2: Chapter 2 First Crime, Frantic and Chaotic

The moment Lin Fan locked the convenience store's glass door behind him, his heart was in his throat.

The bald thug outside was kicking the door frantically, making the glass hum with vibration. His cursing drifted through the pane like a death knell: "You little brat! Don't you dare hide! I'm taking one of your arms today!"

The clerk behind the counter was a blonde girl in her early twenties. Leaning against a shelf with her arms crossed, she eyed the trembling robber whose voice was shaking. There wasn't a hint of panic on her face; instead, she looked perfectly calm, as if she were just enjoying the show.

Lin Fan swallowed hard, his eyes scanning the shop before finally landing on a mop leaning in the corner.

A gun? Where was the gun? Didn't convenience stores in games always have a shotgun hidden under the counter?

He scrambled behind the counter and crouched down, fumbling around blindly. His fingertips touched only cold tiles and a stack of scattered flyers. Forget a gun—he couldn't even find a lighter.

"Hey, rookie?" The blonde clerk looked down at him, her arms still crossed, her tone dripping with mockery. "You haven't even figured out the procedure for a robbery, have you? This is a small business; we don't keep guns."

Lin Fan's face instantly turned the color of pig liver. He snapped his head up, clutching the scavenged mop handle, and barked defiantly, "S-Shut up! Give me all the money in the register! Hurry up!"

His voice was high and thin, with a clear tremor. Far from being intimidating, he sounded like he was throwing a tantrum.

The blonde clerk arched an eyebrow and strolled over to the register. Resting her finger on the power button, she looked at him with a half-smile. "Are you sure about this? I'd advise against it. The police station on the next street can be here in three minutes. If you're really that short on cash, why not just buy some snacks? I'll give you twenty percent off."

"Who wants your snacks!" Lin Fan's forehead was beaded with sweat, and his palms clutching the mop handle were slick. "Hand over the money! Now! Or else I'll... I'll trash this place!"

As he spoke, he swung the mop handle around wildly. He moved so clumsily that he nearly knocked over a nearby rack of chewing gum.

Seeing his frantic state, the blonde clerk finally couldn't help but burst out laughing. "You look more pathetic than my brother the first time he skipped class. Fine, fine, I give up."

With that, she leisurely opened the cash register drawer.

The clinking of coins rang out, and Lin Fan's eyes instantly lit up.

Money! There really was money!

The system's prompt immediately echoed in his mind: [7 minutes and 23 seconds remaining until the mission ends. Host, please complete the robbery as soon as possible and obtain all the cash in the register.]

No longer caring about acting tough, he reached into the register and started grabbing. He stuffed a mix of bills and coins into his arms, acting so frantically it was as if he feared someone would steal it from him. His pockets were too small and filled up after just a few bills; the rest of the money clattered to the floor, rolling everywhere.

"Whoa, whoa, slow down. Don't scatter the coins everywhere; I'm the one who has to sweep them up." The blonde clerk crouched down, helped him pick up the coins that had rolled to her feet, and stuffed them into his hoodie's hood. "Look at how pathetic you are. Can you not even afford a meal? Is that why you're robbing a convenience store?"

Lin Fan didn't have time to respond. He had only one thought—take all the money, complete the system mission, and get out of there.

Just as he stuffed the last crumpled bill into his hood and the system notification [Cash collection complete. Mission progress: 100%] rang out, a piercing alarm suddenly blared from the convenience store's ceiling.

"Beep-beep-beep—Beep-beep-beep—"

The sharp sound pierced his eardrums, making his scalp tingle.

He froze instantly, the color draining from his face as he even forgot to breathe.

The alarm! How could he have forgotten about the alarm!

In the game, you could avoid the alarm if you robbed the store fast enough, but he had been so panicked that he hadn't even noticed the red alarm button on the register!

The blonde clerk stood up and spread her hands with an "I told you so" expression. "Sorry about that. The alarm triggers automatically once the register opens. It's linked to the system; I can't turn it off."

