Ace stood on a street corner where two roads, 5th and Vine, crossed. This area was near the busy nightlife district, but right here it was quiet and the streetlights were dim. The cool night air didn't help his nerves. He felt jittery and anxious. The small, clear earpiece he wore felt like it was both keeping him safe and weighing him down.

Suddenly, Evelyn's voice spoke softly into his ear. "We can see you," she said, sounding calm and focused. "Kaito has accessed the city's traffic cameras. We can see you and the entire street on our screens."

"Everything looks too calm out there," Silva's voice added, trying to sound casual but not quite managing it. "Are you sure this is where you're supposed to be?"

Before Ace could respond, a black car with dark windows pulled up quietly beside him. The back window rolled down halfway, and Marcus's emotionless face appeared. "Get in," he said in a low, rough voice.

Ace opened the door and slid onto the smooth leather seat. The door closed with a heavy, expensive sound, shutting him inside. The car smelled like clean leather and a hint of cigar smoke.

Marcus didn't look at Ace. He was focused on a tablet computer. "We're going to a warehouse a few blocks from here," he explained. "It belongs to the man who owns The Sapphire Lounge. Vincenzo keeps his expensive alcohol, sound systems, and other club equipment there. He's proud of its security and thinks nobody can break in."

"We're listening, Ace," Evelyn's voice murmured in his ear. "We're right here with you."

"This doesn't sound like an audit," Ace said, his voice coming out tighter and more nervous than he intended.

"No," Marcus agreed, still not looking up from his tablet. "This is a lesson. The owner turned down a very good offer from Mr. Ramos. He needs to learn that saying no has consequences. We're going to make his warehouse... lose money."

The car stopped near a large, modern warehouse with a sign that read "Sapphire Events & Catering." It looked professional and secure, with a high fence and bright lights in the parking lot. A single security guard sat in a small booth by the entrance, looking bored.

"Ace, this is burglary!" Silva's voice whispered urgently in his ear. "This is vandalism! You can't be part of this!"

Ace's heart beat fast. He knew Silva was right. This was different from anything he'd done before. This was clearly wrong.

"Our contact inside has turned off the silent alarm and motion sensors for ten minutes," Marcus said, putting away his tablet. He looked directly at Ace. "Your job is to get us through the main door. Quietly. No broken windows, no broken locks. The guard expects a delivery tomorrow, so he won't think anything of activity tonight. We get in, do what we need to do, and leave quickly."

<<TASK: GET INTO THE WAREHOUSE WITHOUT BEING DETECTED.>>

<<METHOD: DO NOT BREAK ANYTHING. TIME LIMIT: 10 MINUTES.>>

<<REWARD: (UNSPECIFIED). FAVOR FROM VICTOR RAMOS.>>

<<PENALTY: IF YOU FAIL, RAMOS WILL END YOUR AGREEMENT.>>

The System's message felt like a cold rock in his stomach. It only saw the task and the rules. It didn't understand this was a crime.

"I'm not a thief," Ace said, the words slipping out before he could stop himself.

Marcus turned his head slowly. His eyes were cold and empty. "You are whatever Mr. Ramos says you are. Tonight, he says you are a key. Now, get out of the car and be a key."

Marcus's order was final. There was no arguing. Ace got out of the car. Two other big men got out from the front seats and stood behind him. Their silent presence was a clear threat: do what you're told, or else.

"Ace, you have to get out of there," Evelyn's voice urged in his ear, sounding stressed. "Run. Just run."

"And go where?" Ace muttered under his breath, pretending to cough into his hand so the men wouldn't hear him. "He knows where we live. Where we all live."

He walked toward the warehouse's employee entrance, a strong steel door with a keycard reader. The two men followed a few steps behind him, like shadows ready to turn violent if he failed.

"Kaito, talk to me," Ace whispered, his hand hovering near the door handle. "What am I looking at?"

"The lock is a normal electronic keypad," Kaito's voice replied, focused and quick. "It likely works on a simple electrical circuit. If you can get around the reader, you might be able to trigger the lock itself. But you'd need to get to the wiring. Is there an access panel? A pipe for wires?"

Ace looked over the doorframe. He saw a small, metal electrical box screwed shut next to the door. "There's a box."

"That's it. You need to open it. I think the lock's power supply runs through there. If you can cut the power and then bring it back quickly, it might reset and unlock the door. It's a risky idea."

One of the men behind him moved impatiently. "What's the hold up?"

Ace ignored him. He focused on the electrical box. He had no tools. No screwdriver.

<<SKILL ACTIVATED: NANITE SWARM LV. 2.>>

<<OBJECTIVE: MANIPULATE TARGET METAL (SCREWS). INDUCE MICROSCOPIC SHEAR FORCE.>>

He placed his palm flat against the box's metal cover. He closed his eyes, concentrating all his will and nervous energy into his hand. He felt the familiar warmth spread as the tiny nanites flowed from him, seeking the four small screws holding the panel on. In his mind, he didn't see screws; he saw tiny, threaded metal rods. He commanded the nanites to vibrate, to heat up, to put extreme pressure on the metal at a microscopic level.

