Chapter 15: Chapter 15: More Satisfying Than Robbing a Bank?

This was a blind spot for the security cameras, a place few people ever passed through.

Sue Lawrence leaned against the cold wall. With a thought, she activated both Gecko’s Climbing Ability and Gecko Disguise.

An imperceptible suction force bloomed from her fingertips, holding her to the wall as steady as a rock. Her body blended in with the mottled surface; without looking closely, it was impossible to tell someone was hidden there.

At first, she tested it cautiously. After moving a few meters and seeing it was flawless, she relaxed and began to climb slowly, step by step.

It was already a dark, hidden corner, and few people ever paid attention to the exterior of an office building. She didn’t climb fast, but she was exceptionally steady. Before long, she had pulled herself up onto the roof.

She retrieved the backpack she had hidden earlier and pulled out a thin down jacket, putting it on over her trench coat.

She had previously used the jacket to stuff the backpack, making it look heavy to fool her pursuer. Now the bag was empty. She slung the empty pack over her shoulders, took out the private investigator’s phone, and used her B Level Network Technology to hack into the building’s surveillance system. She isolated the sixth-floor camera feed and froze the image.

Once that was done, she climbed back down to the sixth floor and pushed on a window ledge. A soft click echoed.

A hint of mockery flashed in Sue Lawrence’s eyes. When she worked at the company, she had insisted on opening the window for ventilation every day and closing it before leaving. After she left, these people were too lazy to even remember such a small task. The window was still slightly ajar, just as she’d left it.

’I really have you and your laziness to thank.’

Without hesitation, she pushed the window open, slipped inside, and headed straight for the two conspicuous cases of gold from Tiana Lynch’s video.

In the darkness, she undid the latches. The brilliant gleam of gold instantly illuminated her face. Sue Lawrence’s lips curved into a small, satisfied smile.

The 1.4 million that never should have been theirs was now being repaid with this gold. They were getting off easy.

She quickly stuffed the gold bars into her backpack. But the pack had limited space and could only fit the contents of one case, leaving most of the second one exposed. Sue took off her down jacket, wrapped it around the opening of the backpack, and tied the sleeves tightly to the straps to secure it. Just then, she heard the faint sound of a lock being picked from outside the door.

Her Perception and Cat’s Hearing made her extremely sensitive to the slightest sound. She guessed it was the other thief, arriving right on schedule to pick the lock and steal the goods.

Looking at the remaining luxury goods, expensive gifts, and jewelry, Sue Lawrence felt a surge of delight. She quickly wiped her prints from the windowsill and floor with the corner of her clothes, then turned and climbed back out the window, her fingers gripping the seams in the wall. Her movements were swift and light.

Just as she pulled the window shut, the office door was pried open. A dark figure in a helmet peered in, its long shadow swaying across the floor.

Sue Lawrence didn’t linger. She climbed down, her Gecko’s Climbing Ability making it feel as if she were walking on flat ground. After landing, she shouldered the heavy backpack, returned to the parking lot the way she came, and sped home, removing her disguise on the way.

After parking the car and changing back into her own jacket, she quickly pulled out her phone. Once she confirmed the thief was gone, she deactivated her B Level Network Technology, and everything was Restored to its Original State.

She had just finished when her phone buzzed. It was a message from Tiana Lynch: [Sue, you’re not going to get cold feet, are you? You have to come to the engagement party tomorrow!]

Sue Lawrence laughed out loud at the message and replied almost instantly: "Don’t worry, I’ll be there. I’ll even bring you a huge gift!"

Tonight’s gold theft was, in its own way, her "generous gift" to Tiana Lynch.

"Mom! Brother! Come help!" Sue Lawrence opened the trunk and started pulling out the hidden gold bars from under the seat. Elliot Lawrence and Leo heard her and ran out one after the other. Leo’s big, round eyes widened as his short legs moved quickly. "Mommy, what are we moving? I’ll help!"

Sue Lawrence handed her son a small, wrapped gold bar. Elliot Lawrence stared at the sea of shimmering gold on the ground, his eyes wide. "Did you rob a bank?!"