Lin Fan's heart felt as though it were being squeezed by an invisible hand. Looking at the blonde girl's calm face and hearing the alarm grow louder, he felt his vision go dark.

It's over, it's over, it's over!

Sirens were already wailing in the distance, drawing closer. He could even faintly hear the sharp screech of police tires against the pavement.

The bald thug outside had long since vanished, likely fearing trouble once he heard the sirens.

Without a second thought, Lin Fan clutched the money in his hood to his chest and bolted for the store's back door.

"Hey! Your mop!" the blonde clerk shouted after him, her voice tinged with amusement.

Lin Fan couldn't care less about the mop. The moment he pulled open the back door, a gust of wind smelling of gasoline and trash hit him in the face. Outside was a narrow alleyway filled with discarded cardboard boxes and trash cans, with dim streetlights casting mottled shadows on the walls.

He didn't dare stop for a second. Clutching his money, he ran as fast as he could.

The soles of his canvas shoes had long since worn through, and the rough concrete stung his feet, but he didn't even notice the pain. His mind was filled with one thought: "Run! The police are coming!"

The alley ended at a bustling commercial street, filled with flashing neon lights and heavy traffic. Just as Lin Fan burst out, he collided head-on with a Fat Uncle pushing a hot dog stand.

*Thump—*

With a dull thud, the hot dog stand was knocked sideways. Sizzling, greasy hot dogs rolled all over the ground, and sauce splattered all over Lin Fan.

"My hot dogs!" the Fat Uncle let out a shrill cry. Seeing his ruined stand, his eyes turned red. He grabbed Lin Fan by the collar and roared, "Are you blind?! Pay for my hot dogs! Pay for my stand!"

Lin Fan was on the verge of tears. He struggled to push the man away, but the money in his arms was heavy, and he didn't have much strength to begin with. He couldn't break free.

"Sir! I'm sorry! I'll pay you back next time! I'm in a hurry right now!" He stammered in his panic, his peripheral vision already catching the flashing police lights at the mouth of the alley.

Red and blue lights flashed alternately, making the whole street flicker. The piercing sirens grew louder, now right beside him.

The Fat Uncle refused to let go. "Next time? Where am I supposed to find you if you run off! You're not leaving until you pay up today!"

In a moment of desperation, Lin Fan shoved half the money in his arms into the man's hands. "Is this enough?! Let me go!"

The Fat Uncle looked down at the thick stack of bills in his hand, momentarily stunned.

In that split second of hesitation, Lin Fan wrenched himself free and dove into the crowd.

"Catch him! He's a robber!" the blonde clerk's voice drifted from the convenience store entrance, still carrying a hint of excitement from watching the chaos.

Lin Fan wished he could just vanish into the ground. He kept his head down, weaving frantically through the crowd, bumping into pedestrians who cursed at him.

The police behind him had already caught up. A stern voice boomed over a megaphone: "Suspect ahead, stop! Put down your weapons and surrender immediately! Or we will use force!"

Weapons? What weapons did he have?

Lin Fan wailed as he ran. If he had known robbing a store would be this much trouble, he would have rather just taken a beating from the bald thug!

[Ding! Host detected being pursued by police. Wanted level increased: 1 star!]

[Ding! Police reinforcements have arrived. Wanted level increased: 2 stars!]

[Ding! Witnesses have identified the host's robbery. Wanted level increased: 3 stars!]

The system notifications chimed one after another. With every ring, Lin Fan's heart sank further.

A three-star wanted level!

What did a three-star wanted level mean in the game? Police cars would set up roadblocks, and even helicopters would be deployed!

He instinctively looked up at the sky. Sure enough, a police helicopter was flying toward him. The massive roar made his eardrums ache, and the searchlight swept across the ground like a beacon. Pedestrians screamed and scrambled to get out of its path.

It's over, it's over! Even the helicopter is here!

