Chapter 28
**Chapter 28: Girl Bank Caper (Part Two)**
With a swift motion, Pauli found the key to the iron door and unlocked the first layer of the vault leading to the underground treasury.
As they descended the stairs, the air grew colder and more oppressive. Soon, Xia'er and Pauli stood before a massive steel gate.
“Open it quickly,” Xia'er urged, raising her hammer with a sharp clang.
Pauli jumped, nearly collapsing to his knees in fright. He couldn’t afford to hesitate for even a moment. Limping towards the steel gate, he opened the key box beside it, retrieving two keys and inserting them into the lock on the wheel next to the gate.
Turning the key, a thick steel plate at the center of the wheel sprang open, revealing the combination lock inside. Pauli quickly spun the wheel, setting the combination to the correct position before glancing back at Xia'er.
“Um... Miss, this gate requires the strength of three adults to open. We might not have enough power between us…”
Xia'er swiftly summoned the Shadow, taking the two double-barreled shotguns from its hands and turning to face the dark staircase behind them.
Meanwhile, the Shadow crouched over the wheel, straining to turn it.
The heavy mechanical sounds echoed as the massive gate creaked open, inch by inch.
Once there was enough space for a person to slip through, Xia'er tossed the shotgun to the Shadow, bent down to grab a sack, and dashed into the brightly lit vault.
Inside, rows of cabinets and shelves stretched out before her, stacked not only with neatly arranged gold pounds in boxes but also with gleaming gold bars.
As she took in the scene, Xia'er felt her breath quicken.
Time was running out.
She quickly called the Shadow to help her dump gold pounds into the sack.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t open the safes. According to Pauli, those safes contained the real treasures, possibly housing priceless gems—or perhaps just important letters.
Xia'er didn’t have the luxury of time to crack open treasure chests; she mechanically poured gold coins into the sack.
This was true “sack money.”
Just then, Pauli, panting and finally mustering his courage, entered the vault with the floating double-barreled shotgun. He opened a hidden compartment on one of the wheel doors and slammed down on a red button.
Hiss—!
Scalding steam erupted from the seams of the steel door, and with a thunderous rumble, the gate slammed shut, locking the intruders inside.
After completing this, a drained Pauli collapsed to the ground, his expression a mix of laughter and tears, overwhelmed by a sense of relief at having survived.
This was how bank heists worked: the bank manager just needed to lead the way, while the one filling the sack had to consider a lot more.
**Remaining Time: 00:00:58**
The last minute!
Xia'er paid no mind to the closing gate behind her; the heavy door was just the barrier she needed against the guards outside. She continued to pour gold into the sack.
However, after nearly filling half the sack, she found it impossible to drag it to a better position—the coins were simply too heavy.
But there was no choice; she still needed the coins. Gold bars would lose value on the black market, and there was a risk of being targeted, while gold pounds were something she could safely spend.
If she only wanted to lighten her load, she could have easily grabbed high-denomination rubles, bonds, or checks, but that would go against Xia'er’s principle of keeping a low profile.
Clink—
The sound of gold pounds pouring into the sack echoed, reminiscent of a coin-pusher arcade game, the coins clattering against the stainless steel chute.
Oh, goddess, let me fill one more box, just one more...
Xia'er felt her hands growing numb, and by the end, she could only hold the sack’s opening, letting the Shadow continue to dump gold pounds inside.
With just three seconds left, Xia'er tightened the sack’s opening and hugged it close, the sack nearly as tall as she was.
This was undoubtedly the warmest embrace Xia'er had ever felt.
A flash of white light enveloped her, and she found herself in a silvery space.
Before her sat a version of herself, eyes closed, cradling a sack of gold pounds.
**“Would you like to save your character?”**
“Can I overwrite the save?” Xia'er asked directly.
**“Yes.”**
“Then save it to No. 2.”
Xia'er saved her current self, the survivor Xia'er, to the second save slot.
Though she was in much better shape than before, with spare save slots available, Xia'er preferred to create a new save. It was like in a galgame where every choice had to be saved separately; if she overwrote one, she feared missing something she hadn’t even realized.
**“Save successful.”**
**“Returning to reality.”**
Silver light enveloped Xia'er’s consciousness.
...
**“Reality”**
**“June 18, 741 AD, 4:00 AM”**
**“Evaluation: You’ve found another path to survival, learned a bit of the art of conversation, and uncovered more secrets of the world.”**
**“You’ve also managed to play the real GTA; simulating it with ten fate points is quite a loss.”**
**“You’ve realized that the heinous sins in the simulation can be washed away in reality; no one will know what you’ve done, your crimes will remain unknown, and your merits will go unrecognized... Enjoy, but don’t get lost in it.”**
**“Accept this; it’s your reward.”**
**“Reward: Fate Points *15, [Art of Conversation Lv.1]”**
**“Fate Points: 48”**
Xia'er opened her eyes, gazing at the familiar ceiling and the system evaluation in front of her, calming her racing heart.
Indeed, the thrill of committing a bank heist sent her heart racing—something she had never dared to imagine, let alone do.
In this state, coupled with the frequent shifts between simulation and reality, her memories began to blur.
With the help of [Calm Reflection Lv.1], Xia'er gradually sorted through her recollections.
That fleeting moment felt like a dream within a dream, leaving her unsure of where the dream ended and reality began.
Was it because she had taken a nap in the simulation?
This feeling raised a slight alarm in Xia'er. Once her heart rate returned to normal, she first opened the skill description.
**“Art of Conversation Lv.1: Your conversations are more likely to be listened to and believed.”**
Was this ability gained after talking with Aivina?
Honestly, it was a decent skill, and it could be leveled up.
It would allow her to convey the same message with greater persuasive power.
If she kept improving this skill, could she eventually convince people to believe her even when she was spouting nonsense?
A touch of superpower, perhaps...
Xia'er exited the skill description and opened the Fate Shop.
What she wanted to know most was whether the Order Contract and those gold pounds had made it out with her.
A series of items appeared on the system list before her.
**Chapter 29: The Merchant System!!! (Part Three)**
**“[Order of the Eye Contract * One Month (Xia'er x Aivina)]”**
**“Fate Points: 5”**
**“[Xia'er’s Cotton Underpants (slightly worn)]”**
**“Fate Points: 1”**
**“[Ansu Gold Pounds * 996 (1000g is 1 standard unit, totaling 0.996 tons)]”**
**“Fate Points: 4980”**
**“...”**
Aside from the clothes she was wearing, Xia'er was pleasantly surprised to see that the contract she signed with Aivina could indeed be redeemed.
Though it was only valid for a month, she could redeem it infinitely, achieving an effect almost akin to permanence.
In reality, Aivina was completely unaware of the contract, so she wouldn’t avoid Xia'er as she did in the simulation.
This meant that as long as Xia'er spent 5 fate points to redeem the contract, she could definitely gain Aivina’s friendship and even cultivate it further, using [Art of Conversation Lv.1] to get her to help with various tasks.
The 5 fate points each month would essentially be a friendship fee.
Whenever she encountered something she couldn’t resolve, Xia'er could redeem the contract and reach out to Aivina, establishing a relationship with her in reality.
But Xia'er’s excitement was short-lived when she saw the gold pound redemption interface below; her expression instantly fell.
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