Chapter 303

“Maisie, do you think they’ll fall for it?” Zinnia absentmindedly kneaded the pillow in her arms. She wondered to herself, ‘Will they really take the bait?’

Since the eavesdropping device had been tampered with, the two could talk freely without worry–whatever they said would automatically be changed to casual chat about food, drinks, or fun plans.

“Dunno. They seem smart one moment and clueless the next,” Maisie said and put the shelled pistachios into Zinnia’s palm.

“Don’t worry. I will protect you,” Maisie assured her, reaching out to pinch Zinnia’s cheek.

“Mm-hmm,” Zinnia replied, popping a pistachio into her mouth.

Night fell slowly, darkness spreading across the sky as a chill crept through the air. A faint tapping sound came from next door.

Zinnia and Maisie exchanged a knowing glance, then rested their heads–one against the couch, the other on the coffee table–and closed their eyes. They were dressed in loose bathrobes after their hot spring soak.

Having just climbed up from the forest, the lookout, hidden high among the branches, peered through the gaps and spotted the two sleeping figures in the hot spring suite, then signaled to those behind him.

The men concealed in the shadows below, tense and alert, only began to climb up one by one after catching the signal.

Five figures landed with cat-like quietness on the ground. With the two already hidden inside the villa, their force now numbered seven. The figures were clad in black, moving stealthily through the dimly lit corridor.

With the mountaintop exclusively booked, only a handful of staff remained. After they were deliberately sent away, the area fell into an eerie stillness.

“Alright, no need to be so cautious. They’re all asleep.” Zamir swaggered out.

The men who had just climbed up swiftly took cover in concealed spots.

Someone stepped out from the shadows and said, “Seriously? They’re that gullible? I thought this mission would be tough as hell, but damn, it’s a piece of cake!”

“Rick! Keep it down,” Nash hissed from behind the tree.

“Nash, are you sure they’re really asleep?” Jerry, a step behind, asked.

“Yeah, Jerry. I double-checked–just had someone verify. Every single one of them is dead to the world. You can relax.” Nash nodded confidently.

Jerry said, “Good, they’re asleep. Once we pull this off, we’re gone. Everyone up here cleared out?”

Two more men emerged–both tall and powerfully built, with striking emerald-green hair and piercing golden eyes. Their black tactical suits clung tightly to their muscular frames, every contour clearly defined.

“They’re out cold. Those two spoiled girls do nothing but eat and play all day–pampered beyond belief,” Zamir sneered contemptuously. “Damn, the rich really got it made! Once I pull this job off, I’m gonna go back and live it up big time.”

Rick ran his hand along the polished wooden pillar, taking in the gilded interior under the dimmed lights. This whole place just stank of hard cash.

“Are you sure they’re really out? Zinnia is Nathan’s student–with her medical skills, wouldn’t she have noticed something?” Jerry’s eyes darted warily around. “This feels too damn easy. Way too easy.”

“That’s ‘cause I told you to come during the shift change. You think we wasted two days sneaking around here for nothing?” Zamir snapped, clearly annoyed. He looked impatient.

Zamir added, “They booked this whole place—just the five of them here, and we got the staff out of the way. Otherwise, you think it’d be this damn safe?”

“Besides, you know what you’re capable of. You all climbed up through the woods–what could possibly look suspicious about that? Who the hell would think to check the deep forests?”

Nash chimed in to mediate, “It’s good to be careful, but Boss, I’ve already scouted the terrain myself–it’s clean, no issues.”

Jerry knew Zamir was hot-tempered. “Is that guy really not Nathan?”

Zamir shot him a cold glance, chose to let it slide for now, and turned to Nash. “Did you verify that man? Is he really not Nathan?” Nash nodded.

“Boss, I checked. I used the potion for removing the flayed mask–he's not Nathan.”

Only after thorough questioning did Jerry nod. A figure emerged from the shadows, his face masked, revealing just a pair of piercing emerald-green eyes and a prominent scar across his forehead. He looked like a venomous serpent lying in wait, ready to strike.

Jerry barked, “Let’s split up. You guys go with Rick and deal with those two men. The rest of us will deal with the women. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can get the hell out of here.”

Zamir said, “Check out this top-shelf spread–why rush off? Let’s grab a bite and a drink first."

“That sedative will keep them out for hours. If we go too soon, the drugs might not have fully kicked in and we could end up waking them instead.” Zamir looked at his guys.

“Boss, we’ve been living like rats, always hiding out and never getting to enjoy anything. Now that we’re here, we might as well grab some food and drinks–gotta fuel up before the job."

“Who knows how long we’ll be on the run after we pull this off? Might be ages before we get a decent meal again,” Rick chimed in.

After they said that, the others couldn’t help but look tempted.

Jerry thought, ‘Truth be told, we’ve been living like fugitives for years–sleeping rough, always on the move. We sneaked back illegally, with no identification or documents whatsoever.

‘Getting any kind of legal ID here is nearly impossible under such strict government control of Laystoland, and we wouldn’t dare try, for fear of tipping off the authorities.

‘These days, we’re barely scraping by on instant noodles, bottled water, bread, and sandwiches. Every penny we have comes from stealing. Getting a proper meal is tempting as hell.

‘Heard these spoiled heiresses have everything flown in from overseas–only the best. For guys like us, living by the gun, this kind of luxury is way out of our league.

‘Rick was right–those two aren’t just any rich girls. If something really happened to them, we wouldn’t see peace for a long damn time.’

Jerry’s face tightened as he saw the wavering in his men’s eyes.

“Boss, we haven’t had a decent meal in ages,” Nash chimed in. Thinking about the hard years they’d been through, he couldn’t help but sigh.

Jerry shot Zamir and Nash a look. “Make it quick. Eat up and get straight to work,” Jerry said through gritted teeth.

“Boss, you’re the best.” Someone cheered. The group all followed Nash and Zamir toward the dining room.

Since it was almost dinner time, a lavish meal had been prepared for Maisie and her group. Originally, these girls were supposed to eat out and enjoy it, but since they’d fallen asleep in the hot spring, these guys got to enjoy it instead.

The long dining table was laden with an extravagant seafood spread: steamed lobster, bluefin tuna, king crab, blue lobster, abalone, geoduck, salmon, oysters, mantis shrimp – every delicacy imaginable.

It was the most luxurious all-you-can-eat seafood feast one could imagine.

Chapter 303

“Damn, the rich really have it good. We never got to eat anything like this before; now we get to enjoy it too,” one of the guys exclaimed.

They stood dumbstruck for a moment, eyes flashing with greed and envy. Then, all at once, they pounced on the food.

“Boss, eat something?” Nash asked Jerry, who kept watchfully eyeing the area.