CHAPTER 20

"What am I going to do here, Atlas?" I asked nervously.

We had already discussed what I should do on my first mission. They were planning to steal money from the Zevallos Real Estate Corporation. I had an earpiece in my right ear, and I was listening to Atlas' orders to us.

We were now in a hidden part near the Zevallos company. Since it was already dawn, there were no more employees working there. They were probably all in their homes. It seemed like they had been planning this for a long time because before we went there, he showed us and his men the blueprint of the large Zevallos company building.

"Just stay there. You will carry the money they get, and when a black car stops in front of or near you, get in," he replied seriously. "Don't worry, I can see what you're doing. I'm monitoring all of you."

I nodded, as if he were in front of me. I was behind the building of this Zevallos company. My companions who went here had already gone inside, and I didn't know what was happening to them anymore.

"Atlas, we already inside the vault room."

I hid behind a large trash can when I heard my companion's voice in the earpiece. I was just listening to their conversation and waiting for them to come out.

"That's good. Get all the money you can see. Use it all up and don't leave any," Atlas replied on the other line, and it sounded like he was even laughing.

"Copy, Atlas."

I think I'm about to pee because of my nervousness here in my position. I was squeezing myself into the trash that was here to hide if there were any police passing by. Why am I even thinking about that!? I should just calm down, or it might come true.

I covered my mouth when I heard a loud thud. I peeked a little and saw a man panting, he came from the small alley where my companions and I passed before they entered the building.

"Where is she? They said the woman is here," I heard him complain.

"Sarah? Are you still there?" Atlas called my name. "Sarah?"

"Atlas," I said softly. "There's a man here near me. He seems to be looking for me."

"Are you hiding?" he asked.

"Yes," I whispered.

I peeked at the man again. He was still standing in his position and looking around the whole area. It seemed like he was looking for something.

"Did the guy hold a big black bag?"

"Yes, Atlas," I replied.

"Okay. Go to him and get the bag immediately."

I didn't answer anymore and just followed what he said. I came out of my hiding place, and he looked at me. He seemed relieved, and it looked like he was really looking for me. He was still wearing office attire, and his sweat was evident on his face and on his polo.

"Take this," he said hastily.

He just threw the bag in front of me and ran away from me. I almost tripped because of the weight of the bag. I adjusted what I was carrying along with the loud sound coming from inside the building. My eyes widened because it sounded like an emergency alarm.

"Get out of there, Sarah," Atlas ordered.

"H-huh... wait..." I stuttered.

I nervously slung the bag over my shoulder and was about to enter the alley when Atlas stopped me. At the same time, there were successive gunshots that I think were coming from inside the building.

"Don't go there. Find another way to get out of there. My mens are about to come out of the building," Atlas said seriously. "Your nervousness won't get you anywhere if you don't focus on what you're doing, Sarah. Calm yourself."

I took a few deep breaths and followed his instructions. My chest was tight and my heart was pounding because of what was happening. I couldn't get rid of the nervousness I was feeling no matter what I did.

"Do you see the small alley near the trash can where you were hiding?" Atlas suddenly said.

I quickly went there, and he was right. There was a very small alley there, and it was only blocked by thin plywood so that people couldn't pass through there.

"Yes, but there's a plywood blocking it. Should I go through there?" I asked.

"Yes," Atlas replied quickly.

"Atlas, this is an emergency. We need to get out of here, there are so many emergency alarms in their vault room. The sound reaches the lobby, maybe the police have already noticed what we did. It's impossible that they only put an emergency alarm here."

"Noted. Go, Sarah. Hurry up. There's a black van waiting for you near the next corner."

"O-okay," I replied nervously.

I put down the bag and quickly removed the plywood blocking the entrance so I could go in. It was already quite old, that's why I was able to remove it immediately. I carried the bag full of money and entered the alley, faster than lightning.

As I got closer and closer to the end, my heart beat faster and faster. I could hear Atlas' voice calling me, but it was drowned out by the loud beating of my heart. I closed my eyes when I heard a loud explosion, the whole environment seemed to rumble because of what happened. I could even feel the ground shaking because of it.

"Jesus, Sarah! Get inside the van! Faster!"

I only came to my senses when I heard Atlas shout in my earpiece, I even groaned because I felt like I was deafened by his shout. Because of my clumsiness, I didn't notice the small wire blocking the damaged gate here in the alley. and got a cut on my leg from hurrying. I gasped softly when I felt the sting.

"I told you to just steal, why did you set it on fire?" I heard Atlas ask.

"I didn't do that, Atlas."

"Besides the bodyguard guarding outside, there's also one inside. It seems he woke up right away when we injected him with the sleeping drug," another man interjected on the other line.

"How is that possible? The dosage was big," Atlas said.

"He's a big guy too, Atlas."

