Time: April 18, 2032. 01:00.
Location: Tokyo Port. Sector 13. "Red Dragon" Guild's Secret Warehouse.
The salty wind blowing from the sea and the creaking of rusty cranes broke the night's silence. Though this area was officially considered an "Abandoned Zone," in reality, Japan's largest contraband operation circulated here.
At the very edge of the warehouse complex stood a huge hangar surrounded by floodlights. In front of it, dozens of armed guards and two C-rank "Golems" (Guardian Creatures) patrolled.
On top of nearby containers, cloaked in darkness, the strike team of **"Night Owls"** lay in wait.
Kaito (Black Dagger) observed the situation through binoculars and whispered:
"Captain, this place is like a fortress. 20 guards, 2 Golems, and at least 10 more people inside. Tanaka is there today. They're receiving a new batch of 'illegal artifacts.'"
Kenji sat beside him under a black hood, eating chips (yes, even during raids he didn't give up snacking). Laylo was behind him, slightly excited, hidden under the new "Invisibility Cloak" (that Kenji had made for her).
"Fortress?" Kenji said, laughing. "Kaito, you call this a fortress? This is just a shack with holes. Their defense system is stuck in 2025 game standards."
Kenji touched his finger to the container's metal and activated **"Mana Sonar."** A 3D map of the entire warehouse appeared in his and Kaito's minds.
"Pay attention," Kenji commanded (in Raid Leader mode). "The plan changes. We won't kill them."
The Owls were surprised.
"Why? They killed our friends!"
"Because the dead don't talk and don't suffer," Kenji said in a cold tone. "We'll bankrupt them. We'll take their most valuable things—their reputation and money. Tomorrow morning when Tanaka wakes up, he needs to be not just poor, but on the 'Guild Traitors' list."
"Kaito, you and the 'Ghosts' group (Assassins) will steal the Golems' 'Mana Crystals.' They'll shut down."
"'Mage' group, you won't blow up the floodlights, but send 'Fog Magic' to them."
"Laylo and I... we'll enter through the main door."
"The main door?!" Laylo whispered. "Big brother, that's crazy!"
"No, it's 'Distraction,'" Kenji said with a wink. "Let's go."
Inside the Warehouse.
Mr. Tanaka smoked an expensive cigar, looking with satisfaction at rows of lined-up boxes.
"Excellent," he said to his assistant. "There are at least 500 million credits worth of 'Black Mana Stones' here. We'll sell these not to the government, but directly to the Chinese market. If that brat in the hospital (Kenji) made me lose 20 million, today I'll earn 500 million!"
At that moment, a strange event occurred outside.
The floodlights didn't go out, but their light suddenly changed to blue and thick fog covered the surroundings.
The Golems stopped moving and froze in place like toys with dead batteries.
"What's happening?!" Tanaka shouted. "Guards!"
The guards didn't respond. From inside the fog came only "thud-thud" sounds (people losing consciousness and falling).
Then the hangar's huge iron gate creaked open.
Two people entered through the fog.
One—a young man in a black hood with a mask on his face.
The other—a girl in white clothes, looking like a ghost (Laylo).
Tanaka squinted.
"Who are you?! This is 'Red Dragon' property! If you want to live, kneel!"
Kenji (changing his voice to a metallic timbre):
"Mr. Tanaka. You forgot to pay taxes."
"Taxes? What taxes?! I've paid everything to the government!"
"Not to the government," Kenji said, walking forward. "To Shadow."
Hearing this name, Tanaka flinched. The legend that appeared in yesterday's news.
"Shadow?! Are you him?!" Tanaka stepped back, then suddenly burst out laughing. "Ha-ha! Fool! So what if you're Shadow? I have my army here! Boys, shoot!"
Ten elite guards inside opened fire.
Tr-tr-tr! Automatics and magic wands went to work.
Kenji didn't move from his spot. Laylo got scared, but Kenji stood in front of her.
The bullets and spells, when they got within 1 meter of Kenji... disappeared.
They simply vanished into the air.
This wasn't Kenji's magic. It was his Inventory.
Kenji had activated the "Auto-Loot" function. The system was accepting any physical object (bullet, knife) shot at him as "loot" and placing it directly into his inventory.
"Thank you," Kenji said. "Thanks for the ammunition. Got more?"
The guards were horrified.
"He... is he eating the bullets?! Monster!"
Kenji snapped his fingers.
From above, from the ceiling beams, Kaito and his Night Owls jumped down.
They moved like shadows. In an instant, they disarmed all the guards and pinned them to the ground.
Tanaka was left alone.
He tried to hide behind a box.
Kenji came in front of him.
"Well, Tanaka-san," Kenji said. "You were just talking about 500 million, weren't you?"
Tanaka, trembling, aimed his pistol at Kenji.
"Don't come closer! I'm... I'm the nephew of the 'Red Dragon' leader! If you kill me, all of Japan will hunt you!"
Kenji snatched the pistol from his hand and crumpled it like plasticine.
"I won't kill you," Kenji said in a low voice. "I'm just confiscating your 'cargo.'"
Kenji looked at the warehouse. Thousands of boxes. Tons of artifacts.
He extended his hands to both sides.
[INVENTORY: MASS ABSORPTION]
A black vortex appeared in the air.
Tanaka couldn't believe his eyes.
All the boxes, containers, weapons in the warehouse, even the chair Tanaka was sitting on... everything lifted into the air and entered Kenji's "pocket."
In 10 seconds, the huge hangar became completely empty.
Only the concrete floor and walls remained. Even the light bulbs had been removed (Kenji loved thoroughness).
Tanaka sat on the ground in the empty, desolate warehouse.
His 500 million worth of goods, contraband collected over years... all gone.
Kenji came in front of Tanaka and threw a small coin on the ground.
"And this—is for tea. Enough for a taxi ride back."
Kaito and the Owls burst out laughing.
"Let's go, boys! Back to base! Feast today!"
They disappeared into the fog just as they had come.
As Laylo was leaving, she looked at Tanaka and said under her breath: "I told you not to mess with my brother."
Left alone in the warehouse, Tanaka roared at the sky:
"SHADOW!!! I'll kill you!!!"
But his voice hit the empty walls and echoed back to him.
Night Owls Base. 04:00 AM.
The base was in festive spirits.
Kenji poured the stolen ("confiscated") weapons onto the table.
"B-rank armor!"
"Magic rifles!"
"And most importantly... Mana Bombs."
Kaito picked up a rifle, tears in his eyes.
"Captain... for 2 years we fought with rusty knives. And now... we have weapons that even the army doesn't have."
Kenji sat on a chair and became serious.
"These weapons aren't toys for you. Prepare yourselves. Tanaka won't just let this go. 'Red Dragon' will declare war."
"And at exactly that time... we'll take the Second Step."
"What step?" Kaito asked.
Kenji stabbed a knife into the map on the wall—at the mountainous area where the "Temple of Light" was located.
"We'll kidnap Aira. More precisely... we'll wake her up."
"Tomorrow evening there will be an annual 'Purification Ceremony' at the 'Temple.' All the elite will gather there. It's the most convenient and most dangerous time to enter."
Laylo asked worriedly:
"Big brother, if Aira doesn't remember you... what if she attacks us? She's S-rank, right?"
Kenji was silent for a moment. Sadness appeared on his face.
"If she attacks... I'll take the blow. But I believe. My **'Unique ID'** must be written not only in the System but in her heart as well."
He stood up.
"Rest. Tomorrow's a big job. Operation to rescue the 'Queen' begins."