The Hidden Dagger

Now that everyone had their role in the plan, I handed each of us a small pistol and an explosive grenade.

George and Ray had a hard time stealing a car, but they managed and brought it to us. We arrived in front of the bank and entered in disguise. Ray, Phantom, Max, and I moved toward a door in one of the bank's corners. There, we found a staircase, and I suddenly remembered—it led to the vault.

Meanwhile, Rio was trying to cut the power, but the electrical box was in complete darkness. Suddenly, a man in red appeared, shining a flashlight straight at Rio's face and shouting:

"What are you doing here, punk?"

Then, he struck Rio on the head with the flashlight, knocking him out cold.

At the same time, Leo was on his way to trigger the fire alarm, but another man in red emerged behind him, covering Leo's nose with a chloroform-soaked cloth. Leo struggled, trying to resist, but he, too, passed out.

As all of this unfolded, Phantom, Max, Ray, and I climbed the staircase leading to the vault. Suddenly, a heavy gunshot whizzed past me. We all froze and glanced at each other in shock—it had come from above.

Within moments, a barrage of bullets rained down on us. We scrambled back down and saw four men in red firing from above. Phantom shouted:

"Draw your weapons, now!"

We all pulled out our guns and returned fire. Ray was hit in the arm, but he refused to back down and kept shooting.

I yelled,

"This is useless!"

Without thinking, I snatched Max's gun from his hand, sprinted up the stairs, and fired both weapons simultaneously. I managed to take down two of them.

Max shouted, "Are you crazy?! You almost got yourself killed!"

I panted, "I know that."

Ray then roared, "There are only two left—GOOO!"

We rushed upstairs, dodging bullets, and fired relentlessly at the last two men, hitting them. Their bodies tumbled down from the top, leaving a trail of blood on the stairs.

We cautiously advanced and finally reached the vault. Just as we were celebrating, about to approach it, a deadly laser grid suddenly spread around us, trapping us.

Phantom reached out to touch one of the lasers—it instantly burned him.

Ray shouted, "What do we do now?!"

Max muttered, "It's over. We're done for."

I clenched my fists, "No… We can't give up that easily."

Ray snapped at me, "Then TELL US how! There's nothing we can do, you idiot!"

Without hesitation, I struck Ray hard across the face and yelled, "If you talk like that again, I'll bury you alive right here!"

Then, out of nowhere, the lasers began to disappear—just like magic. We stood in stunned silence before bursting into cheers. We had no idea what had happened, but we didn't waste time questioning it.

We quickly threw our grenades at the vault, then took cover as they exploded. When the dust settled, stacks of money lay before us—millions. We exchanged huge grins, overwhelmed with joy, and immediately began gathering the cash.

But… something unexpected happened.

The piercing sound of police sirens filled the air. We exchanged panicked glances just as a police car came crashing through the wall. Officers poured out, and their leader commanded:

"Arrest them now! They have nowhere to run!"

We fired back, but our ammo was running out. The police overpowered us in an instant, pinning us down. Their leader barked,

"Load the money into the police truck!"

There was no escape. The entire city was watching, and we were live on television.

The officers separated us into different police cars—Phantom and I in one, Ray and Max in another. From the distance, I saw Leo and Rio, still unconscious, inside another car.

Cameras flashed as the media swarmed around us. Then, through the chaos, I saw a figure approaching. My eyes widened in shock. It was… Lord Cromer.

He stopped in front of me, disappointment etched on his face. "I didn't expect this from you, Shadow. Your father was a good man."

Then, without another word, he walked away.

Phantom asked, "Who the hell is that guy?"

I muttered, "It's a long story. Forget him."

The police chief came over and shoved the stolen money into the trunk. He smirked at us and said,

"Did you really think you'd get away like always? Not on my watch."

Two officers climbed into the front seats and started driving us toward prison. I felt crushed. Everything I had done—all of it was for revenge, to get justice for my mother and father. But somehow… we had ended up down a completely different path.

Phantom suddenly turned to me. "Shadow… are you really giving up? That's not like you. Think of something."

I looked ahead at the officers in front of us. Phantom nodded slightly toward them, and I understood immediately.

I started counting.

"One."

"Two…"

"Three!"

In an instant, Phantom and I lunged forward, strangling the officers from behind—despite our hands being cuffed. We tightened our grips until… they stopped struggling.

Phantom blinked. "Wait… who's driving?!"

The car swerved wildly toward the bridge's barrier. I shouted, "What do we do NOW?! This was YOUR idea, damn it!"

Phantom yelled back, "I DON'T KNOW!"

We crashed into another police car—the one carrying Max and Ray. Their vehicle flipped over and exploded in a fiery blast. Meanwhile, our own car spun off the bridge, plunging toward the water below. Phantom and I screamed as we braced for impact.

The car hit the water hard, sinking rapidly. By sheer luck, our handcuffs snapped loose from the force. I grabbed the bag of money and swam toward the surface, desperate for air.

But Phantom—he was being dragged down by the currents.

My lungs burned, but I refused to let him die. I dove back, grabbed his arm, and kicked upward with all my strength. We broke the surface, gasping for breath, barely staying afloat.

We dragged ourselves onto the riverbank. My chest heaved, and I collapsed, unable to breathe properly. Water filled my throat until Phantom pressed down on my stomach, forcing it out. I coughed violently, barely clinging to consciousness.

Phantom looked down at me. "Are you okay, Shadow?"

I panted, "Yeah… but what about Max and Ray?"

"I don't know."

Then, from above the bridge, voices called out.

"Are you guys alive?! We're coming down!"

It was Max and Ray. They were safe.

They rushed down to us, and I told them, "We need to save Leo and Rio. We have the money now."

Ray paused. "Wait… where was George this whole time?"

Max frowned. "He was probably with Leo and Rio. They're heading to the prison. I know the route. I'll steal a car—we'll intercept them."

Max did exactly that. We sped down the road until we spotted the police car carrying Leo and Rio. It was guarded by a single officer in the front.

Max smirked. "Hold on tight."

He slammed the gas pedal, ramming the police car hard. It flipped over.

But… to our shock, George emerged from the wreckage—wearing a police uniform, gun aimed at us.

I glared at him. "You… YOU were the traitor?!"

George sneered. "Of course. Did you really think I'd work with scum like you?"

Max and Ray wasted no time—they tackled him, beating him down. Meanwhile, Phantom helped me drag Leo and Rio out of the car. They were still unconscious.

Carrying three bodies was no easy task.

Max asked, "Now what? We have nowhere to go."

I smirked, "Now? We buy ourselves a hideout."

We purchased a massive, secluded warehouse made of steel. Inside, we laid Leo, Rio, and George down to rest.

Ray sighed. "I can't keep going. We haven't slept in two days."

I nodded. "Once George wakes up, you'll get all the rest you need."