Lisa stepped out of her bedroom and settled onto the plush sofa, her phone in hand. Her fingers skimmed the screen, scouring for any missed messages from her professors. A wave of relief washed over her when she found her inbox empty; Kyla hadn't reached out either. That left only Burns.

As if on cue, a firm knock sounded at the door. Lisa made her way over and peered through the peephole. There stood Burns, still impeccably dressed in his business suit. She swung the door open with a smile.

"Well, Mr. Executive, care to join me inside?" Lisa playfully inquired.

"I'd be honored," Burns replied, stepping gracefully into the apartment.

Heading to the kitchen, Lisa set about making tea for both of them. Burns cast his eyes around her apartment, seemingly impressed. The space had a cozy charm, largely funded by the savings she had accrued from her former sponsorship. A pang of worry hit her; with that sponsorship gone, her time in this apartment might be limited.

Burns took a seat on the sofa, pulling out his phone once more. The app he opened was instantly recognizable to Lisa: Portable Armory. She placed the steaming cups of tea on the coffee table, taking a sip as Burns settled in beside her.

"Is this Jasmine tea?" Burns asked, lifting his cup to his lips.

"To be honest, it's whatever was available at the store," Lisa shrugged.

"I see," he said, taking a careful sip.

Lisa then eased back into the cushions, her eyes meeting Burns' as she prepared to hear what he had to say. For all intents and purposes, it could have been a casual get-together between friends—were it not for Burns' conspicuously refined attire.

"So, I've been thinking. Contracts are fine, but if you're looking for something really thrilling, how about we pull off a heist?" Burns said, leaning in closer.

"You're suggesting we rob a bank in Mireworld? You've got to be joking. Taking on wave after wave of SWAT teams? That's madness," Lisa retorted, her eyes wide with incredulity.

"We'll start small, naturally, and then escalate from there," Burns elaborated.

"I'm all ears," Lisa said, taking another sip of her tea.

"The beauty of it is, we're not actually robbing anyone in the real world. So, law enforcement here won't have a scent to follow. However," Burns paused for emphasis, "that doesn't mean we won't be up against armed forces. Encountering SWAT teams is inevitable."

"Two against a SWAT team? I must say, I like our odds," Lisa quipped, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Burns smirked. "We'd need a bigger budget to bring in more people. For now, we start small—a jewelry heist, perhaps."

Lisa looked at him intently. Now she knew he was dead serious. "A jewelry store robbery, you say?"

"No, we're going to rob a party," Burns corrected.

"A party? What kind of party are we talking about?" Lisa asked.

"The sort where accuracy is crucial. There won't be many armed individuals, but you can bet there'll be plenty of civilians," Burns explained, swiping through a series of photos on his phone.

Most of the photos displayed aerial views of a lavish villa in North Angor, situated in the upscale Graha district, a neighborhood teeming with sprawling mansions and extravagant villas. The security personnel in the area might not win any marathons, but they were alarmingly quick when it came to dialing emergency numbers. SWAT teams would surely descend on the villa like bees to honey.

Lisa pondered multiple escape routes: retreating to the mountainous terrain of the district to find a getaway car, using the dense forests to the east as cover, or bulldozing through the front gate in heavy armor to reach the highway. Each option had its own set of risks, and none assured a clean getaway.

"So, what's the game plan?" Lisa finally asked, unable to piece together Burns' strategy.

"Look here," he said, pointing at an image of a lake situated to the east of the targeted villa, probably some ten to sixteen houses away.

"A lake? What's the plan? I swim across it and emerge on the other side? The water will slow me down significantly, and right across from the lake is the main highway. Police will have every exit covered. Don't tell me you expect me to swim upstream to a river," Lisa said, her voice tinged with skepticism.

"Ah, but take a look at this," Burns said, pulling up a schematic of the city's storm drain system on his phone.

The layout revealed a labyrinthine network stretching in all directions—west, east, north, south, and beyond. Navigating it would be complex, especially given that the rainy season would likely flood the drains. But then it clicked for Lisa: one of the entrances to the storm drain was linked to the bottom of the lake. She couldn't fathom why such a design existed, but it could provide an invaluable escape route.

