Chapter 144: The Operation Begins

Regardless of what happened yesterday, the sun still rises as usual the next day.

The two of them, having removed their masks, began planning the robbery as if nothing had happened. Of course, this was because of the third wheel, Aphra. Faced with someone possessing only the mental age of a ten-year-old, Ji Ning certainly couldn't hold Qin Mo in his arms right in front of her; that would set a bad example for a child.

Following their original plan, Qin Mo and Ji Ning made an appearance and strolled around Reine for a while. To ensure that plenty of people saw them, they immediately acquired a car and, on the way back to Tromsø, called the Norwegian police to report themselves.

Thanks to the Nordic region's high-welfare environment, Norway's crime rate is far below the global average, with only about 5,800 regular police officers in the entire country. Major criminal cases like bank robberies had not occurred for many years. Therefore, upon receiving the report, the Norwegian police quickly dispatched a batch of officers from nearby areas to Reine, meaning a portion of Tromsø's police force was inevitably transferred as well.

Upon arriving in Tromsø, under Qin Mo's guidance, Aphra successfully rented an apartment under the pretext of helping two international students who had been targeted by thieves. Who would ever associate a few vibrant young people with a recent bank robbery?

Inside the room, the three of them removed their disguises, washed their faces, and began discussing the next steps. Although Ji Ning and Qin Mo tacitly put on a show in front of Aphra—implying that they were only resorting to this drastic measure as a last resort and would never break the law if they had a choice—even Aphra, with her ten-year-old mindset, could see their eager anticipation. After all, this was robbing a bank! Who hasn't fantasized in their youth about getting rich overnight, eating whatever they wanted, and buying whatever they desired? Though money had long ceased to matter to them in the real world, young hearts naturally chase thrills.

Bank robbery, a high-risk, high-variable, high-return industry, has always been the kind of profession in the eyes of normal people that occasionally crosses the mind, but almost no one is willing to enter. Because ordinary people simply cannot bear the visible risks—much like mutual funds and stocks, which everyone tacitously agrees are also speculative investments, yet everyone assumes they won't be the unlucky one. But bank robbery is different. If the operation fails and someone is unlucky, everyone involved is implicated. Therefore, the profession of bank robbery requires not only extremely high professional standards from its practitioners but also a sound mental state, demanding preparations for both success and capture before every operation.

As an elite product of Deer Academy, Qin Mo, whose major was combat support, happened to have a course on scheme organization and design on her transcript. She was not only required to study project risk analysis but was also proficient in scheme design and modification. Such a high-requirement, high-risk organizational design was her homework for a considerable period. Only students who accounted for everything and passed the randomized simulation tests could earn credits.

Probably only the professors at Deer Academy would demand that all students apply their coursework to real life, because everything they taught would genuinely manifest in the students' lives. For the students of Deer Academy, failing a course was sometimes not a bad thing; at least the incompetent fellows wouldn't be eliminated by life one day in the future.

During breakfast, Qin Mo laid out the tasks respectively. This morning, Ji Ning was responsible for preparing the cars and practicing the escape routes planned by Qin Mo. This was something that sounded easy on paper, but the actual situation was far more complicated. Guys who put on nylon stockings and robbed a bank were merely padding the police force's KPI.

First, Ji Ning had to ensure that on the day of the plan's execution, there were at least three rapidly usable vehicles along each escape route. The uncertainty of a single car was simply too high—a tire could blow, or the radiator could run dry. Every risk had to be minimized. At the same time, to avoid the owners of the stolen cars calling the police, Ji Ning needed to select vehicles parked in family garages whenever possible; a car in a public parking lot might be driven away the very next hour.

Second, the target bank was located in the bustling city center with a complex surrounding environment. Ji Ning had to account for traffic jams, weather, and all kinds of other conditions, drive through all five pre-planned escape routes during the morning, record the time required, and observe the road conditions.

Finally, Ji Ning also needed to visit the police station to scout out the type of vehicles equipped by the Norwegian police. He certainly couldn't rob a bank and then drive a compact car with a top speed of 180 km/h to play a game of pursuit against someone else's 250 km/h vehicle; he had to ensure the performance of the vehicles he prepared surpassed that of the police cruisers.

