Chapter 7: The Heist

Halley was looking at the thrilling sight right in front of his eyes. Halley usually sees this in movies, but it was rare for him to see it in real life, especially with all the surroundings that make it similar to those movies.

A crime scene. A corpse that was covered with cloth and surrounded by police tags. The police barrier lined up around the crime scene. More than three police cars gathered near the scene, with an ambulance parked beside the crime scene. The police officers are coming in and out of the crime scene and having conversations with the victims and with each other. Not to mention the audience gathered in a crowd with curiosity about the scene.

Halley walked into the closet. His head was full of curiosity as well. He swam between the crowd and made his way to the front. The corpse was still censored.

He broke the police barrier and walked directly into the crime scene. Some cops tried to stop him, but they failed. Halley didn't have to touch them to make them stop. Halley didn't even look at them when they were yelling.

He passed through the police tags and opened the cloth to see the corpse. The shape is still there. It looks like the killer quickly did the killing. But something odd accidentally caught his attention. Something that he could guess as the culprit.

"Hey! This is a restricted area! What are you doing here!?"

Just as he's going to guess, one of the cops shouted at him. Halley covered the corpse again with a cloth and stepped away from the crime scene. He walked towards the cop, who shouted at him.

"Hey, you found the killer yet?"

"We haven't; this is the third murder. Our detective is investigating near here, just"

Halley tapped the cop's shoulder.

"I'll take it from here."

Halley left the crime scene, and he brought confusion to all the people around the crime scene.

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Halley stood in front of a mechanic shop. He went in and saw three clerks working in the shop. They have different heights.

The biggest one stood behind while holding a wheel in one hand.

The tallest, kinky one crouched between them while fixing a vehicle.

Lastly, the shortest one stood in front of them as if he'd ordered them something. They all looked at Halley as soon as he went inside. Then the shortest mechanic introduced himself.

"Hey there, welcome to Chum-a-Chum mechanic. How can I help you?"

Halley stared at the short guy. He looks like he's the boss. His face and mouth were covered with cloth, but Halley could recognize his familiar place.

"Are you Celic Aradama?" Halley asked.

"Yes, I am. Celiac in the flesh. And this is Sthor and Freick. Celtic introduced his clerks to Halley.

Halley scanned their faces, then turned his face back to Celtic.

"These are your minions?"

"Companions, sir. Friends."

"Not at night, right?"

Celic and the others were silent; they didn't even move. It looks as if they're aware of getting caught.

"Isn't that right? Pelcic?"

A silence penetrated between them. Celtic looked at Halley with a shocked expression, as if he were caught in an act. The companions behind him looked as surprised as he was while waiting for his instructor. Celic couldn't let his guess be right, so he broke the silence with a chuckle.

"I'm sorry, sir; I don't know who you are referring to."

"Don't lie to me, Pelcic; I just stumbled across your doing."

"My doing?"

"The death of Mr. Vaschka in the Uerich complex. It was you, right?"

Before he confronted Celic, Halley searched for the corpse's information on his way. He only knew his name and where he lived, but it was enough to use that information to corner someone.

"How do you know if I murdered him?"

"The evidence was clear, man. Neck almost cut, distorted face, 10 stabs on each limb and body, and most importantly, a missing tongue."

"Most serial killers could do that."

"But why would a killer take the victim's tongue? It was there at the scene."

"And you think that was me?"

"Who else could it be? Ain't it your style for the last of the 10 victims in your past?"

Celic couldn't protest any longer. He couldn't say a word that could protect himself. This Halley knows so much. Celic, or Pelcic, gazed at the minions behind him. His gaze was considered a signal to all of his minions. They stood up and approached Halley as Pelcic gave them the stare.

Pelcic put on a calm face; he gave up pretending and revealed the truth. He pulled out the cloth that was covering his mouth and revealed his true face to Halley.

"It looks like I've been caught."

"It's not hard to find your face."

"How did you know me?"

"You and I live on the same street."

"It matters who survived long."

Suddenly, the garage door was closed. All the windows in that shop were shut immediately. The mechanic room became dark as there were no lights left.

A smacking sound was heard. Then someone turned on the light in that room. They expected Halley to be knocked out, but what they saw was different. Halley dodged an attack from Sthor with his bare hand.

