In the crowd shouting for order, a few people recognized Cantrebree, but they didn't pay her much mind. They assumed she was just another person drawn by the rumors of the "Meteor Punch." Some even enthusiastically introduced her to other ultimate moves like the "Rozan Rising Dragon Force," "Diamond Dust," and "Phoenix Wings Rise."
Cantrebree found herself unable to move. She joined the queue, hoping to experience the net cafe firsthand before closing time while watching the super-powered Saint Seiya techniques on the broadcast.
However, seats were limited. By the time 8:00 PM arrived and the business day ended, there were still three equally desperate people ahead of her.
Fortunately, Wayne registered their names, telling them that if they returned at noon the next day, they could skip to the front of the line. As compensation, Wayne reached into his own pocket to gift each of these four players—who had already paid their 5-gold membership fees—a bottle of ice-cold Coke. Of course, Rule Five still applied: no taking it outside, and no sharing with others.
Cantrebree took the cold Coke and watched as the other three unscrewed their caps and gulped the liquid down. She mimicked their movements with some curiosity.
She had never seen a screw-cap plastic bottle like this before.
A moment later, a long, involuntary sigh of "Ah..." followed the carbonated rush. Cantrebree stared at the bottle in her hand, unable to believe that something this delicious existed in the world.
The two mages who had accompanied her were hired from outside and hadn't overheard her earlier conversation. They assumed Cantrebree had simply come to Goldshire to wait in line for games, so they had spent the afternoon watching with interest as well.
Seeing Cantrebree's pale complexion return to a healthier hue, they began to chant the incantation for a Stormwind portal. Soon, a shimmering gateway leading to the magical transport room of the Wizard's Sanctuary opened. Many warriors heading back to the city "hitched a ride," passing through the portal one by one to teleport back.
Wayne was exhausted today—but he was also thrilled. Unlike the veteran players who usually booked a whole day, today's revenue was much higher. In addition to the 64 gold from the hourly fees of the eight stations, the high turnover of seats and the pre-paid fees from the queue resulted in fifteen new members. The membership fees alone brought in 75 gold. After deducting 4 gold for the four gifted movie sets, he had earned a total of 135 gold in a single day. His current surplus had reached 291 gold!
As for the four bags of popcorn, Wayne gave them to Dughan's four guards as a gesture of thanks for their hard work throughout the day.
After seeing off the last of the guests, Tess securely placed the money bag into the safe. Just as she was about to sit down next to Wayne to relax and watch some animation, there was a knock at the door.
Tess: "Who is it?"
A voice from outside: "Theresa's Cheese Shop. Your delivery is here."
Wayne and Tess locked eyes instantly.
Wayne gave a slight shrug of his eyebrows, signaling for her to continue.
Tess: "Actually, I could have picked it up myself." (I am safe here/The status is clear.)
Voice outside: "But I've checked the order form, Miss. You ordered delivery. The cheese is very fresh. Should I leave it at the door?" (I've confirmed I wasn't followed, and there are comrades on lookout nearby. But if you feel it's unsafe, this meeting can be canceled.)
Tess nodded to Wayne and mouthed the words "Get ready" before calling out to the door, "Wait a moment, I'm coming."
When the door opened, a one-eyed man wearing a cowboy hat, a blue shirt, a leather vest, miner's trousers, and tall boots walked in. He was indeed holding a cardboard box of cheese.
Wayne moved to let him in and close the door, but Tess grabbed his arm and subtly shifted her eyes.
The delivery man held the order form in one hand as if confirming it, muttering some nonsense about how far the road was and how he didn't know how long it would take to get back. Wayne's keen eyes noticed the man's remaining left eye quickly scanning everything in the room.
By now, Wayne had the letter Mr. Braiden had given him before his death hidden in his palm. With one hand, he took the cheese box; with the other, he slid the letter into the delivery man's hand beneath the box.
The three of them exchanged a brief look of confirmation. Without another word, the man departed.
Once he was gone, Tess moved slowly and casually, as if everything were normal, drawing all the curtains and locking the door.
She then used the wooden knife included in the box to slowly slice the cheese, as careful as a surgeon. Halfway through, the blade stopped. Tess gently pried the cheese apart, and as expected, there was a slip of paper inside!
"Burn after reading."
"Upon viewing this secret message, the agent codenamed 'Old Friend' has confirmed the source is safe and has made face-to-face contact. Once the obtained intelligence has been analyzed, the organization will make further contact with the source if necessary."
"Burn after reading."
Tess looked at Wayne, who nodded to indicate he was finished. She then brought a candle over and set the grease-stained slip of paper ablaze, turning it to ash.
A sudden flash of inspiration hit Wayne. He gestured for Tess to put on her goggles and join him inside Saint Seiya to talk through the in-game voice channel.
Tess was struck with realization. "Boss, I really didn't think of that. Your chat channel is actually the safest place to meet!"
Wayne grinned. "I saw how practiced you two were with all those security measures earlier. Is that 'Old Friend' really a colleague of yours?"
Tess: "If the intelligence we sent out this time is important and the organization needs to meet us again, we can just have them come here to play games. We can talk privately in the game. The net cafe is usually crowded anyway; people coming and going won't attract any special attention."
Wayne: "Smart! So, was that guy really an 'Old Friend'?"
Tess: "Yes. I only confirmed it after seeing the codename. I hadn't met him before; we belong to different lines."
Wayne: "Damn, you're so young and you already have a 'line'? What's your codename then?"
Tess: "Oh, I'm not telling you. We agreed you wouldn't ask."
Wayne: "I'm one of the only people in this world who knows your true background—I even know your real name. You can't even tell me a codename?"
Tess hesitated, her face flushing. "Master Shaw gave me the codename... 'Little Lamb'..."
At first, Wayne didn't understand why it was "Little Lamb."
Logically, her father was a werewolf, so "Little Wolf Pup" would have been more fitting. Besides, with Tess's skills and her "eye for an eye" personality, she was anything but a gentle lamb.
Did it mean a sheep that had wandered into a wolf's den?
Suddenly, light dawned in Wayne's mind. He burst into laughter. "It means a wolf pup in sheep's clothing! That Master of yours really knows you. Brilliant, simply brilliant!"
Tess kicked Wayne in the game. Since he hadn't turned on the pain sensors, his avatar only wobbled slightly. She pouted and said, "Laugh all you want! I think you're just a big fat cat! A big stupid cat! A big bad cat!"