The mission was a test. Not only a test of their loyalty, but also of their skills and cooperation. In the Water Lily case, Ding Wei had only taken on the role of chauffeur for Wenjie. He had not been involved in the theft of Luoshen. This time he was directly involved. 

For training, they transferred to another ship, but unfortunately not the one that Zhuang Yaobai and Luo Jian were on. The men on board worked for a former business partner of Xu Zhengqing, who still owed Monsieur a favor. They all wore dark blue cargo or work pants, blue jackets and black boots. 

In order not to stand out between them, Wenjie and Xiao Dao were given the same clothes, in their own sizes. Xu Zhengqing also equipped them with smartwatches, which served as communication devices, and false passports, which allowed them to move freely on land. In the event of a spontaneous check by security guards at the port, their true identity was concealed and they passed as part of the ship's crew. 

A black van waited for them at the harbor. On the outside, it looked like a simple transport vehicle. The inside was crammed with technology, two computers, screens, boxes full of thieves' tools and technical aids.

Of course, Xu Zhengqing didn't give them time for sightseeing or a proper shore leave. No. They stayed with him in the van until further notice, as he drove them to the crime scene. 

It was an estate, that extended over several buildings and surrounded by a high wall. The wall was fitted with motion detectors and spotlights mounted on metal struts. These were part of a metal wall attachment, that stretched across the entire wall. Anyone who touched it, was immediately electrocuted. Touching it also triggered an immediate alarm, which alerted the security staff. 

There was only one entrance, which was secured by two metal gates. In the immediate vicinity of the gate was a guardhouse in which a security guard sat. Security guards with dogs patrolled between the buildings. 

Getting in there was quite a feat. But Xu Zhengqing had taken precautions. One of the three buildings was barely a meter away from the south wall. It bordered the wall of the neighboring property, which was currently for sale. 

So that was, why Monsieur had chosen the current period for the mission. That made the task easier. There was no security on the other property and its western wall bordered an alleyway that ran between the wall and a tall office building. Delivery vans often parked there, so the van didn't attract much attention.

“You go over the west wall onto the property. Our hacker will deactivate the camera surveillance there. Then gain access to the northern outbuilding,” Xu Zhengqing explained the procedure. “From the outbuilding, you can access the roof of the southern property. I'll give you the equipment. We will trigger a temporary power cut in the residential area twice. You use this to change the building. The time window is tight, so you'll have to be quick.”

“Won't the floodlights pick up the rope as soon as we're over there?” Xiao Dao interjected. 

“You'll get special equipment. Crow will cross to the other side with you. Hawk will stay on the uninhabited property. You know what to do.”

Wenjie looked at the silhouette on the screen that Xu Zhengqing presented to them. The scenario reminded him of the Water Lily case. With one difference. This rope did not stay in place permanently. 

“Once you're on the roof, Crow will remove the skylight and you can climb in. Security only stays outside the building and on the first floor. As long as the motion detectors don't trigger an alarm, you can move around freely on the upper floors. There is a connecting bridge on the second floor. Use it to get to the main building, where the safe is located.”

Xu Zhengqing handed them a map of the building. It showed the corridors they should take. The destination was marked with a red X. 

“Crow will install a device in the adjacent building that will allow our hacker to access the camera surveillance from the car. The vault is a little tricky, but you've done well in training. You'll get it cracked.”

Wenjie frowned. He let them go to the safe alone? Why was he taking this risk? After all, this allowed them to lay tracks and leave messages. Unless. He took a deep breath and lightly nudged Ding Wei's shin with his shoe.

Xiao Dao looked at him. Wenjie's expression made him understand that their plan had been canceled. They had to go through with it the way Xu Zhengqing wanted. Ding Wei signaled to him with a nod that he had understood. 

“Do you have any questions or comments?” Monsieur's gaze flitted back and forth between them. There was a lurking undertone in his voice. 

Wenjie shook his head. 

Xiao Dao grinned and put his arm around his shoulder. “You're good to go. I'm looking forward to our first job together.”

Wenjie pushed his arm away and stood up. 

Each of them was given a small backpack with thieves' tools and the safety harness for changing buildings. They were also given special gloves and adhesive strips for their boots.

By now it had become dark outside. The light from the street lamps only illuminated the main road. The sky was overcast, which meant that neither the moon nor the stars replaced the blackness. 

With the special equipment, it was easy to get over the wall and onto the abandoned property. The way up to the roof also went without complications. Despite the map he had given them, Xu Zhengqing was in contact with them by radiocommunication. 

This might be, to give them a sense of security. It made Wenjie more vigilant. Six months ago, he would never have expected, to find himself in a situation like this again. 

From the top, they had a good view of the adjacent area. The floodlights not only covered the entire garden area. Their light shone on the whole estate, right up to the roofs. 

A fresh breeze passed over their heads. Then, from one second to the next, the grounds plunged into darkness. Crow and Hawk had already prepared everything in the meantime. The rope with the hook whizzed over to the other side. Crow pulled hard on it and attached the other end to their roof. Then he crossed over to the other side. 

Wenjie and Xiao Dao followed him. This time there were no unforeseen interruptions, forcing them to shimmy along the rope. They dashed across in one go and were met by Crow on the other side. 

Ding Wei gave, raising his hand on the other roof. Wenjie swung in, while Crow released the hook and shot the rope back. Shortly afterwards, the spotlights came back on.

to be continued ...