After walking for a while, they arrived at the National Bank. As the name suggests, this bank is supported by the government and located in the center of the shopping street. Therefore, it is naturally large in scale and has a large number of employees.

Although it was Saturday, the bank was not closed. As usual, the employees were working. After all, this bank operates year-round and 24/7, something that private banks find hard to achieve. As for the employees' salary, one part is paid by the government, and the other is paid by the boss.

Speaking of government support, it gives people a feeling of unlimited reserve funds.

To sum up, basically wherever there is a National Bank, it is unlikely to have other banks. Although there may have been other banks in some places initially, once a National Bank opens nearby, the previous banks cannot compete and either voluntarily close or go bankrupt. Although it is said like this, there is not much difference between the former and the latter.

Because of this, the National Bank has basically monopolized the domestic market, and almost everyone's money is in the hands of the government. As for what the government does with this money, not many people care. People only care about their own interests, such as whether they can withdraw money whenever they want. Thinking about other things is considered a waste of time. Oh well, from this perspective, people really do "value efficiency."

Therefore, Ryuto, without exception, is a customer of this bank, and also a "loyal customer".

Although it is not clear how many years objectively count as being a loyal customer, at least Ryuto thinks so.

Although there were many people in the bank, a large part of them were queuing at the counters, probably to handle other matters. Although Ryuto didn't come to withdraw money, the task at hand was not that complicated, so he didn't need to go to the counter. Instead, he went to the self-service ATM.

There were much fewer people here compared to the counters, so Ryuto soon got his turn.

With a slightly trembling hand, Ryuto inserted his bank card and nervously pressed the balance button. Although Ryuto was mentally prepared, he couldn't help but sigh when he saw the result.

"Wow, this number is really pitiful!"

Because the bank card suffered serious injuries, the balance amount was extremely meager. I won't go into specifics here. Just imagine it, everyone can do that.

Knowing that sighing was useless, Ryuto immediately proceeded to the next step: transferring funds since there was no money left.

Ryuto connected to another account linked to the bank card, which, for certain special reasons, cannot be revealed specifically, so it is temporarily referred to as the "X account." When Ryuto opened the "X account," he couldn't help but feel relieved, like discovering an oasis in the desert.

Ryuto transferred part of the fund in the "X account," referred to as the "X fund," to the originally depleted account. After receiving the "X fund," the bank card immediately recovered to full health due to timely healing. Of course, the screen wouldn't display such things. It's not like it was dead and needed to be revived. It's just a casual expression here, not to be taken seriously.

After completing the transaction, Ryuto retrieved the card. Hiyori, who was standing nearby, spoke at this moment.

"Lord Ryuto, it seems that I also have this thing."

"Of course, it's almost impossible for anyone not to have one now!"

Ryuto replied with a matter-of-fact tone.

"Then I'll give it a try too. It looks fun; it's my first time seeing such a thing."

Hiyori pulled out a bank card from somewhere and imitated Ryuto, inserting the card into the card slot. However, she seemed to have trouble recalling the subsequent steps, so she turned to face Ryuto.

By the way, if I'm not mistaken, that card seems to be the VIP version, a special card only available to big clients of that bank, with a high overdraft limit.

"Lord Ryuto, what should I do next?"

"I think you should check the balance, so press this button."

"Oh, I see. Lord Ryuto, you know so much."

Hiyori exclaimed sincerely while operating.

"Even so, I can't be happy about it. It's not that I know much, but rather you know too little, Miss. It's like you're an alien, completely unaware of basic common knowledge."

But as soon as Hiyori thought about it more deeply, she gave up on further contemplation due to a strange feeling in her heart. She shook her head instinctively, as if trying to shake off that sensation.

"Is this it, Ryuto-sama?"

"Hmm... huh?!"

Ryuto, nodding in agreement, not only exclaimed in astonishment at the scene before him, but also felt like he had been struck by lightning. He immediately became serious and started confirming.

"Wait, let me see... One... two... damn, there are too many zeros, let me try again!"

"Um... Ryuto-sama..."

Hiyori felt curious about Ryuto's intense emotional changes, but hesitated to interrupt. She silently watched him.

"Why does it feel like there are more and more zeros? Forget it, I won't count anymore."

Afraid of the numbers increasing, Ryuto gave up on his previous foolish behavior with a confused expression.

"Hiyori, is this your first time using a bank card?"

Ryuto's sudden question caught Hiyori off guard.

"Are you referring to this card? Yes, it is."

