At this moment, inside Hare's House—
Nicole, Billy, and Anby sat on the couch, finishing off their last pack of snacks.
"Cough, cough—ugh, I choked! Billy, get me some water!"
"Boss Nicole, hang on—wait, crap... the water's been cut off for non-payment!"
"Hurry next door—"
"Boss Nicole, stay strong! I'll be right back—"
Billy grabbed a cup from the table and dashed next door at full speed, returning just as quickly.
His speed was impressive.
Not a single drop of water spilled.
Nicole took the cup and gulped it down in one go. "Ahh, that's better. Wait… why does this taste weird?"
She frowned and examined the cup closely. "There's a robot's face on it… this isn't my cup."
Beside her, Billy also took a look—and instantly broke into a cold sweat.
Oh no.
That cup…
Anby, ever serious, explained, "That's the cup Billy uses to soak mechanical parts."
The moment she heard that, Nicole's small fists clenched, and her expression darkened.
"Billy. Did. You. Do. This. On. Purpose?"
Billy frantically waved his hands. "Boss Nicole, calm down! Let me explain—"
Just as Billy was about to meet his doom—
The door swung open.
A man carrying a birdcage stepped inside—Sam Li, back from Sixth Street.
The moment Billy saw him, his face lit up as if he had spotted a savior. He rushed forward eagerly.
"Haha, Sam Li! You're finally back! Must've been a long day running errands, huh? Come, sit down, sit down—I'll go get you some water!"
Without waiting for a reply, Billy used the excuse to make a quick getaway.
Halfway through, he suddenly realized—he was still holding the same cup used for soaking parts! Panicking, he turned back, swapped it for a clean one, and hurried over to Sam Li.
Nicole was still fuming. "No wonder it tasted like gun oil! I'm so done with this."
Anby: "..."
Billy carefully handed Sam Li a cup of water.
"So, Sam Li, we've been waiting for you all morning. Did you land any business?"
Hearing this, Nicole forced down her irritation and turned to Sam Li, waiting for an answer.
Under everyone's expectant gazes, Sam Li took a sip of water—completely unbothered.
"It'd be better with some tea leaves."
Nicole: "..."
Billy: "..."
Anby: "..."
Tea was a relic of the past—an extreme rarity in modern New Eridu.
The only supply came from the Outer Ring, making it ridiculously expensive.
It was said that only TOPS Financial executives and high-ranking Public Security Bureau officers could afford it.
For Hare's House, which was constantly in the red, being able to drink coffee was already a luxury.
Nicole muttered, "I heard tea is incredible. Drinking it helps resist Ether corrosion…"
Anby nodded. "It's true. Tea grown inside the Hollows mutates and gains unexpected properties."
Seeing the conversation derail, Billy quickly brought it back.
"Hey, hey! We're not here to talk about tea! Sam Li, what about the business? Did you get an order?"
Billy was getting desperate.
His two "wives" hadn't had gun oil for two days. If this went on any longer, he didn't know how much more they'd suffer.
Letting them suffer with him…
Billy felt terrible.
Under everyone's anxious gaze, Sam Li finally set down his cup and pulled a document from his coat, placing it on the table.
"Ran into a small job by chance."
Attached to the file was a photo—
The target: a safe.
Nicole and Billy's eyes lit up as they hurriedly opened the document to check the details.
But the moment they saw the mission briefing, their faces completely changed.
"Steal a safe… from the Red Fang Gang? And we have to do it today?!"
"Sam Li, what did you just take on? There are only four of us! How are we supposed to snatch something from those rabid dogs?!"
"No—technically, only three of us. Sam Li's just the one who accepts the commissions."
"Boss Nicole, I've heard the Red Fang Gang is full of maniacs with no regard for their lives. We're low on ammo—there's no way we can pull this off!"
What started as excitement quickly turned into dread.
At first, everyone was thrilled to have landed a job.
But the moment they saw who they had to deal with, even Billy—normally fearless—didn't hesitate to object.
Back in the Outer Ring, Billy wasn't scared of anyone. If he didn't like someone, he'd fight them. Simple as that.
But ever since joining Hare's House, their ammo had never been fully stocked. He'd never been able to fight at full strength.
And without enough firepower…
Taking on the entire Red Fang Gang was suicide.
Nicole knew this better than anyone.
"Billy's right. Those lunatics from the Red Fang Gang are like a parasite—once you cross them, you never get rid of them."
Just as Nicole was about to tell Sam Li to return the commission—
Suddenly.
Ring ring ring! Her phone rang.
Nicole glanced at the screen, and her expression instantly changed.
100,000 Denny had just been deposited into her account!
Wait.
Where did this huge sum come from? Could it be… the client's payment?
She looked up at Sam Li. "This is the commission?"
Sam Li nodded. "It's a 20% advance. If you don't want the job, just return it."
Nicole's jaw nearly hit the floor.
A 20% advance was already 100,000 Denny… meaning the full commission would be 500,000 Denny?!
A massive order.
If they pulled this off, not only could they wipe out Hare's House debt, but they'd still have hundreds of thousands of Denny left over.
They were finally hitting the jackpot!
...
Seeing Nicole frozen in place, Billy nudged her.
"Boss Nicole? Boss Nicole? Didn't Sam Li say to return the advance?"
"Return it?" Nicole snapped back to reality, her expression dead serious. "What nonsense are you talking about? Money that lands in my account stays in my account."
With that, she grabbed the suitcase beside her and stood up from the sofa.
"Let's go!"
"Go where?"
"Where else? We're stealing food from the hyenas' mouths. Billy, you drive. I'll work out the perfect strategy on the way."
"Got it, Boss Nicole! I'll grab the car keys." Billy dashed out of the room.
Nicole called after him, "And bring extra ammo! Take everything we've got in storage—we're going big this time!"
...
Before long, Nicole, Anby, and Billy had geared up and piled into the car.
Just as they were about to leave, Nicole turned to Sam Li, looking a little uneasy.
"Sam Li, we're leaving Hare's House in your hands. If any jobs come in, handle them however you see fit—just accept anything we can take."
Then—
"Move out!"