[Location: The "Golden Dragon" Underground Casino.] [Owner: Black Dragon Syndicate (Branch 3).] [Time: 11:45 PM.]
Neon lights flashed. Jazz music played softly. Inside this hidden fortress, millions of dollars changed hands every minute. Gangsters, corrupt officials, and wealthy addicts gathered here to gamble their lives away.
"Place your bets!" the dealer shouted.
Bang! The heavy steel doors of the entrance flew off their hinges, landing squarely on a roulette table.
"Sorry, we're late," a lazy voice echoed through the dust.
Standing in the doorway was the nightmare trio: Chen Qing, adjusting his black gloves. Sun Mengjia, dragging a massive duffel bag (empty for now). And General Fluffles, wearing sunglasses.
"Who dares?!" The casino manager, a scarred man named Tiger, drew his gun. "This is Syndicate territory!"
"Correction," Chen Qing walked in, stepping over the unconscious guards. "This was Syndicate territory. Now, it's my ATM."
[System Mission:] [Destroy the Stronghold.] [Reward: 1000 XP + Rare Item Drop.]
"Kill them!" Tiger roared. Fifty armed thugs rushed out from the shadows, wielding machetes and submachine guns.
"Mengjia," Chen Qing said calmly. "Have fun."
"Yay! Pinata time!" Sun Mengjia pulled out two modified tasers. She moved like a red blur, dancing through the crowd. Zap! Zap! Every time she touched someone, they convulsed and foamed at the mouth. She was laughing the whole time. "Dance for me! Hahaha!"
Meanwhile, Chen Qing didn't even draw his sword. He used [Genetic Lock: Phase 1]. He grabbed a thug by the collar and used him as a human shield/bat. Smash. Crash. Enemies flew through the air like ragdolls.
"Monster! He's a monster!" Tiger watched his elite guards fall in seconds. He turned to run toward the vault. "I need the prototype weapon!"
"Going somewhere?" Chen Qing appeared in front of him. With a simple flick of his finger, Tiger's gun shattered into pieces.
"P-Please! Take the money! Just don't kill me!" Tiger fell to his knees, pissing his pants.
"I'll take the money," Chen Qing smiled. "But first, open the vault."
...
[Inside the Vault.]
Stacks of cash. Gold bars. Jewelry. It was a mountain of wealth. At least 50 million dollars.
"Shiny!" Sun Mengjia dove into the pile of cash, making snow angels with dollar bills.
"Woof!" General Fluffles found something better. In the corner, there was a small, reinforced titanium safe. It radiated a strange blue energy. To the Husky, it smelled like a Michelin-star steak.
Crunch. The dog bit the corner of the titanium safe. Then he swallowed it. The whole thing.
"No!!" Tiger screamed. "That safe contains the Dragon Heart Crystal! It's worth billions! It's unstable energy!"
Burp. General Fluffles burped a small blue flame. He seemed satisfied.
[System Notification:] [Pet Evolution Progress: 10%.] [Pet Ability Unlocked: Energy Beam (Mouth).]
"Good boy," Chen Qing patted the dog. Then he looked at the empty vault (thanks to Mengjia stuffing everything into her bag).
"Time to go," Chen Qing said. He tossed a lighter onto a pile of spilled alcohol.
Whoosh. Fire erupted.
As they walked out of the burning casino, the fire alarm finally went off. Chen Qing didn't look back. Cool guys don't look at explosions.
[Mission Accomplished.] [Level Up!] [Current Level: 5.] [New Skill: Flash Step (Teleport short distances).]
Outside, in the cool night air, Shen Ruobing was waiting in her new car (a Bentley this time). She looked at the burning building, then at the trio carrying bags of cash.
"I sent you to buy milk," she said, raising an eyebrow.
"We got lost," Chen Qing shrugged, tossing a stack of cash into the car. "Here's your change."
Shen Ruobing sighed. "Get in. We have a meeting tomorrow with the City Mayor. Try not to blow him up."
"No promises," Sun Mengjia giggled, hugging her bag of loot.