Chapter 327: Already Premeditated
"Someone!!!"
Lin Tian reacted quickly, glanced around, and saw a tightly closed room door. Without any hesitation, he immediately went to the door.
He reached out and pushed, swiftly opening the door, quietly slipping inside...
This was a storage room, filled with mops and buckets, presumably used by the cleaning crew to store their tools.
The footsteps outside grew closer, and whispers could even be heard clearly.
"What assessment, I don’t even see a shadow!"
"Stop wasting time, let’s just complete the task as instructed!"
Lin Tian heard the conversation clearly; it seemed these two were patrolling security personnel.
The footsteps gradually faded away; Lin Tian squinted his eyes, whispered into his earpiece, "Feng, they’ve walked away, we should hurry up!"
Ye Feng didn’t say anything; the scene had just been transmitted through the pinhole camera on Lin Tian’s head.
A bit surprised, Lin Tian’s judgment was even sharper than his own: "You’ve got the talent to be a thief!"
In the thief industry, talent is crucial. Ye Feng’s rich experience allowed him to judge distances from footsteps and voices, but Lin Tian managed to judge accurately at his first try—truly a talent!
If he really were to become a thief, he shouldn’t do worse than Ye Feng!
Following Ye Feng’s instructions, Lin Tian turned left and passed through a corridor to reach the safety passage door.
Usually, when sneaking into a place, safety passages are the safest; they have no surveillance cameras and no security personnel, making them a favorite spot for thieves.
Entering the safety passage, Lin Tian walked up the stairs in darkness to the 22nd floor.
If the earlier situation was just a warm-up, then the true thrilling climax was just about to unfold!
Opening the safety passage door slightly, Lin Tian cautiously peeked outside and quickly withdrew his gaze.
"What’s wrong?" Ye Feng asked urgently when he saw Lin Tian’s unusual reaction through the camera.
"There’s movement on the stairs!" Lin Tian pointed below the safety passage; he clearly heard footsteps when he opened the door.
Just as he finished speaking, the faint footsteps grew closer, startling Lin Tian, who quickly glanced down the stairs.
Four people, all wearing tight-fitting night outfits, were slowly moving up against the wall.
"It’s okay, they’re our people!" Lin Tian breathed a sigh of relief; if they’re allies, there was no problem.
"You knew this?" Ye Feng’s surprised expression could fit an egg; deducing numbers and identities just from sound was a bit...unbelievable!
"Did you notice the security personnel’s footsteps are different from ours?" Lin Tian provided an excuse.
Lin Tian’s reasoning was valid; security personnel, due to their job, have heavy footsteps and aren’t concerned with stealth, so they don’t pay much attention.
But thieves are different; they’re extremely cautious. Even slight sounds are noted, avoiding any significant noise while walking or opening doors.
Thus, Lin Tian could easily identify the identity of those approaching through their footsteps.
A moment later, four shadows stood opposite Lin Tian, all staring at him, creating an awkward atmosphere.
"Shush!" Lin Tian gestured for silence.
The four immediately understood that Lin Tian was a competitor.
For a moment, the four exchanged glances, contemplating.
Actually, Ye Feng hoped Lin Tian wouldn’t encounter the others, especially in such competitive assessments.
In thieving, fewer people are better!
"Hello!" Lin Tian surprisingly greeted them with a smile.
"Hmm!" The leader nodded, saying no more.
The five stood there, looking at each other, silent.
"Do you move first or us?" The leader asked after some silence.
Lin Tian had wondered this too, as they couldn’t stand like this forever, yet both teams couldn’t act simultaneously, only one before the other.
Whoever moved first obviously had the advantage, especially in such competitive assessments!
If it were truly stealing, timing wouldn’t matter so much. Either you steal, or I lead the way!
Without waiting for Lin Tian to answer, the leader volunteered: "You’re alone, why not go first?"
"Alright! Thank you!" Lin Tian courteously replied.
After observing the surroundings and confirming no security personnel, Lin Tian vanished into the darkness.
"Letting them go just like that?" One of the four suddenly spoke after Lin Tian left the safety passage.
"Definitely won’t let them go so easily!" The leader chuckled, "If I’m not mistaken, they’re the top teams from the first and second assessments. If we beat them, the assessment victory is ours!"
"What’s your plan, boss?"
"Trigger the alarm system...!" The team leader ordered.
Lin Tian cautiously advanced through the dark corridor, planning his next move.
Beep beep...!!!
The corridor’s alarm lights blinked red, producing an ear-piercing sound that shocked Lin Tian, turning his face pale.
Lin Tian’s first thought was, what’s going on?
Then it struck him; someone triggered the alarm system.
"What...do we do?" Lin Tian instinctively asked Ye Feng.
"Run!" Ye Feng, seasoned in experience, promptly replied over the earpiece.
Lin Tian dashed back towards the safety passage entrance, hoping to escape temporarily.
But upon reaching the safety passage door, he tried to open it.
"Huh~!" Lin Tian’s initial reaction was that the door wouldn’t open; he tried harder, but it wouldn’t budge!
"It opened just now?" Lin Tian exerted more force, almost breaking the door handle.
"Hmm?"
Lin Tian frowned, using much strength yet unable to open the door.
This proved the door wasn’t about strength or weakness; it was intentionally locked.
"They trapped me!" Lin Tian smirked, immediately realizing what happened.
From them letting him move first, to the triggered alarm system, and the safety passage door failing to open.
It all seemed premeditated...