After the waiting countdown was over, the game officially started for the thieves. Max disguised himself as one of the NPC and entered the Midnight Club.
In the end, everyone was adamant about stealing the target and didn't arrive at any conclusion. They decided to work by themselves, putting their ego on the front. There was no teamwork at all, and no one secured the escape point.
"This is a mess." He sighed in exasperation.
If before he was irritated by those rude streamers, this time he was angry. The boiling anger he felt was enough for him to grit his teeth.
"Those fuckers tried to stop me from getting that 50 grand!"
While there was no one he talked to besides his viewers, who were 5 minutes behind, he kept yapping while making his way to the second floor of the Midnight Club. The target would appear in the VIP area, and he needed to get access to that before his teammates... Those burdens got it.
Arriving on the second floor, he changed his disguise to match the NPCs in the VIP area.
He also skillfully stole one of their VIP identification cards, which were key to some places. He found out about it when he was grinding his way to Tier 2. And the police officers apparently could check on them to find out thieves.
His appearance right now could be described as a classy middle-aged man wearing a black suit. He held a glass of wine in his right hand, twirling it with mechanical precision while looking at the dance floor right below. His left hand rested behind his left hand. It was a perfect NPC behavior.
'They will appear soon.'
Just as Max thought that, five flashes appeared inside the building, scattered between the first to third floor. The players who played as police officers had been deployed. That meant the target would appear soon.
'Diamond Wine. It will be brought to the third floor by a certain man dressed in butler clothes. That man will pass the second floor briefly, and that's the chance for thieves to steal it without going into the VIP area.'
Max recounted the knowledge he gained from playing this game many times. Before getting mad after being unable to advance easily, he decided to read all the guides, tips, and tricks to win easier. Alas, that was useless with bad teammates and forced him to buy police equipment to boost him to Tier 2.
Snatching the Diamond Wine on the second floor before it was delivered was the most effective strategy for thieves. Every player in this match surely knew about that too.
His teammates would surely try to snatch it too. That was why, before that, he had to move again.
'It's time.'
The NPCs were still panicking on the third floor. They were looking and moving around like ants that lost the pheromone ahead of them. No one made a logical movement, which made it harder for a thief to blend in.
However, as the police were gone, there was no need to blend in at all. Max moved swiftly toward the small lift and opened its door by entering a password he remembered from the guide.
'17701369.'
Because he inputted it correctly, he managed to open it without triggering any alarm. Inside, a golden bottle sat on a bucket filled with ice. The bottle's cap was made from a large diamond, and this was the target for today.
"I'll gladly take it."
Having teammates who didn't want to work together meant he didn't need to feel bad about losing. He didn't care anymore about this match, even though it was his first tournament match. What he cared about was filling his role and getting MMR as high as possible.
As soon as he snatched the bottle from the small lift, a similar alarm rang on the third floor. The whole lighting turned red and beeped loudly. His transformation was undone, and he had to make a run for it.
Without wasting a second, he activated his mask ability.
"Speed Mask!"
Max's speed doubled, and he ran across the room to reach the door on the other side. Entering the other room, he found a ladder leading to the roof, with an unlocked hatch. This was the rooftop escape the monkey mask talked about before the game began.
With a skillful movement, Max moved up and finally arrived at the roof. The commotion below seemed to subside, but there was no sign of the police officers yet. Looking around, he noticed that the thieves had spread to the map while getting chased.
"Dammit."
That was no good. One of them got too close to the North escape, rendering it practically useless. That meant only the South escape was good to use. And even then...
"There is also a police officer over there."
A police officer stood next to two tied-up thieves with stocking masks while one was patrolling around the South area. They were unable to escape from the chase. Max doubted that even if he saved them all, they would begin to work together.
What could happen might even be worse than them getting caught. One of his teammates could be consumed with their own greed and steal the Diamond Wine from his hand. That was why saving them was a stupid move.
"I guess it's all left to me."