Panicking, Lin Fan ducked into an even narrower alley. This one was filled with trash cans and reeked of a nauseating, sour smell. He looked at the police lights drawing closer and gritted his teeth, making a decision he would never forget.

He took a deep breath, held it, lifted the lid of a foul-smelling trash can, and climbed inside.

Then, he pulled the lid shut, leaving only a tiny crack for air.

The stench inside nearly knocked him unconscious. Rotten food scraps, moldy bread, and some unidentified slimy substance covered him. He clutched his money tightly and curled up in the corner of the trash can, not daring to move.

The sirens grew louder and stopped at the mouth of the alley.

Heavy footsteps echoed from the entrance, along with the voices of police officers talking.

"The suspect should have run this way. Someone saw him turn into this alley."

"Search thoroughly! Don't miss a single corner! He's a three-star wanted criminal. If he gets away, the Commissioner will have our heads."

"Check the trash cans! Guys like this love hiding in places like that!"

Lin Fan's heart leaped into his throat. He covered his mouth tightly, not even daring to breathe loudly.

The footsteps drew closer and stopped right next to the trash can where he was hiding.

Lin Fan's body was as stiff as a stone. His mind went blank; he could only smell the sickening stench and hear his own racing heartbeat.

A leather shoe kicked the side of the trash can with a dull thud.

Tears instantly welled up in Lin Fan's eyes. It was over; he'd been found!

"Captain, looks like there's no one in this trash can." a young officer's voice said.

"Really? Open it up and check." another gruff voice replied.

Lin Fan's body began to tremble. He closed his eyes, waiting in despair for the moment he would be dragged out.

Just then, rapid footsteps came from the alley entrance, along with an officer's shout: "Captain! This is bad! There's been a shooting at Vespucci Beach! We need backup!"

The gruff voice paused, followed by a curse: "Damn it! Of all the times for more trouble!"

The young officer quickly asked, "Should we keep searching here?"

"No time! Leave two men to guard the alley, the rest of you come with me to the beach!"

"Yes, sir!"

The footsteps gradually faded, and the sirens wailed again, heading in a different direction.

Lin Fan huddled in the trash can, listening to the sirens grow distant until they completely vanished into the night. Only then did he dare breathe a sigh of relief.

As his tense nerves relaxed, a wave of exhaustion washed over him. He slumped in the trash can, smelling the stench all over him. Looking at the crumpled bills in his arms, he finally couldn't stop the tears from falling.

"Dammit..." he sobbed, his voice thick with grievance and lingering fear. "If I knew transmigration would be this miserable, I would've just stayed home and slept..."

While he was crying his eyes out, the system notification rang in his head again.

[Ding! Beginner mission 'Rob the Convenience Store' complete!]

[Mission Reward: Basic Combat Mastery, issued!]

[Congratulations, Host, for successfully evading the police pursuit. The wanted level has not been cleared yet; please proceed with caution.]

A warm current suddenly surged through his limbs. His body, once stiff from tension and fear, instantly felt much lighter. A wealth of knowledge and techniques regarding combat appeared out of thin air in his mind as if etched into his bones. Every movement of his hands and legs now carried a strange sense of fluidity.

Lin Fan was stunned. He tried throwing a punch inside the trash can.

The punch whistled through the air, carrying an unprecedented sense of power.

He looked at his fist, then at the money in his arms, and finally smelled the stench all over him. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

His first crime was a total mess; he'd nearly been caught and ended up escaping by hiding in a trash can.

Life in Los Santos really was set to hell mode right from the start.

He lifted the trash can lid and carefully peeked out. Looking at the empty alley and the police helicopter fading into the distance, he gritted his teeth.

No, I can't stay here any longer.

I need to find a place to shower, change clothes, and then figure out how to survive in this cutthroat world.

Lin Fan clutched the money to his chest, took a deep breath, and climbed out of the trash can.

The moonlight shone on him, reflecting his disheveled state as well as the flicker of resentment and stubbornness deep in his eyes.

The night in Los Santos was still long.

And his life on the run had only just begun.