Five minutes later, Axel looked down at Lisa.
She stood there in only her underwear, her makeup smeared by tears, her movements forced and unsteady. Nearby, two security guards lay dead, their intervention having changed nothing.
Axel waved his hand dismissively.
The gunshots earlier had drawn them in, but they had been nothing more than a brief interruption. Their deaths meant little, and Lisa's compliance had begun almost immediately after.
At first, he watched.
She was clearly trained, her movements practiced, likely performed countless times before. That realization drained any remaining interest.
"Enough."
His voice was flat as he turned away.
"This is boring. I expected something better."
He glanced at Ci Yun.
"Let's go. These trainees are all the same. If you want innocence, you look elsewhere. If you want experience, there are better places too. This is just hype."
He extended his hand.
Ci Yun hesitated briefly, then took it.
Flames rose around them, and they vanished.
Lisa collapsed to the floor the moment they disappeared, her teammates staring in stunned silence.
A moment later, the scene shifted.
Shelves lined the room, stacked neatly with gold bars.
Axel's expression brightened immediately.
"Now this is worth looking at."
He stepped forward, eyes scanning the rows.
"Heh, far better than people."
Ci Yun folded her arms, unimpressed.
"You could have come here first, but you chose that detour."
Her gaze sharpened.
"What was so special about her? She just debuted."
She paused, then added thoughtfully,
"And earlier, you mentioned Tony Stark. You expect an actor to fix me?"
Axel raised a hand, and dozens of gold bars lifted into the air, orbiting him with precise control.
He glanced at her with mild amusement.
"Why assume I meant an actor? Maybe I meant the real Tony Stark. Or Batman."
Ci Yun frowned.
"That makes even less sense. I might as well believe I'm living inside a movie."
She tapped her forehead.
"Abilities like ours exist, fine. But fictional worlds are still fiction. You can't just walk into them."
Axel gave a noncommittal nod as the gold continued to spin.
"You'll see soon enough."
He plucked one bar from the air and weighed it in his hand.
"Gold holds value anywhere. Hard to replace, even across worlds."
He smirked.
"Now, next vault."
Ci Yun didn't argue. She took his hand again.
They moved rapidly, jumping from one location to another, clearing vault after vault in seconds.
Then, suddenly, everything changed.
The next destination was not a bank.
They stood inside a lavish massage room.
A woman lay on a central bed, completely at ease, surrounded by attendants. Two men worked on her shoulders, while others stood ready nearby.
She spoke into her phone, irritated.
Then the gold appeared.
Bars filled the air, swirling around Axel and Ci Yun.
The woman stared, confused, then annoyed.
"What is this? Some kind of trick? I told you not to bring nonsense like this in here."
She waved dismissively.
"Get them out."
She reached for a drink and hurled it toward one of the attendants without even looking.
Before it could hit, Axel lifted a hand.
The cup froze midair.
The liquid reversed its motion, flowing back inside.
Axel caught it, drank it in one motion, then examined the glass.
"Nice. This has to cost a few thousand dollars."
He stepped closer and pressed the rim lightly against the woman's chest.
Behind him, Ci Yun sighed.
"First that girl, now this."
She narrowed her eyes.
"What's next, Axel?"
He grinned.
"You're not far off."
He turned back to the woman.
"South Korea doesn't have much that interests me. Just a few names worth remembering."
He gestured casually.
"That last one was disappointing. This one, though, matches expectations."
He dropped the glass and reached out, gripping her without hesitation.
The woman stiffened for a moment, then steadied herself.
She grabbed one of the floating gold bars, testing its weight.
"This is real?"
Her tone shifted.
"So you're not a performer."
She studied him closely.
"I've seen something like this before. Your company's technology."
She extended her hand.
"Am I correct?"
Axel ignored the gesture, tapping her lightly instead before glancing back at Ci Yun.
"Go handle the room. I don't like distractions."
Ci Yun's expression darkened.
"You're serious?"
Axel didn't even look at her.
"Of course."
His hand moved again dismissively.
That was enough.
Ci Yun's jaw tightened. Without another word, she raised her pistol and fired.
Three shots echoed through the room.
Screams followed.
She grabbed one of the injured attendants and dragged him toward the door.
"Move," she snapped at the others. "All of you."
As they scrambled out, her eyes flicked once toward the woman on the bed.
The woman met her gaze calmly.
"You're not just tools," she said softly. "You're far more dangerous."
She adjusted herself slightly, maintaining composure.
"I'm Lee Boo-jin."
She extended her hand again, this time toward Ci Yun.
"And you?"
Ci Yun scoffed and turned away, dragging the man out.
Lee Boo-jin smiled faintly.
"Interesting."
She addressed the remaining staff.
"Leave. Don't make this worse."
They obeyed immediately.
Outside, gunfire erupted again as Ci Yun vented her frustration on approaching security.
Inside, Lee Boo-jin leaned slightly toward Axel.
"You're exactly what I expected," she said quietly. "Someone who takes what he wants."
Axel sat beside her, clearly satisfied.
"Not bad," he replied.
She glanced at the floating gold.
"You came from a vault."
He didn't deny it.
She smiled.
"Then at least make this worthwhile."
Axel chuckled, clearly entertained by her composure.
Outside, the chaos continued.
Inside, the room settled into a tense, controlled silence.
===
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