The dreadlocked man leaned forward, his fingers drumming excitedly on his knees. "Now, let's discuss what we can do for you. What's the job?"

  Ran and the man looked at each other. Everyone's attention in the room was focused on them. The rabbit woman's ears perked up with curiosity, the hawk woman's sharp eyes studied them. The cat woman stretched on the arm of the couch, her green eyes gleaming.

  "First," said the man, lowering his voice, "we'd like to know who you are. Ainsley praised you but... didn't give details."

  The dreadlocked man laughed. "Ah, of course!" He leaned back, adopting a relaxed posture. "We're the Shadow Brotherhood. We roam the dark corners of the internet, finding system vulnerabilities and... sometimes exploiting those vulnerabilities. Of course, our work isn't limited to just that! We also steal things for those who request it."

  "He said the stealing part like it was an afterthought..."

  The rabbit woman chimed in, her voice excited. "I'm Luna! The mediator and negotiator. I'm good at talking to people and making deals because I'm cute." She smiled proudly, wrinkling her pink nose.

  "Avis," said the hawk woman, adjusting her glasses. "Data analysis and surveillance are my specialties. If information needs to be gathered about a target, that's my job."

  The cat woman tilted her head slightly. "Shade," she said simply, her voice barely above a whisper. "Infiltration and covert operations." Her green eyes wandered through the shadows in the room.

  "And I'm Rex," said the dreadlocked man, spreading his arms wide. "I'm the group's leader. Though 'leader' might be too strong a word - let's say coordinator instead. Everyone's already an expert in their field."

  "Well," said the man, leaning forward. "Let's discuss how you can help us..."

  "Of course! Just tell us what the job is."

  "You're going to help me steal the Crown of Cintara," the man said with utmost seriousness.

  They all furrowed their brows and looked at each other. Then Rex raised a single eyebrow at the man.

  "What's that?"

  "What do you mean what's that? Haven't you ever heard of it?"

  "First time hearing about it."

  "Just tell them it's an important piece of jewelry for us."

  "It's an important piece of jewelry for me. Someone stole it from me, and I want it stolen back."

  "Don't worry, we won't judge your taste in jewelry. To each their own," said Rex, failing to suppress a smirk.

  "It's not mine!" the man protested. "It just belongs to someone important to me..."

  "Who are we stealing the crown from?" Rex asked.

  "The Mist Thieves."

  The smirk vanished from Rex's face instantly. Luna's ears fell back, Avis shot a sharp look over her glasses, and Shade's fur bristled slightly.

  "The Mist Thieves?" said Rex, the cheerful tone gone from his voice. "That's... an unexpected name."

  "Is there a problem with them?" asked the man, noticing the group's sudden change.

  Luna shifted uncomfortably. "The Mist Thieves are one of the most dangerous groups in the city. They're... not normal thieves."

  "They're definitely not normal thieves," said Avis, adjusting her glasses. "In the last three years, more than half of the groups that encountered them either disappeared or..."

  "Or their bodies were found," Shade completed, her voice lower than usual. "They're invisible like mist and deadly. They didn't get their name for nothing."

  Rex took a deep breath. "We'll charge a higher fee for this job. And we need more information. Where do they keep the crown? How many are there? What security systems do they have?"

  "And most importantly," said Avis, "why do you want to steal such a valuable crown? We need to know the real reason."

  The man and Ran looked at each other again. The tension in the room was almost palpable.

  "No, Avis. We've discussed this before. We don't need to know," said Rex.

  "But we're risking our lives for this! We have the right to-" before she could finish her sentence, Rex interrupted.

  "We're risking our lives only for the astralis we'll receive. The rest is between the boss and them."

  "These people can't steal the crown... They're too disorganized and inexperienced. We'll change the plan. They'll just create chaos inside. We'll confront the old man ourselves. We'll gouge out his eye if we have to."

  The man thought Geminga was right, even his inner voice trembling with anger. This amateur group, with their overconfident attitudes and lack of coordination, wouldn't last a minute against the Mist Thieves. Maybe this was better. They could use them as a distraction and deliver the real blow themselves.

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  Avis pursed her lips but didn't object. She was still casting suspicious looks from behind her glasses.

  "Alright," said Rex, returning to his relaxed demeanor. "Then let's discuss the details. Where is this crown?"

  "In a factory in the old harbor district. But I don't want you to steal the crown. As I said before, you'll help me steal it. What I want from you is to create a distraction... no, chaos."

  "Creating chaos is exactly our kind of job!" Rex leaned forward, with a serious expression. "But first we need some vital information. How many security guards are in the factory? How do the shifts change? What are the patrol routes and timings?"

  "Also," he continued, tapping his fingers on the table, "camera systems, alarm mechanisms, motion sensors - we need to know all the details about these. Where are the entry and exit points to the factory? Emergency exits? Ventilation systems?"

  "And inside..." he said, narrowing his eyes, "what else is there? Just security guards, or do the Mist Thieves have their own men too? Traps? Special security systems? Anything we can use to create chaos. Every detail is important - even the smallest piece of information could save a life."

  "The patrol shifts change every four hours. If you ask me, midnight should be the time to move. Four groups with flashlights patrol around the factory. There's about thirty meters between each group. But sometimes there are changes, sudden group switches, accelerations, returns to the factory... Also, there are three lookouts on top of the factory. That's why we need someone to be our eyes from above."

  "The factory has two entrances - front and back. I and the quietest one among you will enter through the back door. I want chaos to break out at the front of the factory. This way, all attention will be drawn to the front entrance, and we can more easily slip in through the back door."