"So, you're suggesting we use the storm drain as an escape tunnel?" Lisa asked, her eyes lighting up at the prospect. "That's actually... ingenious."

"Exactly. It's been raining continuously for the past week, but not all sections of the storm drain are underwater. The wedding party is scheduled for next Sunday, so you might want to brush up on your diving skills. I imagine it's been a while since you last had any air assault training," Burns explained.

"A wedding party, you say?"

"Exactly."

"Okay, first off, what's the layout of this villa? What makes you so confident this job won't end with me in a body bag? Secondly, if you can just teleport out of the area with that app of yours, why are we bothering with this elaborate plan?"

"Because you can't exit the world while in combat, Lisa. Why do you think I didn't just zip out of there last night?" Burns countered.

"Fair point. Look, I'm not sure I can pull this off alone. I need your assistance. Now, you've admitted you're not a combat expert, right?"

"That's correct," Burns acknowledged.

"So how long can you hold off the police? I need a high-end jammer set up in the villa to disable their communications, but the neighbors will likely hear any gunfire. I need ten minutes to execute my part of the job, and another ten to make it to the lake. What kind of payoff are we looking at?"

"A minimum of $20,000. Mr. Polo won't be pleased, but we certainly will be," Burns said, placing a photograph on the table. It featured an older man, likely in his 50s, adorned with high-end jewelry. He was circled in red ink, presumably the handiwork of Burns.

"And where is this jewelry stored?" Lisa inquired.

"In his office. Although you could easily net $20,000 just from the jewelry worn by the guests, the safe in his office is the prime target. According to my sources, it contains pieces with a combined net worth of around $150,000, give or take. The safe's combination is 1005," Burns concluded.

"Damn, how did you manage to gather all this intel?" Lisa asked, visibly impressed.

"I have my sources, and let's not forget my hacking skills," Burns said with a grin.

"Fair enough," Lisa conceded.

She began to formulate a straightforward plan, one centered around evading the police. Since they were in MireWorld, and Burns had mentioned that the law enforcement in this realm operated much like those in a GTA game, she figured that all she needed to do was shake them off her trail for a bit and then make her exit back to reality. For this, she would need a jammer, scuba gear, and a getaway vehicle. Afterward, she could sell the jewelry via the Portable Armory app.

"Who's footing the bill for all of this?" she inquired.

"Me, naturally, unless you have some high-ticket items on your list," Burns replied.

"I need a military-grade, all-frequency jammer, a heavy-duty SUV, and a 5.56x45mm automatic rifle loaded with M855A1 ammunition. I've got the helmet and jacket, but I'll also need scuba gear and a GPS tracker. Can we make that happen?" Lisa listed.

"Absolutely, I'll cover the costs for the assault rifle so you'll have your own. Any specific requirements for the jammer?" Burns added, jotting down the details on his phone.

"Just make sure it's top-of-the-line, not some cheap knockoff you'd find on Alibaba," Lisa clarified.

"Understood. Anything else?" Burns asked, still taking notes on his phone.

"For now, that should do it. I could really use some rest," Lisa said.

"Alright, if that's everything, I'll take my leave," Burns said, standing up from the sofa. As he did, he placed a keyless car fob on the table. "This is for your car. Enjoy it."

"Will do," Lisa said, eyeing the key. With the plan coming together and the means to execute it now falling into place, things were looking up.

Before Lisa could voice any more questions, Burns activated his phone and vanished into MireWorld. She shook her head, marveling at the oddity of it all. Yet what intrigued her more was the Toyota car key sitting on her table. It definitely wasn't her own key. Curiosity piqued, she grabbed the key and stepped outside to investigate.

Awaiting her was a vehicle that was decidedly not Burns' run-down Toyota Corolla. Instead, she found herself staring at a brand-new 2023 Toyota Camry, sleek and polished in a deep black hue. To say she was ecstatic would be an understatement; she practically leapt for joy. The air felt lighter, and in that moment, she dared to hope that perhaps her life was about to take a much-needed turn for the better.