I didn't pay attention to them and looked for the black van that Atlas was talking about. I could already see it from afar, and I went straight there. I couldn't miss the big fire coming from the building of the Zevallos company. My eyes widened as I looked at the big fire that was slowly consuming the place.

Did I do the right thing? I feel guilty because I was involved in stealing money even though I was just the one who took it. No matter what reason, I was still involved.

I only came to my senses when I heard the loud siren from the fire truck. I ran and got into the van, and the men who were with me earlier were already there. They also had three large bags and were checking the contents.

Money. So much money, and you can hardly count it. They had smiles on their lips as they carefully examined whether it was real or fake.

"Go straight to the lobby basement and bring all the money you've collected," Atlas ordered.

I sighed and reached for the bag I was carrying. It was only now that I felt tired after resting inside the van. My shoulders, back, and legs ached.

"Copy, Atlas," we replied in unison.

-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-

"Are you going to give us some too, Atlas?"

"Just wait."

I remained seated on the leather sofa in the living area in Atlas' basement. The bag we were carrying, full of money, was placed on the center table. Atlas was standing and looking at the money inside, and sometimes even counting the stack of cash to make sure it was correct.

The two men who were with me earlier were still fighting while helping Atlas with what he was doing. But they stopped when he scolded him and slapped the hand that was about to open another black bag.

I just leaned my back against the soft chair and unconsciously touched my leg when I felt the wound there ache. I looked down at my leg and saw that it was still bleeding. Was it deep? I don't even know if it was a wire that cut me or what because I was in a hurry.

I just stared blankly at the center table and listened to the complaints of Atlas' men who were with me earlier because Atlas slapped their hands. Eventually, they were also given, and they both grinned as they left the living area because they were going to go up to the warehouse. It seemed like they had something else to do.

"Congratulations on your first little mission. How does it fe—what's wrong?"

I raised my head when Atlas stood in front of me. He had his hands in the pockets of his black pants while frowning at me. I swallowed and looked away. I didn't mean to mind the wound on my leg, but it really hurt.

"H-huh?" I stuttered. I blink several times in front of him when I remember what he told me earlier. "It's okay, Atlas. Was it necessary to do that? You stole a lot of money from the Zevallos."

His expression remained blank. I felt uncomfortable because he was still staring at me, and it seemed like he was looking for something. He didn't care about what I said, and the words that I said to him were like they went in one of his ears and out to the other.

I looked away and pretended to look at my surroundings when I heard him clear his throat, so I looked back at him. He lowered his head and was now examining my slacks, which were stained with blood from my leg. I just sighed and knew I couldn't lie to him anymore.

"Ria will treat your wound later," he said to me. "Where did that wound come from?" he asked.

"In the alley I entered to get out," I replied. I lifted the end of my slacks, and that's when I saw my wound. It was quite long, and I think it was deep. I winced because I didn't like the look of it. "I don't know if it was a wire or what that cut me," I added.

"Wire?" he asked.

I nodded. "But I'm not sure. I can just clean this myself. Maybe Ria is busy—"

I stopped when he walked to the glass window in a lab room. When he couldn't find Ria, he went in the door and went to her. They also came back to my place immediately, and Atlas was saying something. After a while, he was with her out of the lab to order her to treat my wound.

-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-

"I'll just give you an anti-tetanus shot, Sarah," Ria said.

We were now in my room, she was treating my wound after I took a bath because after that I could already sleep. I was also feeling sleepy and tired now. It was near Atlas' office because he said that Atlas' underground house was still under renovation, but he was also located here in the basement. You would still need to ride an elevator, and it was located below this very basement where he was staying.

Even if they didn't tell me, I felt that Atlas' basement was very wide. It was confusing, and there were so many twists and turns in the hallway.

"Sorry for the trouble," I said softly as I lowered the sleeve of my pajamas. She had already given me an anti-tetanus shot for my wound.

I leaned on the headboard of the bed and watched Ria as she wrapped a bandage around my leg. She had already cleaned it and applied medicine. Finally, my first mission to Atlas was over. He also let me rest because he said he would tell me something tomorrow.

My room here was beautiful and clean. The whole room was white and black themed. It was also cold because of the split-type air conditioner that was located near the end of the bed. It was complete with equipment, but there was no window for even a ray of sunlight to enter. That's why Atlas was so noticeable because he was rarely exposed to the sun, he has very fair skin.

"It's okay. This needs to be treated immediately because the place where you got the wound was also dirty. You could get an infection, Sarah. You should have called me right away when you returned so that I could treat you quickly," she said seriously as she double checked the bandage on my leg.

"I-I was planning to clean this before I went to rest, but I guess Atlas noticed something was wrong with me," I stuttered because it felt like she was scolding me. "And I don't want to bother you because I know you're busy in the lab."

I kept staring at her. She gently patted my leg when the bandage was secure.

"There you go. Your bandage is okay now," she smiled at me as she approached me.

