The Bank's Security System.
The day after their initial infiltration, the Phantom Thieves regrouped under the glow of the afternoon sun. There was an air of anticipation as they neared Kaneshiro's Palace once more. The aftermath of their escape was clear, as from a quick glance towards the interior one could tell that the security level had increased.
Unlike their previous visit, the guards were actively patrolling around the rooms with newfound vigilance. Even the surveillance cameras seemed more alert than usual, swiveling from side to side as if in a constant search for anything that stood out.
Ren, looking at the group who had hidden themselves near the entrance, addressed them
"I'll head in first to get a better picture as to what we are dealing with." Ren whispered, earning a round of determined nods from the group. "I'll try to mess with the cameras and open up a path for all of you. Mona, follow me from the shadows, I will need your help with the cameras."
Hearing the orders, Mona nodded his head with determination, before climbing up one of the walls in the bank and entering through a small opening in the vents. Mona was both the smallest and the most stealthy member so he would be the perfect backup for Ren.
As Ren walked through the front door, all of the guards snapped to attention. Their masks covered the tension in their faces, but their bodies betrayed their nervousness as they stood in front of him.
"You, do we have a map of the bank?" Ren asked, causing the guard in front of him to nod. "I wasn't able to catch them yesterday because of your incompetence. There's a chance they will be back to make another mess, so I am going to increase the guards near possible entry points." Ren's voice was cold, tinged with false frustration.
Hearing the tone of Ren's voice, the guard gave a brisk salute before answering.
"Yes, sir! The boss has instructed us to assist you fully. You'll find a partial map in the camera room upstairs." the guard replied, promptly leading the way.
Ren didn't allow his mask of anger to break, even though he was quite surprised by how willing to follow his commands the guards on the first floor appeared.
As he followed behind the guard, he walked past many guards patrolling the first floor, accompanied by a group of dogs that seemed to be smelling the air with curiosity. Noticing this, Ren's eyes narrowed as he realized the chance that the dogs would be able to smell Morgana's presence hidden in the shadows.
"Silence!" Ren's command cut through the air with authority. "Hold your barks unless you're absolutely certain. If you have even the smallest amount of doubt, just shut your mouth. We cannot afford to distract the guards in other areas." he admonished the dog-shaped guards.
Met with a chorus of subdued whines, the dogs bowed their heads, resuming their patrol with a quieter, more subdued demeanor. Ren nodded his head in approval as he continued following the guard up the stairs.
The dogs, who just a few moments before were almost ready to alert the guards that something was wrong, were now smelling the air with uncertainty, which would all but guarantee that they wouldn't trust their own senses in the future.
Morgana, perched near the ceiling in the shadows, couldn't suppress a smirk at Ren's actions. His tail twitched in amusement, a silent chuckle stifled as he leaped to the next vantage point, eyes never straying from Ren's back. Ready to jump out of hiding at a moment's notice in case anything went wrong.
Upon reaching the security room, the guard swiped a keycard, the door beeping softly before granting them entry. The room was a hive of surveillance activity, monitors lining the walls, casting an eerie glow that illuminated the guard's focused face.
Hearing the door open, the camera guard turned to acknowledge their presence before continuing his careful watch over the displays.
"Return to your patrol." Ren commanded, his voice leaving no room for argument. As the door clicked shut, he turned his attention to the sole guardian of the bank's visual secrets.
From a brief round of questioning, he found out that the camera room was fully protected from both inside and out. The thick materials of the walls made it soundproof, as well as almost impenetrable.
However, one thing that the guards seemed to have overlooked was the one air vent that connected the room to the outside. A vent from which Ren could see Mona's eyes, gleaming with anticipation, ready to pounce down and attack.
Ren spent a few minutes longer gathering information about the first layer of the bank before letting out a smile.
"I see… so you are the only one responsible for overlooking the cameras on the top floors? That must be a hard job for one person." Ren observed, his tone laced with a feigned admiration.
"No, sir! I am proud to serve our boss, and I am the best man for the job." the guard responded with pride.
Ren's smile widened as he heard him.
"Then, as a token of the boss's appreciation, you've been granted a special bonus. Turn around for your surprise." he suggested, his voice carrying a hint of mischief.
The guard, momentarily taken aback, complied with a mix of curiosity and anticipation.
In a swift motion, Ren drew his pistol, the sound of a gunshot echoing as the guard collapsed. The body convulsed, then burst, revealing a cluster of shadows, disoriented but unharmed by the bullet.
