According to the regulations, the cashier Linda Clark was supposed to hand over the items from the absolute pawn area to the bank’s cash transport vehicle together with Ryan Bennett after work. However, that gold-digger had plans to have dinner with her Nth boyfriend at the Oriental Pearl Tower today and left early. Linda Clark is a local in Zhonghai and always has one excuse or another every day—this wasn’t the first time, and Ryan Bennett was already used to it.

The pawnshop closed at six in the evening, but the bank’s cash transport vehicle usually didn’t arrive until around six thirty. At six o’clock, Uncle David and the staff from the absolute pawn area had already left. The two highly paid appraisers were even more punctual, clocking in and out to the second, leaving only Ryan Bennett alone. After pulling the rolling shutter door halfway down, he sat inside the counter waiting for the bank staff to arrive. According to the rules, the cash box and the valuables box were to be collected by the cash transport guards, who would also check the integrity of the seals.

The last rays of sunset shone into the shop through the glass door. Suddenly, Ryan Bennett felt a shadow before him as three figures slipped in under the half-closed rolling shutter.

“It’s only ten past six—the bank’s vehicle never comes this early!”

Ryan Bennett was momentarily stunned. Although on weekends the cash transport vehicle might arrive a bit earlier, it would still be around six twenty. Because the people coming in were backlit, Ryan Bennett couldn’t see their faces clearly at first, but he knew they weren’t the bank’s cash transport staff—he could see there was no bank vehicle parked at the entrance.

“Gentlemen, we’re closed. If you need anything, please come back tomorrow. We’re open on Saturdays and Sundays as well. Huh?”

Halfway through his sentence, Ryan Bennett suddenly noticed that all three people who came in were men. What stopped him from continuing was that all three were wearing knitted hats—the kind that can be pulled down to cover the face, leaving only the eyes exposed. These hats were popular a few years ago, but now it’s rare to see anyone wearing them. Even though it was December, Zhonghai’s weather wasn’t cold enough to require such hats. A sense of foreboding immediately rose in Ryan Bennett’s heart.

“Kid, cut the crap and hand over the box next to you.”

Two of them stood in front of the counter, while the other ran straight to the absolute pawn area. Judging by their actions, they seemed quite familiar with this pawnshop.

“You’re committing a crime. The bank’s security staff will be here any minute. If you don’t run now, you won’t be able to get away later.”

Ryan Bennett knew he was facing robbers. Although the local police station had conducted several drills here, he never expected that, besides banks, even pawnshops would become targets for these people.

But after the initial panic, Ryan Bennett quickly calmed down. The pawnshop’s counters were all designed with bank-level anti-theft and anti-robbery features. The steel window bars completely separated the counter from the outside. If they had come a bit earlier, they might have been able to grab the items from the absolute pawn area, but now that he had already put everything away, Ryan Bennett believed that with just these few people, there was no way they could break through that security door in a short time.

While talking to the robbers, Ryan Bennett sat back in his chair, his hand already reaching for the alarm button. As soon as he pressed it, the 110 police and the local police station would immediately receive the alert and could arrive in as little as five minutes. This wasn’t a movie—there had been several drills over the past year, and Ryan Bennett had great confidence in the police’s quick response every time.

“Damn it, boss, everything here has been packed away—there’s nothing left, it’s squeaky clean! Boss, didn’t you check the place yourself last time?”

The guy who ran to the absolute pawn area naturally found nothing and shouted over to James Bolton in a thick Northeastern accent.

“Who the hell are you cursing at? I told you guys to be civilized—damn it, how many times have I told you to speak Mandarin?”

The gang leader, separated from Ryan Bennett by the security grille, cursed in anger. He was clearly dissatisfied with his men’s lack of discipline, or perhaps because he was being questioned by them. Hearing this, Ryan Bennett almost wanted to laugh—since when do robbers care about etiquette and patriotism? But he couldn’t laugh for long, because a black gun barrel was suddenly pointed at him through the security window.

Ryan Bennett shuddered all over, and the finger he had on the alarm button pressed down hard. The shrill alarm sounded immediately. He believed that as long as he could stall for a few minutes, these guys would never get away. But just then, the sound of screeching brakes came from the pawnshop entrance. Ryan Bennett looked outside and was overjoyed—it was the bank’s cash transport vehicle arriving early, which was normal on weekends.

Seeing that the gang leader at the counter seemed distracted by the sound of brakes outside, Ryan Bennett took the opportunity to dive under the counter, which was a blind spot for shooting. The robbers outside wouldn’t be able to do anything to him there. However, the swivel chair Ryan Bennett was sitting on slipped, causing him to slide back more than a meter instead of ducking down, ending up face-to-face with the gang leader.

“Kid, trying to play tricks!”