ROB THEM BLIND - FOUR
— Home // Genshin Impact Bank Robbery AU
It was early enough in the day that the bank was not officially open yet, but the employees were preparing for the busy day ahead. Zhongli had explained to her that, for this particular bank, the absence of customers was preferred because he could not guarantee their safety.
Lumine winced. “Because there might be a shootout?”
“No. Our members are skilled enough that they can avoid civilians,” Zhongli responded. “But I’m afraid some banks are willing to hurt their own clients in order to protect their riches.”
As terrible as it sounded, Lumine could understand why. Banks make up the most powerful organizations in New Liyue. It would be easy for them to pay out the costs of collateral damage. The damage to their pride after being robbed, however, was not a price most of them were willing to pay.
The Nantianmen Bank was a grand establishment. On the outside, it looked like a place of worship, with marble columns and intricate stonework decorating the walls. It made the bank that Lumine had tried to rob a few days prior look like a corner convenience store.
Zhongli led them to an inconspicuous, employees-only entrance. Amazingly, the door opened without any need for a password or ID card. Lumine furrowed her brows. What kind of bank has such lax security?
Seeing her confusion, Zhongli merely said, “I consider this a part of our business expenses.”
“Gotta spend money to make money, right?” Itto remarked, ducking under the frame as he followed Zhongli and Ajax through the door.
The bank was even grander within. Chandeliers hung from the fifty-feet ceilings, bathing the foyer in a rich, warm glow. The floors were cool marble, so cold that Lumine could almost feel the frost biting through her shoes. A tall arch at the end of the hall beckoned people to walk through her, bending gracefully as she welcomed them into her lair.
Lumine could not stop her jaw from dropping open. Never in her life had she ever stepped foot in such a beautiful and embellished place. Even the air felt different here: cold, regal, luxurious.
“Do not stray,” Zhongli instructed in a low voice, as not to wake the sleeping beasts hidden inside the walls. “Follow my steps exactly.” He began to walk towards the arch, and they headed there in a single-file line. Zhongli led the front, followed by Ajax, who looked as if he was taking a stroll in a park rather than heading to rob a high-security bank, and finally Itto and Lumine bringing up the back.
Lumine heard his words, but they barely registered in her brain. She was too dazzled by the grandeur of the interior, too busy drinking in every detail. She could see Itto getting further and further away from her from the corner of her eye, but she didn’t care. Her gaze was captured by one of the fresco paintings decorating the walls. It depicted a beautiful woman with long, white-blonde hair that appeared like threads of gold, the strands fluttering in a summer breeze. Her figure was voluptuous and alluring as she leaned against a thick tree, with red silk lazily draped over her supple flesh. She held a golden apple in one hand. A white snake wrapped itself around her arm, its forked tongue sipping at the air around the apple. The woman seemed to be coaxing Lumine towards her. Come closer. Come closer. Have a taste.
“Traveller, stop!” Itto’s loud roar broke her out of her trance, but it was too late. She hadn’t noticed, but she was now turned towards the painting. The moment Lumine set her foot down in its direction, a rumbling shook the ground. Her head snapped up, just in time to stare at the boulder plummeting towards her from the ceiling.
Before she could scream, a massive force knocked the wind out of her lungs. They tumbled on the freezing marble floors. Itto’s strong arms held her tight against him, cushioning her fall.
“Are you okay?” Itto asked her.
“Y-Yeah…” Lumine replied, scrambling to her feet. “But your mask…your treasure!”
A chunk of Itto’s mask was missing, revealing one piercing red eye. Blood trickled from his head where the boulder had just barely grazed him. “It’s fine. S’long as you’re not hurt.”
The thundering of boots filled the echoed in the hall as guards streamed out from thin air. Within a few seconds, Itto and Lumine were cornered against a wall, barrels pointed towards them.
“Not so unreliable now, am I?” Itto grinned a toothy smile. “Stay behind me!” He used one arm to pull Lumine back, the other grabbing the machine gun strapped to his back.
Before Itto could even flick off the safety, however, all of the guards crumpled to the ground.
“Huh?” Lumine cried.
Itto blinked in surprise. “Did…Did I do that?”
“No, idiot.” Ajax walked towards them, resting a long tranquilizer gun on his shoulders. “What, you think you just willed them all to sleep?”
“Maybe I have some super secret powers!”
Ajax snorted. “Sure, and the police will catch me someday,” he said sarcastically. “You okay?”
“Y-Yeah, thanks…” Lumine said.
“Consider yourselves lucky that our leader had a bit of cash in his back pocket. Otherwise these guys would be a bit more difficult to deal with.” Ajax kicked at one of the knocked-out guards. “Come on. Warm up’s over. We have a bank to rob.”
The rest of the robbery went smoothly. No other guards moved to intercept them, and the bank staff were terrified but obedient. Lumine felt odd as she held out the bag, watching the bank tellers drop bundles of paper with shaky hands. No guns were pointed at anyone—just the presence of the machine gun on Itto’s back and the dart gun resting on Ajax’s shoulders seemed to be enough.
Just as in accordance to the plan, the four of them were picked up by Thoma, who drove a winded route that included multiple sudden turns to throw off any pursuers.
Rather than being praised for a job well done, however, they were greeted with a scolding from Xiao.
“How can you be so careless?” Xiao hissed. “They will take that chunk of your mask as evidence. It’s incriminating.”
Itto shrugged. “They also have footage of us there. Isn’t that also incriminating?”
Before Xiao could spit back a response, Ajax’s easy voice cut in. “Relax, Xiao.” His hands were folded behind his head as he leaned back against the couch, legs crossed and shoes on the coffee table. “It doesn’t matter. No matter how much evidence they have, doesn’t matter if they can’t physically catch you. What good is evidence against a man they can’t catch, eh? Worked for me.”
Ajax closed his eyes. “And even if we do get caught…” he said, voice round and mellowed as he let out a large yawn. He opened one eye, resting it on Zhongli, who was standing behind the couch. “Right, Morax?”
“As long as you all keep your head on your shoulders and perform your duty, I will do everything in my power to protect you all,” Zhongli said solemnly.
“So that’s that. Just leave it, Xiao. We made it out alive and rich, didn’t we? It’s all good,” Ajax said. Even though his words were reassuring, his tone was taunting.
But Xiao didn’t take the bait. Instead, he turned to glare at Lumine. She felt a chill spark at the base of her spine as his sharp gold eyes pierced her skin. “And you,” he said, voice low. “What were you thinking? You endangered the whole operation. You could have gotten them all killed.”
Lumine hung her head. Before she could mumble an apology, however, she felt a hand gently pat the back of her head.
“Be more careful next time,” Zhongli said, soft as springtime. “You’re one of us now. You must take care of yourself.”
She didn’t raise her head, but nodded slightly. “Yes, sir.”
His smile was visible in his voice. “Good.”
Without another word, he left the room, heading down the hall to his office. Lumine watched him go. The spot on her head where he had patted her felt warm.
