Third update,

...

"You…"

Fan Ning gazed at Qin Fang with foolish eyes, seemingly trying to see from his face that he was just talking big; yet at that moment, Qin Fang's face bore only seriousness and earnest, clearly not joking around.

"Tell me the location, and I'll help you steal it!"

Qin Fang didn't care what Fan Ning thought; up to this point, the task he was on was the second one he had received, and moreover, it was a task with heavy penalties, which he had to treat with utmost caution.

The first task he had undertaken wasn't easy, and the rewards were good, but unfortunately Qin Fang bungled it, and the level of completion was clearly insufficient, leaving him regretful for a while.

This task was similar in that it was obviously not easy, and the rewards were very generous, including character experience points, skill proficiency, and even a skill book, which was what pleased Qin Fang the most, even though the book was only about the Stealing Skill.

Looking at his experience points, he saw he was less than 100 points away from leveling up. If he completed this task successfully, he could smoothly advance to Level 3.

Plus, with the added bonus of helping Fan Ning out of a predicament, Qin Fang saw no reason not to assist.

"You can't be serious?"

The more Qin Fang insisted, the more Fan Ning couldn't believe it, and her previously assertive tone gradually softened.

"Quit the nonsense, tell me the location, and what needs to be stolen, where it's placed... If you have any other information, tell me all of it…"

As he spoke, Qin Fang started to strip off all the gear from Fan Ning's body, firstly, because he could make use of it himself, and secondly, to prevent Fan Ning from attempting the theft.

"You… fine, I hope you don't get caught and beaten to death!"

Seeing Qin Fang's rough actions, Fan Ning spoke with a hint of anger, "I'll take you there, and explain some things along the way..."

Then the two set off towards their destination in the darkness. As they walked, Fan Ning began to share the information she had gathered.

The villa was situated next to a small lake on the outskirts of the university town. Along the lake, a batch of very high-end villas had been built, adjoining a very large residential area which mostly housed the university town's faculty and the original inhabitants of the area.

As for the people living inside this villa complex, they were, of course, Ninghai's local wealthy and powerful, the surrounding environment was very nice, with lake and mountain views, and each villa was said to be priced at over ten million, not something ordinary people could afford.

Qin Fang had also heard about this villa complex. There were rumors that some wealthy individuals provided for university students, and a number of those students were housed in these villas, with Zhu Pangzi being one of them.

Perhaps because of the occupants' extraordinary status, the security here was incomparable to that of ordinary residential areas. Like Qin Fang's sawmill factory, the surveillance system here was installed by the city's best security company. With security guards monitoring and patrolling 24 hours a day, and each villa equipped with an automatic alarm system, any intrusion would trigger an immediate alarm, with security reaching the alarm location within three to five minutes.

Exactly for this reason, Fan Ning had mentioned that Qin Fang might get caught and beaten to death. It was known that the security guards here were particularly fierce; a thief once sneaked in without even managing to steal anything and was caught and beaten so severely by the guards that he was reduced to a vegetative state.

Fan Ning's target was one of the villas, owned by a woman, or rather, she was the mistress of a high-ranking official in Ninghai. That official had a secret ledger in his possession, a ledger entangled with a massive corruption case, and Fan Ning had received information that this ledger was hidden in the safe of his mistress' villa.

That night, the Elite Salon was hosting a party, which meant the woman would return very late, or she might even stay in the city area overnight. That's why Fan Ning had chosen to make her move that night, but she hadn't anticipated running into Qin Fang.

"You can still back out now…"

They arrived outside the fence of the villa complex; there weren't many people around, but Fan Ning still cautiously asked.

"Enough with that; I've got the position clear. You stay out here and be careful, keep an eye on the security over there, and text me if anything happens…"

For Qin Fang, backing down wasn't an option anymore. He took the black hood Fan Ning had prepared, put it over his head, and switched his phone to vibrate mode.

He used his Scouting Skill to easily locate several very concealed cameras on the fence. After observing for a long time, he spotted an optimal opportunity, swiftly climbed the wall, and easily leaped into the villa complex.

"Be careful…"

Watching Qin Fang's figure gradually disappear into the darkness, Fan Ning could only silently wish him luck in her heart and then approached the entrance of the villa complex, keeping an eye on the security there.

