Ayric wiped the sweat off his forehead as he worked tirelessly inside Arin's apartment. Tools clanked and concrete dust floated in the air. The walls were being reinforced, windows sealed with bulletproof layers, and secret compartments installed. His experience working for the secretive construction firm, IIT, came in handy. With every hammer stroke, the apartment became more of a fortress.
Meanwhile, Arin was at his workplace—the massive warehouse of SuperFast, the world's biggest online grocery delivery app. He carried a tray stacked with bottles of juice, offering one to each employee with a smile that barely masked his growing tension.
"Drink up, everyone," he said, moving through the warehouse with practiced ease.
One by one, the employees drank. Minutes later, the room began to spin for them. Murmurs turned to groans as they dropped to the floor, unconscious. Arin stood amidst them, calm and watchful.
With everyone out cold, he moved quickly. He entered the storage section and activated his space ability, collecting every single item into his invisible dimension—food, water, electronics, everything of value.
Then, he slipped into the monitoring room. The screens showed footage from every camera across the building. Arin began deleting, looping, and altering the files to hide his actions. The perfect cover-up.
But one last thing remained.
"If I don't drink the juice too… someone might suspect," he thought.
He hesitated only a moment before lifting a bottle to his lips. The liquid was bitter. His vision blurred. Darkness swallowed him.
When he awoke, chaos had already arrived.
Police officers were swarming the warehouse. Questions flew, commands barked. Arin, disoriented but composed, answered what he could before they let him go.
He walked out of the police station into the cold air, his thoughts unreadable. Without delay, he headed to Royal Hotel, the grandest hotel in the world.