He grabbed that fist that was attacking him and slammed him on the ground. Pelcic and Freick ran to strike him. But Halley managed to avoid their attack and made them fall from their guard. Three criminals were killed in less than a minute. Halley stated his purpose for coming here,

"Relax; I'm not a cop. I'm not going to arrest you."

"Then what do you want?"

"I want to ask for some information if you don't mind answering."

Pelcic stood up, and he helped his minions stand up. He looked at Halley and gave her a serious expression. Halley responded with a grin as if he had gotten his answer.

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"Vaschka was one of the waiters in the Higer Blue Palace manor. He was accustomed to the environment of his work and knew every angle of it. Plus, he's a naïve man. So it was easy to lure him to spill the info."

They ended up talking in the workshop living room. Halley was welcomed by Pelcic and his minions when they heard that he was a skilled hitman. They offered him drinks and food, which Halley refused because he wanted to go straight to the point rather than chat.

"And the murder?"

"He has given every information that I need. I was going to let him go, but he immediately found out my purpose and was trying to escape; I couldn't just let him go."

"Liar, you never let anyone go."

He chuckled. "I guess you're right."

"So, going to rob someone's property later?"

"It's not just someone; it's the richest investor in this country. The job is to steal their jewels."

Halley thought about it for a while. Robbing someone sounds nice. He could take the whole rich guy's money in one try. It won't affect his profession either. But the problem with this robbery is that it came as a group. If the robbery succeeds, they must divide the money equally. Halley has a sharing issue. He wanted the jewels for himself. So he stated his answer.

"Nah, I'm passed."

"What?"

"I just came here because I'm curious about the corpse you killed. I once knew him too. I'm off"

Halley stood and began to leave the workshop. But Pelcic was stubborn enough to let him leave.

"Stop there! You said it yourself; I won't let anyone leave."

Halley stopped his movement and talked to him from behind, "Are you going to kill me?"

"If you stepped closer to the outside, yes."

Halley went silent for a while, until he spoke, "Your minions fell the second I put their hands on them. You couldn't hit a blow on me when I'm wide open. You let me take a strike at you."

Pelcic felt silence. He wanted to speak to defend himself, but he shut his mouth because he knew Halley was right.

"And you think you can kill me with that fighting skill?"

Halley turned around and faced Pelcic with his threatening and insulting face. His face looked expressionless, but it was enough to make others shiver. Pelcic might not have a great fighting skill; he is a criminal, but he used the fleet instead of fighting. Of course, in a fight, Pelcic won't stand a chance against Halley. But that doesn't mean he doesn't have a plan.

A screen of a mansion was shown in Pelcic's hand. It was none other than the Higer Blue Palace. Halley was confused. Why would he show the house of his target? Halley was going to ask, but Pelcic explained first.

"You get 40% of our heist if you join us. While me and my minions get 20% each."

Everyone in the room was shocked. Sthor and Frieck reacted with shock, while Halley raised his eyebrows and his corner lips. His words made him laugh.

"Hahaha, you're going to bribe me to join you?"

"You're not exactly a bad fighter. You are rather useful. You could get us in easily and keep us safe from guards. I need you to join."

"Are you sure that's not because you don't want to be killed by me?"

"That's one of my reasons, but mostly it's because I need you."

Halley took a long thought for a moment. He might not favor the idea of teamwork, but if he gets to be the one who receives a higher reward than others, then there's nothing wrong with accepting it.

"So, you bought me?"

"Yes, I am."

"I'm in"

Stohr and Frieck look more shocked than before. On the other hand, Pelcic looks relieved that Halley will take the deal. He began to instruct his minions to open a meeting room. There, they'll discuss the plan to heist a billionaire's jewels the next day.

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The day has arrived. The heist will start at night when a banquet will be held at the Higer Blue Palace. They arrived with their disguise. Sthor and Freick walked down the hall in a crowd in their waiter outfits. Freick carried a tray of drinks and food for snacks. They walked through the empty alley, dissociating themselves from the party. At the end of the alley, there's a big, closed door.

It was locked with a password. Sthor pulled out a device and messed with the lock. Then the door opened. Pelcic came out from under the tray. The tray was covered with cloth for an easier disguise. Pelcic instructed his minions to find a way to go to the second floor. The minions understood, but Sthor asked Pelcic.

"Sir, about Halley, are you sure?"

"Don't worry about it."

