The socially awkward villain's furry superpower

When Rattles opened the vault door, it didn't take as much effort as he had expected.

The door itself was extremely heavy, made entirely of steel and reinforced metal, but the lock on the door had a plastic shell, which he easily tore off, allowing him to access the door's internal structure, and then he used his abilities.

He grunted and yanked the door open, revealing a safe the size of a wardrobe with several shelves inside.

Most of the shelves were neatly stacked with folders, except for the row in the very middle which contained cash, all in small canvas bags with zippers and combination locks.

He pulled the bag out and threw it into the trash bag he had taken out of his back pocket.

"It's done."

“I also received the cashier’s money,” Fabian said.

Latters paused. This was the perfect opportunity for Fabian to betray him.

They launched the attack while he had his back turned and the vault was already open.

If Rattles hadn't anticipated this, now would have been the perfect time to strike...

But Fabian did nothing. "Go through the back door?" he asked.

"Yes, I bet they've already charged over."

The large hole blasted into the back door of the bank was still where he had blown it open, so he led the way out, with Fabian following a step behind him.

“Where are you planning to go now?” Fabian asked.

"I don't know," what about you?

Fabian seemed to hesitate for a moment.

"If you want a 50/50 split, then come with me. But if you want to run away on your own, I won't blame you."

Kevin didn't care. He had already secured a large sum of cash, enough to last him for quite some time, even if split in two.

More importantly, he made the city's heroes look like a bunch of incompetents, which was more valuable than all the money in this run-down city.

"Fine, whatever. Do you have a hiding place?"

“Pretty much,” said the remarkable Fabian. “Just a place to hide for a while, until things calm down. Come on!”

Luttles slung the garbage bag full of cash over his shoulder and followed Fabian through the alley. He kept Charlotte's parking spot in his mind the whole time.

He didn't want her to stay in this godforsaken place for even a second longer than necessary.

Then, Fabian stopped next to a manhole cover in the middle of a narrow alley, casually lifted the cover, and pushed it aside.

"This pipe has been blocked for a long time, so it doesn't smell."

“Ha,” Ruttles said. He felt this was one of the unique advantages that the locals had. They knew their little town inside and out much better than outsiders like him.

This place seemed like an excellent ambush spot, but in reality, he was less worried about being in the sewers than outside.

This small, enclosed space, supported by old concrete, was perfect for him to demonstrate his abilities. The sound of his boots echoing softly as they stepped on the steps.

Fabian had already turned on his flashlight and was using it to illuminate the tunnel. The tunnel wasn't high enough for either of them to stand upright inside, and there was ankle-deep water at the bottom, but otherwise it looked quite ordinary.

"This way," Fabian said, pointing to the end of the road with his flashlight.

Rattles snapped his fingers, the sound carrying far. He closed his eyes for a moment, sensing his surroundings.

He doesn't have the echolocation ability of a bat, but one of his little abilities does give him a keen sense of his surroundings, especially after shockwaves bounce off objects.

He sensed that there was no one in front of him, only a tunnel branching off in several directions.

“I don’t plan to stay here for long,” just enough time to get rid of your bag.

“My bag?” Ruttles asked.

“Those little bags you’re carrying. They contain tracking devices. They’ll lead the police directly here.”

He had no idea about this beforehand. It would be terrible if the police suddenly burst into the motel while he was counting money.

They struggled through the tunnel for a while before stopping at the bottom of another ladder. Ruttles put the bag down and then pulled out a small bag.

He easily ripped off the zipper, and then he had a handful of five-dollar bills and a small metal disc, about the size of a one-dollar coin, with a small light in the middle.

It only has a serial number written on it, but it looks very suspicious.

“This is it,” Fabian said. “There should be one in every bag.”

"it is good."

Fortunately, he had brought several garbage bags, so they transferred the loose cash—including what Fabian had taken—into a new bag, and then threw all the empty bags and the trackers into another bag.

Then, they threw the bag out of the sewer drain and into some random alley.

“Come on, there’s a strip club around the corner. I’ve already booked a private room,” Fabian said.

“You’re quite the planner, huh?” Ruttles asked.

Fabian paused, then frowned. "In the early part of my short career, I didn't plan ahead, which caused me a lot of trouble, far beyond my expectations."

I understand now; over-planning is always better than under-planning.

This strip club was as vulgar as any Rattles had ever seen, especially since they entered through the back door. Fabian led him to a room with several luxurious chairs and a pole in the center of the room.

They unceremoniously dumped the cash onto the raised platform around the pole, and Fabian immediately began sorting the banknotes. Rattles helped as well.

After all, counting one's spoils is one of the more interesting parts of these kinds of things. "A total of... twelve thousand two hundred and forty dollars." Not much.

“We’ll each get $6,120,” Fabian said, “if you’re willing to split it 50/50.”

Ruttles shrugged. "Sure, sure." This money was a pleasant surprise after showing off in front of the heroes. This robbery had already allowed him to complete a few small tasks, which was great.

This money would allow him to find a place to stay for quite some time. He wanted to stay in a decent hotel, but that required an ID card.

Perhaps find a run-down apartment near the school? Some apartments might not be so...strict with legal requirements.

Fabian nodded. "I'll take six thousand, and the rest is yours. You opened the safe, which I couldn't do; that's fair."

"For a villain, you're quite friendly," Rattles grinned. That wasn't entirely fair to him. He'd seen plenty of villains who were surprisingly helpful to their own kind.

"Actually, I'm a lone wolf. It's just... slightly leaning towards the villain's side. And you're a complete villain?"

“That’s right,” Rattles said. “I think O’Claire needs a real villain.”

Fabian paused halfway through his movements, then looked up. "You don't know."

“What do I not know?” Ruttles asked.

"About the boss."

"Is there a villainous organization here?" Ruttles asked.

Fabian nodded. "I suppose so, that's right. It's not a large operation, and it's very secretive. I've only run into them a few times, and those few times were enough for me to understand that I shouldn't go too far."

“Never heard of them,” he said. “A bunch of lone wolves or something?”

Fabian shook his head. "As far as I know, they're almost all villains. The real deal. Their leader is a woman called 'Boss.' She's... the kind who's the mastermind behind everything."

“Ah,” Rattles said. He felt a little uneasy, but forced it down. He always hated mastermind villains. “Is this the only boss?”

"The boss and about five men. They seemed harmless until they revealed their true colors."

Fabian looked directly into Rattles' eyes through the mask. "I don't think O'Clair is as easy to deal with as you think."

Ruttles snorted. "I can handle a mastermind and her few poor lackeys."

Fabian shrugged. "Okay, don't blame me for not warning you. I won't mention you to her. We're not exactly friends."

They weren't enemies either. I committed robbery, while their villainous acts were more like...good deeds? I think.

“Hmm,” Ruttles said. His impression of this boss was getting worse. He had seen this kind of cowardly villain before.

Always cautious, avoiding any form of conflict, and only targeting those who are obviously weak.

They don't deserve his respect.

He doubted that this leader was qualified.

He leaned forward and picked up his pile of cash. "Want to have a drink before you go?" he asked.

He may not respect this boss, but that doesn't mean he won't try to extract as much information as possible from Fabian.