"You know what, Sarah. Sometimes it's okay to seek for some help," her voice was soft as she looked at me. "I know and I understand why you don't want to be a burden to us but don't think that way. Even though your data is not yet processed in the system of The Abyss Order, you're already a part of the family here. Everyone here helps and supports each other. Don't keep things like this to yourself, especially what happened to you now, because that's too dangerous. What if you didn't tell us that your leg was cut earlier? Maybe your condition would have gotten worse."

I closed my mouth and just rested my hand on my thighs while watching her. She looked at me softly while still smiling.

"I'm sorry, Ria. I'm just not used to it, but I'll try," I replied shyly.

"That's good, Sarah. I'll check and clean your wound tomorrow. You should rest now, sleep well," she said goodbye to me and stood up.

"Are you still sleeping?" I suddenly asked and lay down on the bed.

She chuckled softly at my question. "Of course. I'll go ahead, sleep well again."

I just nodded and yawned because of sleepiness. "Sleepwell, Ria."

-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-

I don't know what time it was when I woke up. I automatically opened my eyes when I heard a soft knock coming from outside my room. I felt like my body is still not used to sleeping here in the room, and I guess it's okay because it's my first time to stay here. Since there was no window, I couldn't see the sunlight to at least know if it was morning, afternoon, or night when I woke up.

"Sarah?"

I carefully got out of bed when I heard Ria's voice outside. I heard her knock again, so I walked quickly to the door to open it for her even though I was limping. I wasn't comfortable with my wound now, and it was still a bit sore.

"Ria..." I called her name when I opened the door.

"Hi, Atlas wants to talk to you. He's already in the living area, and you should also eat your lunch. It's already 1pm for sure you're hungry now," she smiled at me before turning away and walking ahead towards the lobby of the basement.

"I'll just wash my face for a moment, Ria. I'll follow you," I called out to her.

She raised her hand and gave a thumbs up while facing away to convey that she heard what I said as she walked away from me.

I was quick in washing my face. I also rinsed my mouth and looked in the mirror. I just shook my head when I saw my appearance and took the black hair tie from the side of the sink to tie my hair.

"You called for me, Atlas," that was the first thing I said when I reached the living area.

He was sitting on the leather sofa while munching on his food. He was looking at the flat-screen TV and watching the news. He didn't look at me and gestured for me to sit on the other end of the sofa he was also sitting on. I looked down at the food on the center table. There were many different dishes of food served there.

"Eat," he ordered.

"Has Ria eaten?" I asked him.

"She already finished eating," he replied tersely, his eyes still glued to the TV.

He was sitting with his legs crossed, a white plate containing his food resting on his thigh. I nodded silently and got myself some food from the table. I chose chicken curry and added lumpiang shanghai.

Once I was satisfied with the food that I put on my plate I returned to my seat and began eating. My stomach was already rumbling.

"Do you have something to tell me, Atlas?" I asked while chewing. "Ria said you wanted to talk to me."

"Yes, sorry, I forgot. Good thing you reminded me," he put down the empty plate on the center table and refilled his glass with iced tea.

"I forgot to tell you that—"

"Live from the Austria Patrol Network, a shocking incident has occurred today. A renowned real estate company in our city, Zevallos Real Estate Corporation, was discovered burned and damaged for unknown reasons. A dead body was found inside, and the most alarming part is that a large sum of money has gone missing from their vault room, and the culprit remains missing."

I furrowed my brow upon hearing the woman on TV. Both Atlas and I turned to look at the screen. The slight upturn of his lips betrayed his reaction to the news.

"This is what I've been waiting for," he muttered.

"Aside from the robbery and fire, a powerful explosion also occurred at 7 AM this morning at the Zevallos Real Estate Corporation. Many civilians were injured..." the woman's voice slowed down as if she was struggling to continue. "And many innocent people lost their lives."

My chest tightened at that. I gripped my utensils tighter and unconsciously looked at Atlas. He was staring seriously at the TV, lost in thought. I knew they were behind the explosion at the Zevallos Real Estate building, but what I couldn't understand was why?

Why would he do that?

"Among the victims was a young woman found lifeless near the ruined building..." the reporter's demeanor changed. Beside her, a picture appeared of a woman who seemed to be among those who died in the explosion at the Zevallos company.

I felt deaf and paralyzed in my seat when I saw who it was. The person there has serious eyes in the photo with thick, long, curly hair.

"Named Sarah Dayanghirang, residing in the Barrio Vallosian, according to the ID found in her bag," her eyes were serious but sad as she looked at the camera. "I offer my deepest condolences to the family of Ms. Dayanghirang and to all the other innocent people who lost their lives."

My breathing quickened, and I felt like I was suffocating. I could feel my hair standing on end, and I was shivering. I was terrified by what was happening, and even though I knew I should be used to these things, I was still adjusting.

I also didn't know Atlas' plans for me, so I was still fumbling around. How was I there? How did I end up among the dead in the second explosion at the Zevallos company?

SHANGPU