A faint sizzling sound, like bacon frying, came from under his palm. A small curl of smoke drifted out.

"Ace, what was that?" Evelyn asked, sounding alarmed.

The two thugs behind him looked at each other. "Hey, what are you—"

Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop.

Four tiny, sharp sounds. The heads of the screws snapped off cleanly. The metal cover fell to the ground with a clatter.

Ace stared into the box at a jumble of colorful wires. "Kaito, I'm in. Now what?"

"Find the main power wire for the lock. It should be the thickest one. Probably red or black. You need to break the connection and then put it back together. Quickly."

Ace's fingers hovered over the wires. His special vision, the Neural-Interface, highlighted a thick red wire. It glowed with the words POWER - LOCK MECHANISM. He could almost see the electrical current flowing through it like a pulsing light.

He didn't have time to be careful. He grabbed the thick red wire in one hand and a black wire next to it in the other.

"Ace, no! You'll get electrocuted!" Evelyn cried out.

He ignored her. He took a deep breath and smashed the two wires together.

A burst of sparks shot out of the box, flashing brightly in the darkness. A painful jolt of electricity shot up Ace's arms, making his teeth clamp together. From inside the door, he heard a loud click.

CLUNK.

The solid sound of a heavy metal bolt pulling back.

The door was unlocked.

Ace pulled his hands back, his fingers tingling. The two thugs stared, first at the smoking electrical box, then at the now-unlocked door, then at Ace with a new, cautious respect.

"You're clear," Kaito said, his voice full of stunned relief. "The door is open."

One of the thugs pushed past Ace and yanked the door open. He grinned. "Nice work, kid." He and the other man slipped inside, turning on small, bright flashlights.

Ace stood frozen in the doorway. He could hear them moving around inside—the sound of crates being forced open, the glugging sound of liquid being poured out. They weren't stealing anything. They were destroying it. Wasting tens of thousands of dollars worth of alcohol just to send a violent message.

He had done it. He had helped them. He was a part of this.

"Ace, get out of there," Evelyn pleaded. "You've done what they asked. Just walk away. Right now."

But he couldn't move. He was paralyzed by his own successful crime.

The sounds inside stopped. The two men came back out, smelling strongly of expensive whiskey and wine. One of them threw an empty metal gas can back into the warehouse. "The lesson is delivered," he said to Ace. "Let's go."

They walked back to the car, leaving the warehouse door wide open, the smell of ruin pouring out. Marcus was still in the car, on his phone. He hung up as they got in.

"Was there a problem with the door?" Marcus asked, his eyes on Ace.

"No problem," one of the thugs said, laughing a little. "The kid here made it spark, but it worked."

Marcus's eyes moved to Ace's slightly burned hands, then back to his face. He gave a slow, barely noticeable nod. "Efficient."

The car drove away from the curb. Ace sat in silence, listening to the happy, relieved voices of his friends in his ear. They thought he was safe. They thought the danger was over.

But he felt numb. He had crossed a line. He had used his power not to protect or to build, but to help cause destruction. To be a weapon for a criminal.

The car didn't take him back to the cannery. It stopped a few blocks away. "Get out," Marcus said. "Your part is done."

Ace got out. The black sedan drove away, leaving him alone on the dark street. He stood there for a long time, the smell of spilled alcohol and smoke stuck to his clothes.

He had passed Ramos's test. He had proven he was useful. He was in deeper than ever before.

"Ace? Ace, are you okay? Talk to us." Evelyn's voice was worried in his ear.

"I'm here," he said, his own voice sounding empty and far away. "I'm fine."

But he wasn't fine. He had become the very thing he hated: a tool for a bully. He had helped destroy a man's business to teach him a lesson. And the worst part—the part he couldn't tell his friends, the part that haunted him—was what happened when he slammed those wires together.

When the sparks flew and the power surged...

<<TASK COMPLETE: GAIN COVERT ENTRY.>>

<<METHOD: CREATIVE APPLICATION OF SKILLS. EFFICIENCY: 92%.>>

<<REWARD: NANITE SWARM LEVEL 3 - INCREASED PRECISION AND DURABILITY. CAPABILITY FOR SIMPLE MATTER RECONSTRUCTION UNLOCKED.>>

The System had rewarded him. It had made him a better, more powerful weapon. And a small, dark part of him had felt a thrill at the power, at the approval, at how well he had performed.

He started the long walk back to the cannery. The happy cheers from his friends in his ear felt like they were for someone else. For someone who hadn't just sold another piece of his soul. The road ahead seemed darker than ever, and he was no longer sure he would recognize the person he was becoming when he reached the end of it.

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