"Alas, Marcus, there is absolutely no reason to distrust Mr. Harry." I thought to myself. "I will do just as he said."I looked at Mr. Harry as we walked further into the bank. But he did not look back at me. His eyes were focused on his direction, and I began to look around.The bank was a grand mansion on its own. And the opulence and grandeur of the interior took my breath away. The polished marble floors gleamed like diamonds, and the walls, adorned with exquisite oil paintings and ornate moldings, created a sense of refinement and elegance.The high ceilings soared above me like a magnificent cathedral, with intricate chandeliers casting a warm, inviting glow on the richly carpeted floors.Behind the teller counter, the vault stood like a sentinel, its massive steel door beckoning you with the promise of safety and security. The sounds of coins clinking and bills rustling filled the air as cash was counted and sorted, adding to the symphony of the bustling bank."你好," one bank te
I took a deep breath again and stepped closer to the box. As the box sat elegantly, I stretched my hands toward it and lifted it in my hand."Why is it so lightweight?" I asked myself, surprised at the weight of the box compared to how magnificently it was secured."It is supposed to be heavyweight," I exclaimed, checking the box in a hurry. The disappointment sank to the bottom of the box.I immediately felt like it was made of cardboard rather than metal, and the thought that something valuable lay inside the box vanished from my mind."The key!" I exclaimed the moment my eyes caught sight of the lock. Immediately, I inserted the key into the box and turned it."It is a document and another necklace," I said as I put my hands inside the box and pulled them out.Immediately, I dropped the box. With something so light, it didn't make sense to continue carrying it when I had what I came for.Even though I was tempted to open the document, I remembered Mr. Harry’s words, and I knew I wo
"First of all, if you're watching this footage, it means I'm dead. And I'm really sorry about this, son," the voice on the footage said as Ethan played the video on the flash drive.As soon as Ethan played the video, all of us, including Mr. Harry and driver Chi-kin, paid close attention.However, my attention was interrupted by thoughts. I kept asking myself why my father always looked back fearfully whenever he spoke in the footage."Who was after him?""Clearly, someone was after him, which explains why he knew he was going to die soon enough.""The document you found with this drive is a classified binder. You can't let anyone else see it, talk about it, or read it. That's why I kept it securely away from Chicago in the first place.""Ahem, cough, cough.""Go through the profile of each one of them, and let justice prevail. I'm not asking you to avenge my death, son. I know you deserve a life beyond all of this. I'm sorry for involving you, even after my murder.""Seek justice for
We arrived in Nigeria like valiant soldiers descending from our private helicopter, evoking an air of grandeur and authority. This led me to ponder why we hadn't utilized this luxurious mode of transportation to reach Hong Kong initially.Why did Mr. Harry subject us to such arduous travel, enduring screening by airport officials who nearly falsely accused me, when he could have effortlessly employed his influence and resources to expedite our journey as swiftly as we did to Nigeria?It was approximately 2 P.M, and the surroundings were teeming with people, jostling and struggling to navigate through the congested pathways. The streets were populated with ragged street urchins, bearing a disheveled appearance akin to deranged individuals with a hint of sanity.The more I observed them closely, the more I realized that these street urchins held sway over the local economy, a perplexing phenomenon that defied logic.As we made our way through the crowd, an unpleasant odor emanated from
"Come on, son, go!" screamed Mr. Harry. When I looked at him, he was already tucking his smoky gun into his belt.That provided some solace for me. Finally, I wasn't in shock of my life, trembling like a leaf in the wind, fearing the imminent embrace of death.At least I now knew that it was Mr. Harry who had fired the shot, so I couldn't be hit by friendly fire. With newfound confidence, I scanned the surroundings and realized there was no blood on the ground, nor anyone wounded by the bullet."C’mon! After him, stop wasting time!" Mr. Harry's voice echoed in my ears. It transformed my legs into wheels, and together with the other five, we sprinted after the thief, swiftly closing the gap.When we finally caught up with him, we discovered he was empty-handed, raising two perplexing questions in my mind.If he was empty-handed at the moment of capture, it meant that the street, like a protective mother, had shielded him and safeguarded the device we had chased him for.Or perhaps, he
Back on the street where I came from, we could be chased for far too long, and the pursuers—which could be the police or the other gang from the street—would never get tired easily until we were caught and they got what they wanted from us.But here, it was such a different story. Five able-bodied men chased after 22-year-old me for only about 30 minutes, and they had already given up.Immediately, as I looked back, still breathing heavily through my nose and mouth at the same time, I saw that they were no longer chasing me. Not only that, I could not see their traces anywhere.However, it was a good thing. There was still a problem. The place I was in was unknown to me, and even though I was chased here, I did not know how to find my way back to the others.At first, I looked around with the hope of finding Mr. Harry or maybe Samantha or Ethan. It could have been possible we came out the same way, but there were no signs of any of them. The only faces my eyes beheld were the indigeno
Mr. Harry was already covered in blood, and he was also made to kneel with his hands tied behind his back. His white suit was no different from the color of mud, and he was without a hat.Behind him stood the rest of the five. Samantha was breathing heavily, as if she had a mountain tightening her chest, and the others, including Ethan, looked disfigured like a shattered mirror."Who the fuck are you?" the black thug sitting in front of Mr. Harry yelled again, holding his bloody fist in a threatening manner.I had just met Mr. Harry, but this was the first time I had seen him so powerless and helpless. He said nothing, kneeling in front of the black thug, and his breath suggested that he might die soon."Do it," the black thug ordered, looking at another one behind Mr. Harry and the five.The thug held a piece of rotten metal, like a hole punch. As soon as he received the order from their apparent leader, he grabbed Emily's hair, as she was the closest to him."I will not ask you agai
Finally, we were able to find our way to the bank. As the bank was tracked through the GPS Ethan had in his hands. However, if the bank was different from the ugly roads, gutters, and all that the city itself looked like, it was a lie.The name of the bank was visible enough with the engraving they designed on their wall. "The Total Bank of All."It was painted white, but the color was also stained with sand and fading away like a forgotten memory drifting through time. The bank's fences were made of iron bars, which made the whole bank look somewhat like a prison yard. And the security guards that protected the bank didn't carry any weapons, like they were just ordinary people."Will these people be able to protect this bank from theft and invasion?" I thought, looking at one of the guards who was eating from a large cooler at his post.It seemed like Mr. Harry and I had the same thought. However, he didn't say anything, but his thoughts were obvious on his face, like a transparent w