"Boss, it's taking too long. When are we going to move? It's almost dawn," complained Raven, slouching in the car seat, his heavy body sinking into the backseat.

"Wait," Eric replied in a serious tone, glancing at Nina, who was sitting beside him. "Nina, what's the time?"

Nina checked her watch. "Soon," she said.

Eric nodded and turned his gaze forward. Raven did the same, looking at their target—a grocery store a few meters away. The store looked spacious from the outside, with many parked cars and an aged appearance, covered in moss and with cracked ceilings.

Eric quietly pulled out his gun from his pants and hid it under his jacket. When Raven saw this, he grinned—it was a sign they were about to move.

"Finally," Raven said excitedly.

He scanned the area, his eyes stopping at the security guard sitting outside the store near the glass door. The guard was holding something close to his ear, but Raven couldn't make out what it was.

"Wait, we need to wait a bit longer," Eric said.

"What?! It's been hours! I'm getting impatient!" Raven whined.

Eric glared at him, his voice firm and commanding. "When I say wait, you wait."

"Sorry, it won't happen again," Raven replied, though his tone was laced with irritation. *If you weren't the boss's trusted man, I'd have killed you already,* he thought to himself.

Hours passed, and they still hadn't moved. Dawn was approaching, and the only sounds were the occasional gusts of wind and the hum of the car engine.

"It's almost time," Eric said.

"You keep saying that," Raven mocked, pulling out a pack of Fortune cigarettes. He lit one and took a deep drag, noticing Nina's trembling hands.

"Looks like someone's nervous," he teased, tapping Nina's shoulder. "Relax, Nina. Trust the boss and the plan."

Nina frowned and pushed his hand away. "Keep your hands off me."

"Whoa, calm down," Raven replied.

Eric noticed Raven's comment and turned to Nina, his brow furrowed. "Do you trust me, Nina?" he asked seriously.

"Yes," she whispered, but her expression and body language betrayed her doubt.

Eric sighed. "Don't worry. Everything will go smoothly, and after this, we can rest."

"Ha! That's what I like about you, boss!" Raven laughed. "Can we go on a trip or stay at a nice hotel after this? Or maybe hit a bar with some girls?"

"Sure—after we finish this," Eric said, motivating the group.

Raven grinned, taking another drag of his cigarette. Nina smiled slightly, her doubts easing a bit. Moments later, the security guard stood up and went inside the store.

"Boss, look," Raven said softly.

"It's time," Nina whispered.

"It's showtime!" Raven said with a wide grin.

Eric started the car and drove closer to the store. When they got out, Eric scanned the area—no people in sight, just a few parked cars and trucks passing by on the road. His gun was still hidden under his jacket, while Nina kept watch, observing their surroundings.

"Wait, boss," Raven said, heading to the back of the car. He opened the trunk and confidently pulled out a shotgun.

They then put on their face masks and walked toward the grocery store entrance. Through the glass, they could see four customers, a cashier, and the security guard inside.

"Make it quick," Eric told his team. He opened the door, and Raven entered first. As soon as he stepped in, he declared the hold-up.

"Good evening, everyone!" he shouted confidently. "This is a robbery!"

The customers inside the store froze in shock. "Oops, oops! Don't move, just cooperate, and this'll be over quickly," Raven said.

He quickly scanned the store, looking for something—the security cameras. When he spotted one on the ceiling, he shot it with his shotgun, the loud blast shattering the camera.

The customers screamed in fear, some kneeling and others lying flat on the floor.

"Hey, hey! Hands up, guard!" Eric immediately pointed his gun at the security guard before he could reach for his weapon.

"On your knees!" he ordered.

"I said, on your knees!" Eric shouted.

The guard slowly knelt as Eric approached, keeping his gun trained on him. Eric signaled Nina, who nodded and walked over to the cashier.

"Put all the money in here," Nina ordered, tossing a black bag onto the counter.

"Hurry up!"

"Y-yes!" the cashier stammered, quickly grabbing the money from the counter and stuffing it into the bag. Her hands trembled, and some bills fell to the floor as she worked.

Meanwhile, Raven faced the four customers—two men in their mid-40s, a woman in her early 20s, and an older man in his 50s. They were all shaking on the floor.

"Come here, all of you!" Raven commanded. The four nervously crawled toward him on their knees.

Raven grinned and approached the young woman. "You're cute. What's your name?" he asked, playing with a strand of her hair.

"P-please, don't," the woman stammered, her face pale with fear.

"Raven!" Eric called sharply, giving him a stern look.

Raven stopped playing with the woman's hair. "What, boss? I just wanted to know her name—" he said.

As Eric turned his attention back to Raven, the security guard seized the opportunity to lunge at Eric, trying to grab his gun. The two struggled, falling to the floor. Eric groaned in pain as the guard pushed him down, knocking over shelves and scattering grocery items everywhere.

"Bo-s-s-s!" Raven shouted, shocked by the sudden turn of events.

Before Raven could react, the older man rushed at him. Raven didn't expect anyone to have the courage to fight back. He was knocked to the floor, surprised by the older man's strength. It turned out the man was a retired soldier.

"Quick! Help!" the older man shouted. The two other men hesitated, unsure whether to intervene.

"Ramon, what's happening?" the security guard yelled, still struggling with Eric. Suddenly, another security guard emerged from the back of the store, pointing his gun at Eric.

"Bang! Bang!" Two gunshots rang out. Eric was hit in the back, blood spreading across the floor. He groaned in pain and stopped moving.

"Eric!" Nina screamed, frozen in shock. She hadn't expected things to go this way. Their intel had failed—there were two guards on duty instead of one. Their plan had fallen apart, and their carelessness had led to disaster.

Raven, using all his strength, broke free from the older man and grabbed his shotgun. Despite the older man's military background, his age worked against him. Raven aimed and fired.

"Bang! Bang!" The deafening shots echoed through the store, causing screams of terror.

The older man was thrown into the shelves, his body riddled with holes, blood and flesh spilling out. Raven's face was splattered with blood.

Nina rushed to Eric, who was lying motionless on the floor. She knelt beside him. "Eric…"

"Bang! Bang!" Raven fired at the two men, killing them both. As he stood up, he noticed the young woman and the cashier cowering in fear. Suddenly—

"Bang!"

"Damn it!" Raven groaned, collapsing to the floor. He dropped his shotgun, feeling the burning pain of the bullet in his stomach. Blood poured out, and his vision began to blur.

"Bang!"

He couldn't hear anything anymore. The world around him darkened, and his body grew cold. The last thing he saw was Nina sobbing on the floor.

-!