The task Qin Mo assigned to Aphra was not simple either. Aphra needed to rent a warehouse, observe the internal structure of the target bank, and simulate the bank's interior within the warehouse over the course of the morning. At the same time, she needed to memorize the steps taught to her by Qin Mo. Bank robberies had entered an era measured in seconds since the Ram era; every extra second spent meant another layer of risk. In Qin Mo's plan, they had a maximum of ninety seconds. Once that time was up, they had to evacuate regardless of whether they succeeded. This was the most basic form of stopping losses in time—as long as they weren't caught, they still had a chance. If this bank couldn't be robbed, they could move on to the next one, but once caught, there would never be a next time.

Aphra had to commit all the steps to memory. No matter what situation she faced, she needed to keep pace with their rhythm according to Qin Mo's pre-arranged scheme within the shortest possible time, ensuring the continuity of her actions. This was no easy feat for someone with a ten-year-old's mental age, but fortunately, her logical thinking hadn't stopped at age ten, otherwise Qin Mo would have had to consider recruiting more people.

While they were busy with preparations, Qin Mo naturally wasn't idle. As the mastermind of the plan, she needed to factor everything into the strategy.

What should they do if they encountered a bank teller hell-bent on a promotion who refused to hand over the money? What if they encountered a self-righteous, hot-tempered security guard? What if a customer decided to play the hero? What if a child started screaming incessantly? What if a security guard happened to go to the restroom during the robbery and returned right in the middle of it to engage them in a firefight?

Although Qin Mo wasn't a saint and couldn't account for every single possibility, she had to prepare contingency plans for every accident she could possibly think of. Risks cannot be eliminated, but they can be mitigated. The professor who taught that scheme organization and design course most frequently repeated one phrase: think a little more.

In addition to considering emergencies, Qin Mo also had to gather all information related to the target bank. Ordinarily, this would have been Catherine's job, but now she had to bite the bullet and prepare it herself. Without the support of high-end hacking technology, Qin Mo had to integrate all the fragmented information she could gather into actionable intelligence. For instance, through keyword searches, she found a selfie of an overweight man holding a cup of coffee to project his lifestyle. But the owner of the selfie was a bank security guard, and this was his afternoon tea during a shift change. By combining this man's photo with other information, Qin Mo could deduce the security guards' shift rotation pattern. The internet age meant no one possessed privacy; the internet laid bare every detail to strangers.

"Check your multi-proxy servers before clicking URLs... Ensure the safety of the stepping stones..." Qin Mo muttered to herself, deeply missing Catherine. If she were here, she wouldn't have to rack her brain trying to recall the computer operations Catherine had once taught her.

This routine went on for three days, because three days later would be Friday, when the temperature would drop to minus three degrees Celsius. Even the police wouldn't be eager to actively conduct routine patrols in such weather—this was the advantage of timing.

The final day before the upcoming holidays was the day with the lowest customer traffic for the bank, as people typically didn't handle loan repayments or deposits then, and corporations wouldn't choose this time for business negotiations either. As for the bank employees who were about to welcome the holiday, they had long been staring at the clocks in eager anticipation—this was the advantage of harmony among people.

As for geographical advantage—what geographical advantage does one need for a bank robbery? If they successfully pulled it off, then that bank would consider itself having the advantage.

After three days of drills, Aphra had committed Qin Mo's predetermined procedures to heart. Through repeated practice in the warehouse, she now considered herself to have entered the realm of a grandmaster. Meanwhile, Ji Ning had spent those short three days dealing with all kinds of security locks, and every type of car available for purchase in Norway had passed under his backside; the road conditions of the five escape routes had been explored to a degree comparable to a driving test venue. Even a Formula 1 World Championship driver would have given Ji Ning the confidence to win on those tracks.