Then they parted ways. Pelcic sneaked into the owner's manor. From the information he got, the jewels were displayed and kept in two places in that manor: one in the basement for the most expensive jewels and gold, and one on the upper floor for the jewels to be displayed. There are also ancient items that cost thousands or millions of ants displayed on that floor. He let his workers get those golds while he and Halley took care of the basement.

He reached every corner of the house. But I couldn't find a door to the basement. Then he saw Halley already inside the manor. He was looking at the hologram painting in the living room. He glanced at Pelcic and gave out a smile.

"The door is hidden."

"Have you found it?"

"No"

"Then what are you doing here?"

"Viewing the art"

"We don't have time to mess around! Get serious!"

"The lever is around that statue."

Pelcic looked at the angel statue in that room. He walked to it and searched for a hidden button in that statue. Then he clicked the statue's eye. Suddenly, a secret door opened in the wall. The door was wide but short. Halley and Pelcic must have to crouch to get inside. Pelcic went first, and Halley followed.

They reached the room where all the fortunes were stored. Jewels, gold, rare materials, and expensive gadgets were all scattered all over the room. Pelcic and Halley stared in awe after they were snapped to reality and got out of their work.

"Take what you can. Not all of them." Pelcic instructed Halley, and Halley nodded.

They collected all the wealth they could fit in their bag. After two bags were filled, Halley and Pelcic got out of their way from the basement.

They ran outside. Suddenly, the alarm sounded, which shocked Halley and Pelcic. They fastened, and they ran to the manor's yard. But the manor was really big and wide; they felt like they were running inside a castle. Soon, the guards noticed their presence.

"Code red! Code red! Intruders escape! Intruders escape!"

The guards began to chase Halley and Pelcic. Pelcic was beyond afraid. He never got caught in the middle of his act. He almost lost his senses and was just running for his life. But Halley experienced getting caught numerous times. He grabbed Pelcic's shoulder and dragged him behind a pole. He held Pelcic and shut his mouth. They kept silent until the guards went through.

"Where are they?"

"I don't know; I think they went upstairs."

Then the guards went to the upper floor. Halley and Pelcic took this chance to run away. Halley ran first. He didn't know that Pelcic had been left behind. Somehow, his run seemed slow. Halley grabbed Pelcic's hand and ran with him. They ran across the house until they almost reached the backyard.

Just when they thought the plan went so smoothly, they were both noticed by the guards. Halley and Pelcic tried their best to get away from the guards, but it led them to their worst.

The guards surrounded them; they even blocked the way out. Pelcic was terrified. But Halley remained calm. He grabbed Pelcic's collar and told him,

"Grab all the bags and get out; I'll take care of them."

Pelcic understood and took one bag from Halley; he was now carrying two bags and ran outside. The guards were trying to hold him down, but Halley knocked them out in an instant. Halley was busy fighting with all the guards in that manor. He made sure to build a path for Pelcic to escape.

Halley's effort succeeded, and Pelcic made his way to the backyard. He waited for his minions to come. He looked up and saw Frieck waving his hand at him.

Freick and Sthor jumped from the upper floor. They brought four bags filled with wealth. They landed safely in front of Pelcic. Pelcic nodded as if he were giving them a signal to pursue their mission. They continued to run, and then Halley caught up from behind.

Pelcic and the others suddenly ran faster than Halley; they didn't even respond when Halley called them; he told them to wait.

They had already succeeded in their heist. Just a few steps away from their escape. Halley was still following behind them; he made sure no one followed them this time.

Halley looked at the front, and he was shocked. A bullet unexpectedly went through his chest. It wasn't from behind; the shooter was someone he was looking at. It was Pelcic.

Pelcic put his gun against Halley and pulled the trigger. Halley didn't turn on his AT field back then, so he hotshot unexpectedly. Halley felt like he was pushed to the ground. The wound on his chest didn't hurt, but it left him numb all over his body. Halley looked at the face of someone who shot him

"Why…..?" Halley demanded an apology while holding his wound.

"Your job is over; I paid you," Pelcic stated his answer and left. His crew didn't even say anything and just left with him. Halley couldn't stand up and catch them because of the numbness in his chest. He felt betrayed. God, he hated that feeling.

"There they are !!!"

Just as it wouldn't get any worse, he got busted. All the manor's guards surrounded him like bees. Halley, who was numb in his arms and legs, couldn't fight at all. He put his one free am in the air and surrendered.

Halley got arrested and was put in jail.