  As the man was about to continue speaking, a toilet flush sound came from inside.

  The door creaked open and an unusual, tall figure glided in. It was a man with a humanoid body, but his head, neck, and entire body resembled a cobra. His smooth, black scales and wide hood expanded and contracted slightly with each breath. His sharp yellow eyes surveyed everyone in the room, his forked tongue tasting the air.

  He wore black, slim-fit pants and a gray hoodie. From the neck down, his anatomy was completely human-like - muscular arms, strong hands, and an athletic build. Although his face had cobra features, his expressions were quite human. There was an intelligent sparkle in his eyes and a slightly mischievous smile at the corners of his mouth.

  Without greeting anyone, he casually walked around the back of the couch. His hands in his hoodie pockets, he walked slowly. As he sat down at the computer, he pulled the chair to himself, grabbed the mouse, and turned on the monitor. A game's opening screen appeared.

  "Stellar Conquest again?" Rex muttered, rolling his eyes. The cobra-man didn't respond, just tilted his head slightly and grinned. His long fingers touched the keyboard while his scaly head stayed close to the screen.

  His presence had changed the atmosphere in the room. Luna pulled back slightly, Avis watched him carefully from behind her glasses. Shade remained expressionless as usual, but her ears had fallen back slightly.

  He turned down the game's volume and cracked his fingers as if warming up. "This time I'll conquer the galaxy!" he said, his voice hissy but understandable. "And none of you can stop me."

  Rex sighed. "We're in the middle of a meeting, Cipher. Be a bit professional."

  The cobra-man known as Cipher shrugged, his eyes still on the screen. "I'm listening. I'm listening very well. You know I can play games and pay attention at the same time." His forked tongue flicked out again, tasting the air.

  Rex sighed. "We can continue."

  After thinking silently for a while, the man began to explain. His voice was low and controlled, but the anger and concern in his eyes were evident.

  "There's a massive underground complex beneath the factory. Giant machines at least three stories high, rows of glass tubes... And inside those tubes..." He paused, swallowed. "There are people. Or things that were once people. The Mist is... transforming them."

  Everyone listened carefully. Even Cipher had paused his game, his yellow eyes fixed on the man.

  "Each tube is filled with dense mist. The people seem to be suffocating in this mist, but they don't die. In a constant cycle... Scientists are recording everything, measuring, taking notes. Like they're conducting an experiment."

  "In the center of the complex, there's a tube larger than the others. The mist inside is reddish in color. The scientists are particularly interested in that one."

  Rex leaned forward, fingers on his chin thoughtfully. "Security systems? Escape points?"

  "There are pipes everywhere, some transparent. A green liquid flows through them. Cranes on the ceiling, rail system on the floor... Chemical storage, acid tanks, pressurized gas cylinders... There are emergency exits and fire extinguishers, but not many. I also saw a large water tank with a pump system."

  Luna jumped in excitedly. "Those pipes! If we blow up the pressurized gas cylinders..."

  "No," Rex said firmly. "There are innocent people inside. We can't cause an uncontrolled explosion."

  Avis adjusted her glasses. "But we need to create a disturbance, right? Maybe we can target the water tank and pump system. We'll crash the cooling system."

  Cipher turned in his gaming chair. "I could try to infiltrate their systems. But I need physical access to the security network."

  Rex stood up, starting to pace slowly around the room. "Okay, let's make a plan. But we need to be careful. This isn't an ordinary operation anymore. Something much darker is going on here..."

  "Luna," said Rex, "you'll be the distraction at the front door. Do something flashy, but don't put yourself in danger."

  "Shade, you'll go with the boss."

  "Avis, research something about the water tank and cooling systems. Learn how we can disable them. Buy us time for Cipher to infiltrate the system."

  "Cipher, you're coming with me. We'll enter through the back door. While you hack the security systems, I'll protect you."

  The cobra-man got up from his gaming chair, stretched. "Finally, some real action," he hissed, his eyes gleaming.

  "Does everyone understand what they're doing?" Rex asked, looking at each person in the room. They all nodded. Then he turned to the man. "Only the fee remains to be discussed, boss. We want two thousand astralis per person. I think it's a reasonable fee considering we're risking our lives."

  The man handed Rex the chip he was holding. "You can use what's inside as an advance payment. You'll get the rest when we get the crown."

  Rex was excited after the man's words. It was clear this was their first mission of this kind. The man couldn't help but worry about this young team.

  He was planning to request the large sum of money he would pay to the Shadow Brotherhood from Zeta. Although the fee requested for such a dangerous mission was high, he had no other choice. He expected Zeta to be understanding about this matter. Even if they weren't, he didn't really care.

  "Can you defend yourselves if things don't go as planned?"

  "Don't worry boss, we know how to fight. We have weapon and magic users."

  The man nodded approvingly at the team's confident response. At least knowing they were skilled enough to defend themselves put his mind at ease. Still, he couldn't help but worry about the young team.

  "How much time do we have to prepare?" Rex asked.

  "Tomorrow, we start the operation at midnight. Do whatever you need to until then."

  "We don't have much time, but we'll do our best! Shadow Brotherhood, let's begin preparations!"

  Before leaving, he described the factory's location to the team. He designated their previous surveillance spot with Ran as the meeting point.

  "Sir, we just learned the factory's location from the spider lady. How could you know the location of those things inside?"

  The man hesitated for a moment, swallowed. Trying to ignore the question, he quickly changed the subject. "Time is short. You need to prepare."