Qin Mo inspected her two standing, straight-backed, chest-puffed companions like an empress. She was very satisfied with their vigor and spirit, then nodded to begin her final briefing. This operation might succeed or fail, but within three minutes, regardless of whether enough money had been seized, they had to evacuate. This was the most crucial point, and it could not be overemphasized. As long as they could escape, everything could start over.

At the very last moment, Qin Mo specifically asked Aphra whether this operation would succeed. Only after receiving a definite reply did she finally set her hanging heart at rest. This was Aphra's dream, and her own will could influence everything within the dream to a certain extent. At the same time, to ensure Aphra wouldn't drop the ball at a critical moment, Qin Mo quizzed her on the details a few more times, prompting playful complaints from Aphra.

"Got it, got it! When stuffing the money, I'll wear the backpack on my chest like a kangaroo. When entering the bank, I'll start counting down from one hundred seconds. Once the hundred seconds are up, no matter how much money is left, I'll leave with Ji Ning. If anyone tries to stop us..."

Like a leisurely trip, the three of them, given separate disguises by Qin Mo, left the rented house via different routes. Although it would be impossible to return here regardless of whether the robbery succeeded, if possible, they still preferred not to involve the kind landlady in this robbery. The old lady was of advanced age and would probably be slightly terrified to see the police knocking on her door.

Wearing a gray beret and shoulder-length hair, Qin Mo wore a long black hoodie, sipping an Italian coffee while sketching the street scene on her portable drawing board. She had considered every detail; she even dotted a few carbon ink smudges onto the back of her hand. Now, she had the confidence to pose as an amateur painter in front of Sherlock Holmes, because, after all, she truly was a painter.

The ink in her name came from a traditional "Zhuazhou" ceremony when she was an infant, where she grabbed a traditional ink wash painting, so her maternal grandfather gave her the single-character name Mo (Ink). Perhaps due to the origin of this name, she had been learning painting since childhood. Although Qin Mo grew up copying the *Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting* and her primary technique was typical expressive ink wash style, she could still whip up a passable sketch using her artistic cell when needed.

The coffee shop she chose was within a hundred meters of the target bank. She wasn't in a hurry to signal the start of the operation, because she was patiently waiting for one particular thing.

Tromsø, Danske Bank, 3:00 PM. A fat man in a uniform walked out of the bank's doors, yawning as he strolled toward the coffee shop.

Qin Mo tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and whispered in a gentle voice.

"Operation start."

To confuse the Norwegian police's judgment and avoid consolidated case files, Aphra did not wear the sunglasses she had worn during the previous robbery. In Qin Mo's consideration, she preferred the police to treat this robbery as a copycat crime.

Today, Aphra had changed into a long trench coat, its high-up collar hiding a portion of her features. However, a close inspection through the surveillance cameras would still reveal her appearance—otherwise, why would Qin Mo have spent the entire morning applying makeup for her? At this moment, she looked more mature than before. If yesterday's Aphra was still an unripened little peach, today she was a luscious, alluring peach—provided she kept her mouth shut, of course. To facilitate movement, she also wore sweatpants, and slung over her shoulder was a backpack containing a portable packaging bag.

Upon receiving Qin Mo's signal, Aphra stepped out of Ji Ning's car. This vehicle had been parked in a private garage just an hour ago, and barring any accidents, it would only return home after undergoing a rather magical journey.

Qin Mo, carrying her drawing board, rendezvoused with Aphra about twenty meters away from the bank. The two did not speak, entering the bank lobby one after the other like strangers, and quickly separated upon entry.

Photos of the interior layout of the bank lobby had been repeatedly observed by them on the projection countless times. After confirming once again that there were no other anomalies, Qin Mo nodded. Aphra, who had been watching her closely, immediately reacted. She took a rubber chicken out of her backpack and squeezed it hard.

The shrill, ear-piercing squawk drew the gazes of everyone in the lobby. Then, Aphra leisurely pulled out a small device from her backpack that looked unmistakably like a remote control and pressed it firmly. The moment Aphra squeezed the rubber chicken, taking advantage of everyone staring at her, Qin Mo had already pulled the little gadget out of her pocket.

