo Plaza, sprang into action.

Under the cool light of the streetlights, a wolf-like woman wearing a dark red cloak and a mask with gold trim swiftly ran towards the huge power supply box not far away.

As she ran, a silver pen quietly appeared in her hand. With a gentle turn from its owner, the slender pen suddenly expanded at one end, emitting a blue light and transforming into a technologically advanced lightsaber.

As she drew closer to her target, Gretchen abruptly changed her actions, swiftly and gracefully inserting her lightsaber into the lock core to destroy it, and then opening the power supply box door.

After opening the door, she skillfully searched for and operated the equipment according to the blueprints she had memorized before the operation.

"Snapped-"

"Snapped-"

With each sound of a switch being pulled down, all the surrounding light gradually faded away, leaving only a silent, deserted, and pitch-black street.

'alright. '

'Gresh, you retreat first.'

The moment Gretchen heard her voice, Padre no longer hesitated. She nimbly rushed out of the restroom and headed straight for the black piano that was casually displayed in the mall.

Well, it's not exactly just sitting there carelessly, since quite a few surveillance cameras are concentrated in that area. But it doesn't matter; even if the power is cut off, there's enough time to switch to the backup power immediately.

Before the monitor lights came back on, Pado had already successfully stored the enormous piano inside the space.

Meanwhile, the security personnel sitting in the mall's monitoring room stared at the black screen in front of them, completely bewildered.

"Why did the power suddenly go out in the middle of the night? There was no maintenance notice either?" Just as the security guard was muttering to himself, the mall's backup power automatically turned on, and he turned on the monitor screen in front of him again to check it.

But it would have been better if he hadn't looked. As soon as he did, he spotted a furtive figure and immediately grabbed his communicator, shouting, "Someone's broken in! On the second floor, go check it out right away!"

As soon as the security personnel in the monitoring room reminded them, the mall instantly became "lively." The patrolling security personnel rushed to the second floor, the beams of their flashlights flashing as they moved.

"Oh my, so many people..."