The institute's higher-ups were livid, feeling like they'd been made fools of, but when the swindler walked right into their trap, they couldn't help but feel gleeful.

Did he even bother to look whose territory this was before coming to cause trouble?

In the exhibition room, Locket's expression didn't change as he calmly retreated. Straightening his collar, he looked at Han Xiao with arrogance, and said lightly, "The moment you make any rash move, like trying to grab me as a hostage, you'll be riddled with bullets instantly. So, don't even think about taking any risky chances. Put down your gun and obediently surrender. You still have a chance to live."

Han Xiao looked up at the dark muzzles of the defensive machine guns, and the surveillance cameras in the corners of the ceiling. The higher-ups were watching his every move through those cameras. He also knew that the air vents could release nerve gas.

His expression remained blank as he uttered a voice command.

"Initiate program."

The mech's smart chip instantly recognized the command, processing it into an electromagnetic signal. The mech's smart chip connected to the waiting computer, entered the institute's network, and activated the hacker program planted in the institute the night before.

The institute's network matrix was like a set of dominoes, and this hacker program was like the first domino to fall, causing a chain reaction. It took almost no effort to breach the institute network's core permissions, and control of the system changed hands in seconds.

This wasn't a hacker program that Han Xiao had written on the spur of the moment. He had manufactured all sorts of smart chips, and to prevent them from being seized and controlled, he'd created a number of anti-intrusion programs, and had also written some intrusion programs. He just hadn't had the chance to use them until now.

The tactical holographic screen displayed a map of the institute. Han Xiao gave the command, and the walls of the exhibition room split open, revealing the medicine display cases once again. The ceiling-mounted machine gun array retracted, and the main door swung open with a bang.

When he'd infiltrated the institute's network yesterday, he'd looked at the institute's structure. He was already clear on the exhibition room's security measures. The institute also had some heavily guarded warehouses that stored large quantities of medicine, but the amount was too large. Han Xiao could only carry a limited amount of medicine with him, and the quantity in the exhibition room was just right.

The change in events caused the institute's higher-ups' faces to change dramatically.

"What's going on? The system suddenly went out of control!"

"Quickly regain control!"

The technician on the side was covered in sweat, frantically pounding on the keyboard, line after line of code flashing across the screen, when suddenly the entire screen turned green and crashed. The technician said with a weeping face, "It's no good! The other side's program is intruding too quickly! There's no way to fix it in a short amount of time!"

"He made preparations yesterday!" The higher-ups gnashed their teeth in hatred.

Inside the exhibition room, Locket was dumbfounded. Meeting Han Xiao's pitch-black visor, fear instantly gripped his heart. His legs went weak and he fell to the ground, stammering, "I, I..."

Bang!

The smoking muzzle appeared on the floor between his legs.

Locket peed himself in fear, not daring to move.

"Stay there and don't move, and you'll have a chance to live," Han Xiao said in a playful tone.

"Okay, okay, calm down," Locket replied hurriedly, cold sweat soaking his back, obediently acting like a trembling quail.

Han Xiao smashed open all the display cases. The mech's amplification made his punch stronger than a bullet. He took out his backpack and stuffed all the medicine inside, making it bulge.

He patted the bag with satisfaction. What a great haul!

At first, he hadn't had the idea of robbing the institute, until he accidentally heard Locket and the higher-ups discussing Yang Dian and Nide. Since the institute wasn't on the up-and-up, Han Xiao wasn't interested in dealing with them nicely. Since they weren't good people, then they'd play by the rules of villains: whoever had the bigger fist could take whatever they wanted.

If the people he interacted with had faith, ambition, and what he considered to be reliable principles, Han Xiao wouldn't mind having normal interactions. But if they made him feel uncomfortable, and weren't strong enough, then he wouldn't be polite. He'd unleash his former player instincts, grabbing whatever he saw. He was very interested in the institute's medicine. Actually, he preferred to convince people with virtue… and beat them if they didn't submit.

Although Han Xiao wasn't as universally loving as a "superhero," and wasn't interested in self-sacrificing behavior, he liked kind people. It was certainly more comfortable to be friends with good people than to deal with bad people. Even bad people preferred to be friends with good people, since it was safe, reliable, and untainted.

Unfortunately, people's hearts weren't what they used to be, and social morality was declining. There were fewer and fewer "good people." You couldn't tell which smiling face was hiding a malicious intent, and you couldn't tell which "brother" would be willing to stick knives into your ribs. On the surface, they acted like brothers, but behind your back, they'd say all sorts of things. Even people from the same hometown would turn around and try to swindle you.

Often, your persistence was just seen by others as your obligation, and your efforts were just the means for others to extract benefits. People's feelings weren't connected. It was like the Louis Institute using Yang Dian and Nide's enthusiasm, just like he was taking away the institute's efforts.

A common saying suddenly popped into Han Xiao's head: Karmic justice is always served; evil people will be punished by other evil people.

"I've become an evil person." Han Xiao chuckled. Opportunities to do bad things without feeling guilty weren't always available.

He wouldn't spend money on things he could steal. Next time, he'd change his face and be another stranger.

Now wasn't the time to count his gains. Han Xiao carried his backpack and strode toward the elevator.

Locket collapsed on the ground, breathing a heavy sigh of relief, his heart still pounding.

The higher-ups in the monitoring room saw that the medicine had been stolen, and their hearts were bleeding. One of the higher-ups said angrily, "Quickly think of a way!"

"I've got it. Have the switchboard cut off all power to the underground floors and trap him!"

"Immediately ask the Red Maple government for assistance! We still have guards. Gather them all at the main gate. As long as we can hold the enemy for fifteen minutes, the army will arrive, and I'll tear him apart!"

Arriving in front of the elevator, all the lights on the entire floor suddenly went out, plunging it into darkness. Han Xiao raised an eyebrow, switched to night vision mode, and said to himself with a dark smile, "Cut off the power? I expected as much."

Han Xiao bent his legs, and the elasticity generated by the nano-muscle fibers gathered at his feet. He suddenly exploded with force, cracking the ground, and his whole body shot up like a cannonball, blasting through the ceiling and jumping directly to the floor above.

After two consecutive jumps, Han Xiao crashed into the lobby, and immediately saw the bodyguards gathering at the main gate. There were only twenty or so people now, not even a fifth of the institute's entire defense force. Han Xiao's method of going upstairs had been too fast, not leaving the institute much time to react.

The institute's higher-ups were startled by the mech's performance, and hurriedly ordered the bodyguards who had just gathered to attack.

"Hold the enemy, the other bodyguards will be able to support in a few seconds… Damn it!"

Before he could finish his order, Han Xiao had already sprung forward, suddenly starting up and instantly knocking over the bodyguards, like a bowling ball getting a strike. His momentum didn't decrease as he smashed through the glass of the main gate and disappeared onto the street, his speed so fast that all anyone saw was a black blur.

The institute's higher-ups were furious. They had placed high hopes on the bodyguard squad, thinking they could hold out for at least fifteen minutes, but they hadn't even lasted three seconds.

Seeing that the medicine couldn't be recovered, the higher-ups' hearts were bleeding, and they were furious.

"When will the Red Maple army arrive?"

"At least ten minutes."

"It's too late. That bastard has already run away. Is there any other way?"

Locket recovered his senses and immediately said, "Those two superheroes are still in the city. I'll contact them right away!"

"Quick, quick, quick!"