For a student of Deer Academy, building a homemade bomb was roughly as difficult as going out to buy a bottle of cola. Qin Mo precisely controlled the explosive yield to a degree that would generate a large flash of fire without causing secondary shrapnel injuries.

After the fireworks show, Aphra spoke up swiftly: "We planted bombs in this bank yesterday. Both the alarm system and the emergency direct lines are under our control. Please do not attempt to call the police or do anything else. We only want money and will not harm any of you."

Aphra walked straight up to the teller counter and said in a solemn tone, "If this backpack isn't filled within one minute, I will detonate a bomb. You can try some little tricks, but please prepare to spend the rest of your life consumed by the guilt of killing people."

"Opening the vault requires the manager to provide the password..." The panicked bank teller barely started speaking when a muffled explosion cut her off.

Aphra didn't look at the teller, instead gazing at the crowd in the lobby. "If she wastes any more time, the next one will be the bomb under your feet."

Faced with a pair of fearful, panicked, and anger-laced eyes, the bank teller completely submitted to Aphra. She quickly followed the bank manager toward the vault as Aphra continued speaking.

"Forty-seven seconds, forty-five seconds..."

In a mere thirty seconds, Aphra established authority according to Qin Mo's plan, ensuring that time-wasting ad-hoc negotiations wouldn't occur. At the same time, she divided the bank staff from the customers, aligning those customers who might cause accidents during the operation with their side to a certain degree, while exerting psychological pressure on the bank so they had no time to think and could only act under the impulse of fear according to Aphra's words.

"Ten seconds, nine seconds..."

The chosen lucky bank teller and the manager had not yet returned. Some people in the lobby had already begun praying, and a few even tried to communicate with Aphra, but she didn't pause for a fraction of a second.

"Four, three, two, one."

The sound of an explosion rang out once more, and finally, a casualty of this robbery appeared: a woman carrying a skateboard seemed to have been injured by the blast, collapsing onto the marble floor and groaning in pain as blood continuously seeped from beneath her.

Just as someone prepared to go help the woman, Aphra barked sharply, "Whoever dares to move an inch, I'll detonate another bomb! If anyone is hurt, it's because of you."

"You monster! She's bleeding! She needs help!" an elderly man stared at Aphra with intense rage.

Aphra remained expressionless. She thought for a moment, then spoke calmly, "I said if the bank couldn't bring enough money within a minute, I would detonate it. She was injured because of the bank."

The old man wanted to say something more, but Aphra cut him off. "If anyone makes another sound, I'll detonate another bomb."

Aphra kept glancing at her watch. Though she said nothing, every time she checked it, it served as an act of intimidation for everyone in the bank. Time ticked away. Even though barely a minute had passed, the people in the bank felt nearly suffocated within that brief span.

The suit-clad bank manager was covered in sweat, his formerly meticulous hair drenched with perspiration. He lugged two backpacks out and said, "They're full."

Aphra nodded. The manager continued, "The explosion that just happened caused Nora to faint from fear, so she..."

Aphra cut him off directly: "Shut up." The instant she didn't see the lucky teller, Aphra already knew her whereabouts—what else could she do besides call the police? But what good would that do anyway?

The female skateboarder lying in a pool of blood quickly scrambled to her feet, hoisted one of the larger backpacks, and headed out with Aphra while saying, "Thank you all for your concern, but I'm actually with the robbers. Please stay put, or else we wouldn't mind using a big explosion to eliminate anyone who tries to disturb us."

A car was parked directly outside the bank's doors. Under normal circumstances, the security guards would have chased away a vehicle blocking the entrance long ago. But the moment Aphra and Qin Mo walked into the bank, Ji Ning had parked right outside the entrance and propped a huge sign on the passenger seat right up against the glass:

"Interior renovation, temporarily closed."

Qin Mo and Aphra did not hesitate for a second, pulling open the car doors and climbing inside. The moment the doors shut, the engine—which Ji Ning had been idling for three minutes—roared to life, and the silver Volkswagen Passat vanished like a howling beast into the snow of the long street.

Qin Mo didn't rest. She pulled several pre-prepared burner phones out of the glove compartment and began calling the Norwegian police.

