As Max arrived on the second floor, nearing the stairs to the first, Ranga's voice rang again.
(This is bad. One of them seemed to notice my communication and went to the second floor. That thief disguised as a lady in a red dress with a rose hairband. I am confident that's a thief from how she moved.)
That meant the thief came up from the stairs. Being close to it, Max decided to hide behind a pillar and looked around. He immediately spotted the target. The thief didn't seem to see him hiding and changed the disguise to an old man in a neat suit.
"The thief is here. He's now a balding old man in a black suit with a handkerchief in his chest pocket. Mimipopo, I will leave him to you."
(Roger that! I have a vision of him now. Tell me when to catch him.)
After getting a confirmation from his teammate, Max walked out of his hiding place and passed by the thief.
A smirk appeared on the disguised thief's face, but Max ignored him, knowing his smirk wouldn't stay long.
Arriving on the first floor, he walked into an inconspicuous place and contacted Ranga, who was standing near the large entrance.
"I am here. Where are the thieves?"
(One of them is a lady in blue with a large bosom. I am close to her, so I will tackle and handcuff her. The other is wandering in the center of a room, disguised as a waiter. He walked around, waiting for a chance for the target to appear. It may be a painting or a piece of jewelry one of the guests wears.)
(I also think that's the case. Two of the thieves are on the outside venue. I think they are looking around for a guest.) Leafy, who was on the watch from the East escape way, reported.
(If that's the case, they probably will escape from the helicopter. I will get myself ready and set my trap.) builderSix added.
The target was unknown to the police. Identifying it was a part of the skill that those Tier 2 players already had. Fortunately, the thieves didn't really work together and were greedy. Thanks to that, it was easier to identify the target.
"Alright then. I have an eye on the waiter. When I say go, we will act at the same time."
(Got it.)
(Roger!)
Both Ranga and Mimipopo answered. Once again, Max was grateful to have a good teammate like them, whom he could trust, unlike the first game.
Walking silently without creating any noise, Max approached the waiter, who held a tray filled with empty glasses. He passed by the NPCs without touching them. The thief was still unaware of his presence and tried his best to stay out of sight.
Unfortunately, things weren't as smooth as he had planned.
When he reached 5 meters behind the waiter, the thief disguised as a lady with a big bosom noticed him and said something through their communication device.
(It's bad! One of them notice you!) Ranga warned with an urgent tone as he sprung into action.
At that moment, the waiter stopped absurdly and turned around, looking straight at Max. Without letting the thief make any move, he immediately leaped toward him and gave a sign.
"Go!"
Caught off guard, the lady and the waiter couldn't move. Max pushed the waiter down and handcuffed him. As soon as he did that, the disguised thief returned to his real appearance, a clown-masked man wearing a black skintight bodysuit.
This trap's effect was simple. It would paralyze the thief passing through the sonar for 3 seconds and give a notification to Max through a communication device. It might not be much, but that was enough for him to return and apprehend the thief.
After making sure it worked, he walked toward the women's area without hesitation while singing something in a creepy voice.
"Ding dong, I know you can hear me. Open up the door! I only wanna play a little."
Three stalls were waiting for him in the women's area. All the doors were closed, and within one of them was the thief's hiding place. Just by looking at the area, Max could guess the thief's plan.
Still, that didn't matter. Max knew where the thief was hiding. The white fabric that stuck out from under was as clear as a day.
'He's in the middle, huh?'
Walking closer, he grinned.
"It's already too late for you to try and run away. Just wait, you can't hide from me."
He stopped in front of the stall and then...
"Knock, knock. I am at your door now." He said, "I am coming in."
He kicked it open.
Inside, a girl wearing a summer dress was crouching on top of a toilet, looking scared.
Max's grin only widened at the sight. He raised the handcuff he held in his hand and spoke in a high-pitched, creepy voice.
"Aha! I found you."
"Hiiee! Forgive me! FORGIVE ME!"
Click!
Ignoring her plea, Max cuffed her hands.
"Now, you're it."
Her appearance changed to a monkey-masked girl in an exaggeratedly colorful suit. Cheerful notifications rang, and the game ended before the thief could even steal the target.
Blue light engulfed him, and he was teleported away to the police waiting place with his teammates. All of them smiled brightly, happy to win the round. Max was also happy. He skimmed through the notification and only read the tournament points he gained.
[Tier 2 Tournament Points +132.]
[Congratulations!]
Yeah, that was much more than his first game.
'It's doing good.' He mused in his mind. 'I only need to keep it up.'