Among them stood a formidable blue oni, its face a void, brandishing a double-bladed weapon. Flanking it were two purple oni, their skin adorned with zebra-like patterns, each wielding a double-sided club.
Ren's irritation was palpable as he holstered his gun, his attire morphing seamlessly into the iconic garb of a Phantom Thief.
"Of course, why wouldn't they resist it?" he muttered under his breath, his annoyance fading into focus.
The blue oni brandished his weapon with menacing grace, unleashing a slicing gale aimed directly at Ren. As if on cue, Mona emerged from the shadows with a flourish, summoning Zorro. The personas rapier danced through the air, a swift counter that dispersed the oncoming wind with ease.
"He's a traitor, and he has brought more with him!" bellowed the blue oni, a mix of surprise and fury coloring his command as he signaled the purple oni to join the fray.
One purple oni lifted his weapon, summoning a wave of frost spears that launched towards the two of them. However, Ren reacted just in time to summon Jack Frost. The gleeful snowman appeared in front of him just in time to intercept the spears, which harmlessly bounced off his body before disintegrating into dust.
Without hesitation, Ren advanced towards the oni. He dismissed Jack Frost in a flurry of blue flames and summoned Ame-no-Uzume. The ethereal woman emerged, her fans serving as both shield and weapon, with an extra one obscuring her face. Adorned with mysterious purple patterns, she moved with a grace that blurred the lines between battle and dance.
With an elegant gesture, she gathered sparks around her right fan. Then, with a swift flick, she unleashed a torrent of lightning upon the oni trio.
The blue oni howled in agony as it collapsed to its knees, yet the two purple oni, seemingly unfazed, brandished their clubs at the advancing Ren.
Ren dodged swiftly to the side, the heavy blades striking nothing but air. Once he was close enough, he let out a smirk as he reached into a pouch he had hidden, filled to the brim with the infiltration tools he had crafted in his free time. Grabbing a metal ball that he quickly threw to the ground, enveloping the room in smoke.
Morgana's chuckle echoed through the chaos, disorienting the oni as their vision clouded. The laughter seemed to come from all directions, leaving them unable to pinpoint the source of the next attack.
Mona, slicing through the shadows, brandished a cutlass alongside Zorro wielding his rapier. Together, they delivered a series of slashing attacks on the purple oni from all directions. Ren, on the other hand, capitalizing on the discovery of the blue oni's weakness, unleashed round after round of lightning from the cover of shadows, shifting his position with each strike.
As the smoke began to clear, the aftermath was revealed. Two heavily injured purple oni and the blue one who had been reduced to dust from the relentless lightning.
Exchanging a glance, Mona and Ren nodded in unison, acting with perfect synchrony. Ame-no-Uzume, with a flourish, enveloped her left fan in flames and hurled a fireball at the oni. Simultaneously, Mona summoned Zorro, who unleashed a concentrated blast of wind. The collision of fire and wind created a fiery vortex that engulfed the remaining oni, sealing their fate.
In the aftermath of their battle, Ren and Mona took a moment to scrutinize the bank's surveillance system, half-expecting that their battle might have alerted others. Their tension eased into relief upon realizing the thick walls had silenced their fight, the camera room's guard meeting his end without raising the alarm.
"This next part is all you, Mona." Ren commented, a smirk appearing on his lips as he watched the feline scurry towards the control panel. He then turned his attention to the bank's layout sprawling before him, mapping out their next moves in his mind.
Morgana, the ever-resourceful black cat, unfurled a set of tools from his pouch, skillfully navigating the control panel's intricacies. His focus was meticulous, ensuring he wouldn't accidentally trigger an alarm. After a moment that stretched into an eternity of tension and careful tampering, he stepped back with a triumphant chuckle, the gleam of accomplishment in his eyes unmistakable.
"The video feed is now looping," Mona declared, his voice bubbling with pride. "The cameras on the top floor won't see a thing. And with the security system offline, we've got some room for error, just as long as we keep our disruptions minimal."
However, a layer of regret appeared on his face as he added.
"It's unfortunate, but it seems that the bank's security is divided into layers, so if we want to fully clear an infiltration route, we'll have to stop by the other security rooms."
Ren's response was a nod, his expression mirroring Mona's mix of determination and cunning. During the time Mona was working on the security system, he had looked around the room in search of any additional info. Thanks to the map in his hand and a few pieces of information he had found, he knew exactly how to get the rest of the group past the guards on the first layer.