"Something like that," Sue Lawrence said, wiping her hands. A cold smile touched her lips. "But more satisfying than robbing a bank."

Elliot Lawrence: ???

"Are you done with your work?"

Elliot Lawrence helped her carry the two large cases of gold bars. Leo hugged his small portion, his little arms and legs straining as he struggled up the steps. Sue Lawrence stuffed the rest of the bars into her backpack and headed inside.

"Yeah, Dad’s here too. He said the family should have a little meeting to go over our progress with the apocalypse prep."

Vivian Young had already prepared dinner. The family sat around the dining table, the atmosphere serious and tense as they ate and talked.

Vincent Lawrence looked exhausted. He tapped his fingers on the table. "I’ve already sunk nearly a hundred million into this. The crew at the mine is working around the clock. The structural work is almost done, just the finishing touches are left. I’ve also ordered three oversized insulated water tanks. They’re lined with heat-blocking and insulating layers inside and out, and I’ve added a climate control system. Water storage and room temperature won’t be a problem."

Elliot Lawrence added, "The medicinal supplies arrive first thing tomorrow morning. I’ll go to the logistics center to keep an eye on them and drive them straight to the mine. I’m also gradually liquidating the company’s assets. We have plenty of cash on hand, so we can keep stockpiling supplies in bulk."

Sue Lawrence took a sip of soup and said calmly, "I got about two hundred pounds of gold today. We need to keep stockpiling more. It’ll be the only hard currency in the apocalypse."

"Leave that to me. I’ll handle the negotiations. I can get a large-scale supply," Elliot Lawrence immediately agreed.

"We also need to restock on oil and heating supplies. Stock up on more hand warmers. Generators, solar panels, and snowmobiles are also must-haves. They’re all apocalypse necessities." Sue Lawrence listed the things they still needed to acquire. The family silently committed them to memory, their roles clear: Elliot was in charge of procurement, Vincent was overseeing the mine’s renovation, Vivian was managing the household’s food and selling off miscellaneous items, and together with Jenny Norris, she would guard the supplies filling the courtyard, protecting them from prying eyes.

Just then, Vivian Young suddenly remembered something and said casually, "Oh, right. Your aunt came by for a bit today. She saw the cabbage piled up in the living room and laughed at us, said we’ve been watching too much news and stockpiling too much. She said we’re making a big deal out of nothing."

’Aunt? Donovan Lawrence’s mother?’

Sue Lawrence’s hand, holding her chopsticks, froze. Her heart clenched. "Did she go to the backyard?" she asked urgently.

The backyard was piled high with most of their ready-to-eat meals, rice, flour, oil, and medicine—the supplies that would keep the family alive.

"No, I made sure to stop her. I didn’t let her go back there. We chatted for a bit, and then she left. It was the same old story—crying poor, saying business was bad, and trying to borrow some money from your father."

Sue Lawrence’s heart sank to the pit of her stomach. A chill ran up her spine.

In her past life, their home had been robbed. Her sister-in-law, pregnant at the time, was brutally killed. Her brother was severely beaten for fighting back. Her mother, overwhelmed with caring for her brother, didn’t have the strength to look after herself and ultimately didn’t survive the apocalypse. And her father... he had left to bring her, who was away from home, some warm supplies, but he was targeted the moment he stepped outside and was never heard from again.

Their entire family had been wiped out.

Back then, she had just assumed it was chaos caused by roaming survivors in the apocalypse. But thinking about it now, how could it be such a coincidence? Her aunt just happened to visit at this exact time, saw their stockpiled food, and feigned ridicule. Donovan Lawrence’s family had always been insatiably greedy, living off her father’s support. They had long since grown used to getting something for nothing. When the apocalypse came and they were backed into a corner, it would be perfectly in character for them to resort to murder and robbery.

She could change her own fate and her family’s, but she couldn’t change the greed and malice in others. ’This won’t do. I have to make sure my family has the Ability to protect themselves!’