"Boss, give me one... Venom, you want one too? Fine, give me two double-scoop chocolate ice creams."
Victor stood in front of a flashy ice cream cart in downtown San Francisco, licking the rapidly melting double-scoop chocolate ice cream in his hand.
His other hand hung casually, allowing Venom's dark tendrils to snatch the other ice cream from his grasp.
His eyes, which always sparkled with a hint of madness, were now darting around, precisely locking onto the super luxurious office building across the street.
"Looks like it's here," Victor mumbled indistinctly, the ice cream making his words sound sweet and sticky.
"Venom, do you smell it? Money, crime, and... a hint of ancient stone. I wonder how many talismans these guys have."
Ever since he hacked into the file marked "Section 13 - Top Secret" on his computer at Nevermore Academy and glimpsed fragments about the talismans and their magical powers, Victor's heart, which always sought thrills and fun, was completely captivated.
As soon as the holidays started, he immediately dragged Venom to this city famous for its fog and steep hills.
Section 13's defenses were indeed tight; the entrance and exit were hidden in an old-fashioned phone booth that required a password, a design seemingly copied from some nostalgic spy movie.
Though cliché, it was surprisingly effective. At least Victor didn't know how to sneak in inconspicuously. Should he just take the stairs?
Forcing his way in wasn't impossible, but Victor prided himself on being an "elegant phantom thief." Although Wednesday and Enid usually rolled their eyes at that claim, crashing the party directly was too crude and risked alerting the enemy.
Coincidentally, further investigation revealed that an international crime organization called the Dark Hand was also frantically searching for these talismans.
The enemy of my enemy isn't necessarily my friend, but the enemy's goal can certainly be a source of amusement for oneself.
Thus, Victor decided to "try his luck" at the Dark Hand's headquarters—and perhaps get some good stuff for free.
This was commonly known as a rogue stealing from a rogue.
Finishing the ice cream in a flash, Victor ducked into an alley. When he emerged, he was wearing a slightly loose uniform with a cleaning company's logo, pushing a cart filled with cleaning supplies, and swaggered into the building.
It was so easy he almost wanted to whistle.
"America's secret organization, Section 13, goes to great lengths to build its headquarters underground, but these international criminals just plonk their HQ right in downtown San Francisco," Victor grumbled to Venom in his mind, head bowed as he pretended to wipe the front desk.
"Right next to the fucking SFPD! Are criminals this arrogant now? Have some professional ethics, will you?"
Venom extended a small tendril from his shoulder, forming a miniature mouth, and hissed with a low chuckle:
"America, you know, it's all about freedom. Maybe they pay a lot of taxes? These days, money talks."
Meanwhile, on the top floor of the building, in a spacious office decorated with a mix of oriental mysticism and modern nouveau riche aesthetics.
On the wall, a ferocious-looking dragon sculpture, exuding an ominous aura—Shendu—"gazed" at the empty room with its stone pupils.
It was sensing the actions of its scattered human subordinates through its connection with the Shadowkhan.
However, Shendu's heart was filled with an unspeakable frustration and melancholy.
It was almost losing hope in these foolish and incompetent subordinates, who had taken so long and, with the help of the Shadowkhan, painstakingly brought back... two talismans.
How much longer would it take to gain its freedom?
On the other hand, regarding the side representing good chi... Shendu almost wanted to curse.
Historically, first Jack struck it back to hell with a single sword, imprisoning it there for hundreds of years.
After much scheming and infighting with its siblings to escape hell, it hadn't even enjoyed a few years of good life before being sealed by Richie, its innate abilities scattered across the world.
This time was the worst; it had been a sculpture for a whole millennium.
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