Russell Watson.
Why is he here?
Mary subconsciously started thinking, her gaze fixed on Russell as if glued to him.
He seemed to be handling some business.
Mary instinctively wanted to get up, but seemingly concerned about something, she looked up in a certain direction.
After some hesitation, the young girl pursed her lips and finally mustered the courage to stand up, approaching that figure.
The young girl's footsteps were very light, so much so that when she walked behind him, that guy was still waiting for the staff to process paperwork at the counter, completely unaware.
Until she reached out and gently patted his shoulder.
"Good afternoon."
A warm voice sounded by his ear. Russell subconsciously turned his head, his line of sight meeting those azure eyes.
"Mary?" He appeared somewhat surprised. "Why are you here?"
"Father needs to handle some business, so I came along," Mary said with a smile. "And you?"
"I came to deposit some money," Russell said honestly. "Saving up to marry a wife in the future—just kidding."
"Is that so? Why doesn't it sound like a joke to me?" The corners of Mary's lips curved up slightly, the irritability originally caused by waiting instantly vanishing without a trace.
She looked around, finding only Russell alone, and couldn't help but ask curiously:
"Did Charlotte not come with you?"
"You wouldn't necessarily see her go out on a sunny day, yet you expect to see her on a rainy day?" Russell shrugged with a smile. "Unless it's the end of the world."
Amidst their chatting and laughing, the customer service at the front desk had finished the paperwork and handed the receipt to Russell.
"Thank you."
Russell reached out to take it, then left the counter with Mary, walking towards the guest sofas.
The two walked one after another to the sofa in the reception area and sat down in a relatively secluded corner.
Russell's gaze seemed to sweep casually across the lobby, taking in every detail and security measure.
The layout is tighter than imagined; worthy of being the largest private bank in London.
He thought to himself.
After finishing this job, his title rating could be upgraded.
The reason for everything went back to this morning—
When Russell was brushing his teeth in front of the mirror, his System panel suddenly appeared in the mirror.
The operation regarding the Roy family had completed its final settlement. At this moment, he had a full 2500 Malice Points in his wallet.
At the same time, he had also triggered the upgrade conditions.
As long as he completed the mission, he could advance from [Slightly Famous] to [Household Name].
Although from a societal perspective, he was already a household name.
But the System didn't seem to recognize that.
And the victory condition for the promotion match was to complete a theft operation against Lloyds Bank.
After completing the task, the title would upgrade, and he would also be rewarded with Malice Points and updated shop items.
It just so happened that he had rested for a week. If he didn't find something to do, his craft would get rusty.
So, he accepted the mission and then came to Lloyds Bank under the pretext of making a deposit.
In the idle time waiting for his number to be called, Russell had already looked over the entire lobby.
The difficulty was high, but not without flaws.
If it were an ordinary thief, they really wouldn't be confident, but he was no ordinary thief.
"What are you looking at?" Mary noticed Russell's absent-mindedness and asked.
"Nothing, it's just my first time here," Russell withdrew his gaze, revealing a smile like someone who hadn't seen much of the world.
"It's really grand here."
"After all, it is the largest private bank in London." Mary smiled, her gaze also scanning the surroundings.
"The security here is famous throughout London. Maybe even Moriarty couldn't get in."
"Mmh... I think so too." Russell nodded cooperatively.
During their conversation, the door to the reception room at the end of the corridor opened.
Duke Morstan and the bank manager, Tommy, walked out side by side and arrived in front of Mary and Russell.
"Father."
Mary instinctively stood up. Russell, after a moment's pause, also stood up.
"Hello, Mr. Morstan."
"This is?" Duke Morstan's gaze fell on Russell, carrying a subtle scrutiny.
"I am Russell Watson, Mary's classmate," Russell said.
Duke Morstan frowned, quickly going through the information regarding this name in his mind.
Subsequently, he nodded slightly. No joy or anger could be seen on his face as he simply turned his gaze to Mary at his side.
"Let's go, Mary. Don't waste time here."
He spoke, then no longer looked at Russell, instead turning and walking towards the entrance.
Hearing this, Mary opened her mouth, seemingly wanting to say something, but looking at that silent back, she could only swallow the words she wanted to say.
Subsequently, she turned her head and gave Russell an apologetic smile.
That smile was like a snowflake, landing gently in Russell's eyes before dissipating.
She didn't say anything, only silently mouthing a phrase to Russell.
—See you tomorrow.
Then, she lifted her skirt, turned around, and like a delicate doll that had been wound up, followed Duke Morstan's back with elegant steps.
Russell remained standing in place, watching that figure slowly walk out of the magnificent gates and disappear into the curtain of rain.
Beside him, Tommy cast a disdainful look at him, but Russell paid it no heed.
He simply stood up silently and walked towards the restroom.
Five minutes later, a man wearing black-rimmed glasses and a uniform walked out.
Mourning the exit of Russell Watson for not even a moment.
Next to take the stage is the Senior Internal Auditor of Lloyds Bank Headquarters.
—Clark Kent!
Russell stood at the restroom entrance, straightening the suit he had bought from the System Shop for fifty Malice Points.
Then, he adjusted his glasses, the corners of his mouth turning down slightly, looking as if he were full of criticism and dissatisfaction with everything in the world.
Russell walked to the counter and reached out to knock on the wooden desktop.
"Sir, how may I help you?"
"Kent."
Russell took out the staff ID printed with a stamped gold emblem and steel seal from his pocket and placed it on the desktop.
"Special Audit Committee of the Board. I need to conduct a temporary security inspection of your underground vault."
As his voice fell, the teller at the front desk was slightly stunned.
"I'm sorry... please wait a moment, I need to report to the supervisor."
"I do not wish to wait too long."
"No... I won't, it will be very quick!"
The teller immediately got up and left the counter. Not long after, he returned to Russell in a hurry.
Accompanying him was Tommy.
"Hello, Mr. Kent, I am the bank's Director, Tommy..."
Tommy picked up the staff ID on the table and took a look, carefully distinguishing the patterns and texture on it.
However, both his brain's memory and muscle memory were telling him—this thing was real.
"Kent," Tommy's smile became somewhat stiff, but he maintained his respect.
"I am very sorry, but we did not receive any relevant notification..."
"If every surprise inspection required advance notification, what would be the point, Mr. Tommy?"
Russell's gaze turned cold. He pushed up the black-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose, the lenses reflecting a cold light.
"Or perhaps, is there something here that is inconvenient to inspect?"
Hearing this, Tommy started violently, then immediately shook his head.
"No, no, of course not!"
"Since there isn't, then hurry up." Russell urged impatiently. "Time is money, Mr. Tommy."
"O... okay."
Tommy nodded, an ingratiating smile on his face.
"Please follow me, I will personally take you there."
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