The villa complex was built along the lake, forming a crescent shape, and each villa was relatively independent, occupying a considerable area. Qin Fang cautiously made his way, sticking only to the spacious main road, and having to avoid the patrolling security guards and cameras installed within the complex, which was quite a hassle.

"What a terrible location selection!"

The target location was in a relatively isolated corner, perhaps due to the owner's disreputable connections, Fan Ning could only obtain the villa's number, with no clear idea of its exact position.

After entering, Qin Fang was surprised to find he had arrived at a completely opposite location. He had to cross at least a dozen villas to reach his destination, which meant he also needed to pass through the main entrance of the villa area....

Woof woof woof....

As Qin Fang cautiously passed by the front of a villa, a burst of urgent barking came from the yard, alerting a security guard who had already passed by. Seizing the opportunity before the guard arrived, Qin Fang quickly vaulted into the villa.

The villas here were mostly European-style, with a yard, lawn, villa, and behind the house a garden and swimming pool, and even a small dock and some boats by the lakeside.

"The rich really know how to live it up..."

Looking at such luxurious villas, Qin Fang couldn't help but feel a mix of envy and jealousy, but he couldn't deny that such an environment was perfect for his purposes.

....

Ding ding ding~~~

An urgent alarm rang out in the security booth at the entrance, and the guards immediately sprang into action. From a dark corner outside, Fan Ning saw the commotion and became tense.

"Quick, quick, quick, villa number 12..."

"Hurry, grab your gear! Let's see which blind fool dares to cause trouble on my turf..."

The villa district provided electric carts for the security guards; four men per cart, and soon three carts left, leaving only two or three people to stand watch.

"Please don't let it be him in trouble..."

Fan Ning became anxious, praying nervously it wasn't Qin Fang, while simultaneously sending him text messages on her phone.

However, her prayers were clearly in vain, as it was indeed Qin Fang who had triggered the alarm... But, of course, Qin Fang couldn't receive her texts since his phone was in his Props Box, and he himself had already dived into the lake, swimming rapidly towards the target location.

The Intermediate Swimming Skill wasn't something trivial; it enabled Qin Fang to hold his breath underwater for three minutes, and in those three minutes, he could swim a great distance.

By the time the guards reached the villa that set off the alarm, Qin Fang had already landed in the backyard of his target villa. Very proficiently avoiding the cameras, he headed straight for the backyard gate.

Bang~~

Looking at the door before him, Qin Fang's face showed a strange smile, then he gave it a strong kick.

The expected alarm didn't go off because the door had surprisingly unlocked itself.

"This Lockpicking Skill is quite handy..."

After closing the door behind him, Qin Fang commented with a chuckle.

The way he had opened the door was using the Lockpicking Skill he had acquired when he first breached Fan Ning's home. Perhaps because of the unusual way Qin Fang acquired it, the use of this Lockpicking Skill was also very strange: not with a hand, but with a foot...

While villa number 12 was bustling with nearly all the security drawn there, the situation at villa number 24, where Qin Fang was infiltrating now, was much quieter. And since Qin Fang's entry was covert, his presence was utterly undetected.

"Where's the safe?"

The villa was empty, pitch black inside, and not daring to turn on the lights, Qin Fang used his flashlight to search carefully within the villa.

Fortunately, he had an Intermediate Detection Skill and, in combination with some very practical scouting techniques learned in the military, Qin Fang had ample time to search even though he wasn't sure where the safe was.

The power of the Intermediate Detection Skill became evident now, as Qin Fang need only open a room's door and throw his Scouting Skill at each object he saw, making the details of the room clear.

After spending more than ten minutes, Qin Fang finally found his target in a very secluded storage room—the safe containing the secret ledger.

But how to open the safe stumped Qin Fang; he had just tried with a kick, "Sorry, your Lockpicking Skill Level is insufficient to unlock."

Clearly, his current Beginner Level Lockpicking Skill was far from enough to open this kind of safe, and Qin Fang had to think of another way.... (To be continued, for further developments, please log in at www.qidian.com. More chapters are available, support the author, support genuine reading!)

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