199 Saving Xiao Ai

The cab driver was extremely confused as Aida almost choked him to death. She anxiously gripped the man's chair as she directed him through many turns.

Artemis, who had maintained his calm, watched on in curiosity. He couldn't figure out how Aida managed to track Xiao Ai and why they were going around in circles but wisely knew to keep quiet.

Soon, they arrived before an imposing, official-looking white building. Aida ran out of the car and left Artemis to pay for the cab and apologize to the scared cab driver. The moment he stepped out, the cab driver zoomed off without looking back.

Aida stared anxiously at the building while Artie determined exactly where Xiao Ai. She was about to step in when she felt a callused hand hold hers.

"Hold on." Artemis called out.

Aida glared at Artemis with a questioning look.

Artemis didn't let go but instead used his other hand to point at the sign in front of the building . [Government Hall]

"There's going to be security. We can't just walk in like that." As a person who had lived in the slums and been dealt with by authority figures before, he was very aware of the consequences. This was particularly true now that the alert had gone out across the city to report any suspicious characters.

Aida paused for a second before a determined look appeared on her face. Artie sounded in her head as well. "That uncle is right Mama, you need to be safe and calm down. Sis wouldn't want to see you like this."

Taking in a deep breath, Aida calmed down and walked away from the building. The moment they entered the building and retrieved Xiao Ai, the authorities would be alerted and they would surely be placed in a bad situation. They had to create an exit strategy first. Otherwise, not only would they not save Xiao Ai but they would also get captured.

The two of them pulled back and discussed. Artemis left to obtain everything while Aida stood in front of the building, refusing to move. She feared that Xiao Ai's location would shift and she would lose her daughter forever.

As they stood there, Aida could feel the fear and helplessness wash over her. She was so scared that something had happened to Xiao Ai and hated herself for being inattentive and weak. Standing there and doing nothing was the hardest possible thing she could do.

In her mindscape, Artie could also feel all the emotions Aida was going through. He was confused about the emotions running through Aida but knew that it was unhealthy. Raising both arms, he said in a cute voice, "Mama, Artie is here for you."

Hearing this, Aida couldn't help but smile wryly. She sat down and entered her mindscape to talk to Artie. Patting his little robot head and hugging him closely, she promised both to him and herself, "We will get your sister back."

The two of them sat in silence as they waited for Artemis to return.

Not long after, Artemis came running with a giant backpack full of items and handed Aida a new set of clothes.

Aida, in her new outfit, calmly walked into the building. She looked exactly like a nondescript secretary. There were metal detectors and guards standing out at the front. She calmly placed all her items into the bin and walked through the x-ray machine.

Everything had progressed smoothly so far. As she moved onto the next checkpoint, the man sitting behind the desk said, "ID please."

Aida pretended to look through her bag and then became flustered over the time.

Unamused, the man stared at Aida with an unsympathetic look. He had seen many people like this and had grown used to the scene. Tapping his finger impatiently on the table, he repeated. "ID please. If you don't have one. Get out."

Aida's eyes teared up as she said, "No please! It's my first day of work, I can't be late. Can you just check for me in the system? Please! I promise this will be the first and last time."

The man at the desk was about to reject her but noticed a lot of stares towards their direction. Everyone had stopped what they were doing to stare at them and watch the scene play out. He didn't want to look like the bad guy so he acquiesced in the end. With an exasperated sigh, he said, "Name please?"

"L-lilith Knoll," Aida responded with a stutter and widened her eyes as she stared at the man hopefully.

The man typed it in and glared at her, "There's no such a name in the system. Get out."

"No! That can't be possible. Can you check again? It's L-I-L-I-T-H."

Disgruntled, the man typed it out again and saw a hit. Turns out he typed it with two L's which is why it hadn't popped up in the first place. He matched the face on the screen with the one in person and waved her in. "Go. There better not be a second time or I'll report you to the authorities."

"Thank you thank you!" Aida bowed her head in submission as she ran towards the elevator as though in embarrassment.

Instead of going into the elevator, she quickly walked past the elevator and into the stairwell nearby. Inside, Artemis stood there casually leaning against the wall. He smirked at her, "Nice acting. So you're a thief AND a con-woman. Impressive."

Aida wasn't in the mood to listen to her humor. Her submissive acting was long gone and she had on a cold, determined face. Artemis handed Aida a series of weapons, a bulletproof vest and a few other weapons.

Equipping them, she nodded. "Let's go."