Chapter 329: Tao Yueyue’s First Mission

Three different types of locks were placed on the table. Gu You held a stopwatch in her hand and pressed the timer button as she shouted, “Start.”

Tao Yueyue calmly began to unlock them. The pick in her hand felt like an extension of her nerves, allowing her to sense the internal structure of the locks. One minute and thirty-four seconds later, all three locks were open, and she eagerly looked at Gu You.

“One minute and thirty-four seconds, very good. You’ve broken your own record,” Gu You smiled. “Most doors can’t stop you now. Want to try a real mission?”

Tao Yueyue nodded, her heart pounding with excitement.

Gu You took a black envelope from the drawer and placed it on the table. “This is your mission for tonight. Report back when it’s done.”

Tao Yueyue opened the envelope and glanced at the contents. “This seems easy. I thought it would be more challenging!”

“Everything in steps. You need to consider risks and how to minimize them if something unexpected happens.”

Tao Yueyue nodded and thoughtfully reviewed the task.

That night, she lay in bed, fully dressed, pretending to sleep. After Chen Shi read for a while, he fell asleep. At midnight, Tao Yueyue slipped out of bed, put pillows under the covers to mimic her shape, and quietly left the room.

The cool night breeze cleared her mind. The thought of sneaking into a stranger’s home like a thief excited her to the core, much like other kids felt about visiting an amusement park.

The target’s address wasn’t far. Tao Yueyue navigated through alleys, avoiding drunk revelers and surveillance cameras.

Gu You had warned her that crime was becoming harder with advancing technology. Surveillance cameras everywhere were a significant obstacle. The app on her phone showed street maps, enhanced with the locations and detection ranges of cameras, allowing her to avoid them.

In areas where evasion was impossible, Tao Yueyue pulled up her hood, tucked her hands in her pockets, and walked briskly with her back hunched. Gu You had shown her surveillance footage, explaining that these cameras were of poor quality, only capturing basic outlines and clothing. Gu You had also made her practice walking differently to avoid recognizable habits.

Gu You said that master criminals were like actors, able to adjust their postures and habits freely, making identification difficult even for eyewitnesses.

Another rule: clothes worn during a crime must be destroyed or hidden, never seen by outsiders.

Arriving at the target apartment complex, Tao Yueyue saw the security guard asleep in the office. The door was ajar. She thought a criminal could easily kill the guard without anyone knowing until morning.

She tiptoed into the office, took a photo of the guard with his own phone, and added a caption: “Sir, remember to close the door when you sleep!” She put the phone back and quietly closed the door.

The neighborhood was dark. She found the target building and moved silently enough not to activate the motion-sensor lights. At the apartment door, she pulled out her lock-picking tools and began working. The click of the lock opening was music to her ears, and she smiled.

The thrill of breaking into a stranger’s home was indescribable, especially with the homeowner snoring in the bedroom. Tao Yueyue moved as if walking on a knife’s edge, her heart racing.

Normally afraid of strangers, she now found sneaking into their house exhilarating, like eating spicy food.

Her mission was to post a file from the homeowner’s computer onto their social media. The bedroom was on the left, the study on the right, so she wouldn’t disturb the sleeping owner.

To be safe, she placed cups and a fruit bowl in front of the bedroom door. If the owner woke up, they would trip over them. She left the door ajar for a quick escape. She did all this wearing gloves.

The computer’s startup noise made her anxious. She kept glancing at the door, her gloved hands sweating.

Once the computer booted up, she found the folder. It contained documents about a relative with leukemia, financial difficulties, and attached photos, along with screenshots of conversations about buying patient photos from hospital staff.

She realized the person was fabricating sob stories to scam donations online—a despicable act.

Remembering her own battle with cancer, Tao Yueyue’s anger flared. She wanted to grab a knife from the kitchen and end this person’s life.

After calming down, she posted the evidence on social media, tagging several news outlets. Then she poured half a bottle of soda into the computer’s tower.

She restored the living room to its original state, removed her makeshift alarm at the bedroom door, and quietly left.

Feeling proud of her first “crime,” she believed she hadn’t left any traces. It felt like a significant accomplishment.

At the exit, she froze. The previously sleeping guard was now outside with a flashlight, likely awakened by her phone message.

Terrified, Tao Yueyue hid in the bushes, her calm demeanor giving way to fear and trembling.

A hand touched her shoulder, and she jumped. It was Gu You, smiling and signaling for silence.