"Then, what's the deal with the unreasonable amount of zeros on the card?"

"I... I don't know."

Hiyori tilted her head, looking clueless.

"This card was given to me by my father before I came here. He said it's for expenses. I didn't quite understand it back then. Is there a problem, Ryuto-sama?"

"No, no, there's no problem. It's fine, it's fine."

Ryuto mumbled in confusion.

She's simply a rich girl, isn't she? Ah, the radiance is blinding. Subconsciously, Ryuto squinted his eyes because of the intense light that didn't actually exist.

Is this the reason why Hiyori lacks basic common sense? Ryuto muttered to himself, knowingly asking himself.

*****************************************************

After leaving the ATM, Ryuto went to the restroom. Isn't this a national bank? The level of luxury in the restroom is extraordinary, surpassing that of a five-star hotel. It is equipped with the most advanced smart technology in all aspects. This is quite astonishing, Ryuto couldn't help but marvel. But with a client like Hiyori, this level is to be expected, he thought, and felt less surprised.

Just as Ryuto was about to leave the restroom, he suddenly heard the sound of a phone call from the adjacent space. Clearly, the soundproofing in the restroom wasn't great, as the volume of the phone call was not loud, and although he had no intention of eavesdropping, nor interest in doing so, he caught words like "eliminate," "security," and "escape," frequently used in movies.

As Ryuto's attention was diverted, the door of the adjacent space opened, and an adult man emerged. Upon seeing Ryuto, he showed a surprised expression, but it was a different kind of surprise. It was the kind of surprise one would have when caught doing something wrong, or when a long-hidden diary is discovered by parents. After hesitating for a moment, the adult man, seemingly realizing that Ryuto had overheard the phone call, acted decisively. From somewhere unknown, he took out a military dagger and swiftly charged towards Ryuto. He seemed to be a professional.

As Ryuto didn't know how to react, a person suddenly appeared with a loud "Ming Lei," and in almost the same instance, the adult man in front of Ryuto, who "hmphed" inexplicably, fell to the ground. Standing in front of the fallen man was Hiyori, who had been waiting outside the restroom. Hiyori turned around with a calm expression."Ryuto, are you okay?"

"Uh..."

Ryuto took some time to adjust to the rapid changes, while Hiyori seemed accustomed to situations like this. She was indeed reliable in times like these.

Hiyori asked naturally, "But why did that person attack you, Ryuto?"

"Well, I suppose it's because he wanted to silence me. After all, I'm a so-called eyewitness."

Having said that, Ryuto briefly recounted what had just happened. Hiyori's calm expression from earlier changed, and she widened her eyes in astonishment.

"So you mean this person is a robber?"

"Most likely, and based on the commotion I heard earlier, his accomplices should already be on the move and have probably taken control of the bank's lobby. They'll likely be here soon."

"In that case, I'll go out and take them down."

Saying that, Hiyori prepared to go outside, wearing the same calm expression as when she had knocked down the other person earlier. It's hard to say if she was composed or...

Upon hearing this, Ryuto couldn't help but falter, but he quickly stopped Hiyori's actions.

"We don't know how many people they have, and we don't even know what kind of equipment or abilities they possess. It's too dangerous to rush out right now."

"You're right..."

For some reason, Hiyori suddenly lowered her head and responded this way.

After thinking for a moment, Ryuto spoke up.

"While waiting for the police to arrive is an option, the robbers have hostages, and the situation is not looking favorable. We have no choice but to do it this way..."

Ryuto revealed his plan, and although Hiyori didn't fully understand, she still happily replied, "No problem."

Upon hearing this, Ryuto couldn't help but feel a sense of annoyance, but he ignored it since time was tight.

"So it's on the second floor... It's farther than I expected."

Ryuto exclaimed as he looked at the bank's floor plan displayed on his phone.

"And we have to go through the lobby to get there. It's quite a headache... We'll be trapped."

"Ryuto, is this place really that important?"

"Well, we need to gain control here first to have any chance of success. It's the prerequisite for everything. Otherwise, we're completely clueless about the enemy."

Ryuto stated the current situation, indicating how dire it was.

"In that case, why don't we just go up directly?"

Not sure if she didn't understand or not, Hiyori casually suggested.

"That's why..."

Ryuto stopped midway and pondered for a moment before voicing his thoughts, then confirming with Hiyori, "Is it possible to accomplish this?"

After receiving Hiyori's affirmative response, the plan began.