"Please hurry to the vicinity of Tromsdalen Church. There's been a robbery and shooting here; I saw someone pull out a handgun, and that poor soul is still lying in a pool of blood."

...

Qin Mo and Aphra alternated voices, tossing the phones out the window immediately after each call. After making so many calls, the Norwegian police would certainly suspect these were prank calls, but that didn't matter. Regardless of whether they were suspicious, they would ultimately have to dispatch police forces to investigate the scene. Every step advanced methodically according to Qin Mo's plan. This was probably their most flawless operation in history.

While Ji Ning drove wildly across the Hålogaland Bridge, charging full speed ahead toward Narvik, Qin Mo finally found news regarding the bank heist on her phone. She and Aphra watched with amused interest as the police spokesperson evaluated the robbery.

"This Danske Bank robbery is a vicious group crime. We cannot rule out the possibility that this group is the same one that robbed Sparebank earlier. The only good news is that aside from the loss of approximately ten million kroner, no one was injured in this bank heist. The robbery gang is well-trained and ruthless; we tend to deduce that this is a roaming gang of international criminals. We have preliminarily grasped information regarding the gang and believe we will surely bring them to justice..."

"Will we get caught?" Aphra blinked, the Norwegian police's final words causing her a hint of worry.

Qin Mo nodded nonchalantly. "Of course we will."

"Ah?" Aphra was startled by Qin Mo's response. She had expected Qin Mo to tell them they were the greatest criminal syndicate and could never be caught.

"We left too many loopholes. As long as the Norwegian police want to, we will eventually be caught. It's just a matter of time."

"Then what should we do?"

Qin Mo smiled faintly. "Time is on our side." She continued explaining, "We didn't rob a bank just to find some place to hide out and live a retired life. Did you forget? We're going to find the *Naglfar*. Barring accidents, by the time the police find us, we'll already be sailing on the international waters. After that, I doubt they can find Asgard just to catch a bunch of robbers."

Aphra nodded and happily began counting the money. Qin Mo didn't disturb her. Although someone else had already counted it—ten million Norwegian kroner—Qin Mo looked at the fading sunset flying past the window, lost in quiet contemplation. This massive sum of money was merely meant to pay for the ferry tickets. *Naglfar*, just how luxurious must you be, and how will you lead us toward Asgard?

After confirming everything was proceeding according to the original plan, Qin Mo felt a rare trace of exhaustion. Over the past few days, she had expended endless energy simulating every scenario and devising responses to minimize all risks. Recently, she had only been sleeping a mere six hours a day. The sudden relaxation of her mood quickly caused her to doze off in the car. As she drifted off while stubbornly trying to keep listening to the news report, Aphra quietly switched the radio station to classical Gangar dance music, which soon lulled Qin Mo into a deep sleep.

When night fell, Ji Ning was already driving within the territory of Narvik. The car parked less than three kilometers away from the port. The *Naglfar* cruise ship wouldn't dock at the northernmost ice-free port in the world until tomorrow. Having ridden in the car for over three hours, Aphra couldn't sit still anymore. The moment the car stopped, she whispered to Ji Ning, "I'm going to find somewhere to eat dinner. Once I find a restaurant, I'll message you."

Ji Ning nodded. "Remember not to be too conspicuous."

"Got it." Aphra skipped away and vanished into the night.

The warm breath Ji Ning exhaled upon pulling open the car door condensed into a puff of white mist in the air. A moment later, he returned to the interior, but this time he sat in the backseat—to be precise, right beside Qin Mo. The sleeping girl seemed to sense something, her eyelashes fluttering gently as Ji Ning gently pulled her into his arms. "Sleep a little longer."

The familiar scent and familiar voice plunged Qin Mo back into a completely defenseless state. She adjusted her posture, continuing to sleep in Ji Ning's arms at the most comfortable angle.

In the dead-silent, snowy night of Narvik, the young man gazed at the face he deeply loved nestled in his arms. Compared to the glorious yet lonely ice-free port, this tiny space was warm and cozy.