Borrowing Tom's owl, Rey wrote a letter to Agnes, vaguely mentioning his intention to save a Muggle.
After finishing that, Rey collapsed onto his bed and slept straight through until evening.
Nighttime was when the real work began.
Armed with the intelligence Willy Bruce had gathered earlier, Rey quickly located the underground casino.
It was hidden inside a run-down restaurant. Yet, into this shabby establishment walked scantily clad beauties and well-dressed, wealthy men.
Many went in, but very few came out.
Based on Rey's observation over several hours, the number of people who had entered should have been enough to burst the small diner at the seams.
But in reality, no matter how many people went in, the customers sitting in the dining area remained the same few faces. And the owner never seemed to bring out a decent plate of food.
---
At three in the morning, London was exceptionally cold.
Inside the dilapidated restaurant, the cooking owner and the dining customers had swapped shifts.
Rey stood on a low rooftop opposite the building, watching motionlessly.
For convenience, he was dressed entirely in black. Ever since he gained the ability to transform into a Black Dragon, he could clearly perceive changes in temperature, but they had little effect on his body.
Just like now—while the diners inside the restaurant were wrapping their coats tighter around themselves, unwilling to brave the cold trip home, Rey felt no discomfort whatsoever.
Endurance, control, and mastery over his own body. If he wanted to, Rey could stand in the same spot for hours without moving a muscle, and his legs wouldn't even go numb.
Finally, his patience was rewarded.
Just past 3:15 AM, the kitchen door of the restaurant was pushed open. Three burly men in short sleeves filed out. Covered in tattoos, each carried a large grey duffel bag.
At that exact moment, an nondescript sedan pulled up to the entrance. The three men walked out, glanced cautiously left and right, and then got into the car.
---
Three men, three large, oblong duffel bags. This was likely the casino's earnings for the day.
Rey memorized the license plate number and followed immediately.
The car wasn't moving fast, making it incredibly easy for Rey to keep up—all he had to do was manifest his dragon wings.
A human figure with wings. If anyone saw him in daylight, they would surely think a demon had escaped from hell. These weren't angelic feathered wings, but massive, leathery bat wings.
To track the car, Rey chose to fly high and hidden in the darkness. He didn't need to be close; he just needed to see where the car ended up.
After following for about half an hour, the car stopped in front of a factory building.
It was a garment workshop filled with sewing machines. The three men with bags walked familiarly into the shop floor and stopped at a door at the far end, guarded by two men.
The guards glanced at the trio, then opened the door to let them in.
Rey wasn't entirely sure what was happening inside, but he was confident he had found the right place. Not long after, a medium-sized van pulled up to the factory entrance.
This time, six people got out, each carrying a bulging travel bag. They walked calmly into the workshop.
But it didn't end there.
More vans arrived in succession. The people getting out were all carrying two large, oblong duffel bags each.
This place was clearly a massive vault, a central hub for collecting cash from various sources.
Rey waited outside for another hour.
It was now 4:30 AM. Having scouted the location, he planned to return tomorrow. He needed to figure out a way to determine the number of personnel inside. Judging by the situation, a vault this size would have a significant number of guards.
Charging in blindly might get the job done, but it would cause a massive commotion. Whether it was the criminal organization losing the money, the police, or the Ministry of Magic, someone would likely take notice.
Trouble was unnecessary. Low profile was what he wanted.
If he could empty the place without anyone noticing, he wouldn't choose to rob it openly.
Just as Rey was preparing to head back to the Leaky Cauldron to buy some magical supplies for the next day, a semi-truck pulling a shipping container backed up to the loading dock's rolling door at the rear of the workshop.
With a loud clatter, the rolling door opened.
---
Inside the loading dock, stacked high, were rectangular pallets wrapped in transparent film. Each measured about ten feet long, ten feet wide, and eight feet high.
Beneath the blocks were simple wooden pallets for forklifts to load them.
There were three of these massive blocks—enough to fill the entire shipping container.
Money!
It was all money!
He didn't need to get close; a single glance confirmed that those three massive blocks were solid cash.
With that volume of currency, the value was definitely far more than two billion.
With a hydraulic hiss, the side of the shipping container opened up completely. A forklift from the factory drove out slowly, loading the three rectangular blocks into the container one by one.
After the loading was complete and checked, the side of the container was lowered and locked. Two burly white men then climbed into the truck cab with the driver.
These two were evidently armed escorts; Rey could see submachine guns slung across their bodies.
---
Regarding the treatment for Willy's daughter, the healers willing to take the job were demanding. None were willing to reveal their names, and they required the patient to be brought to a designated location. Furthermore, their asking price was exorbitant.
This was, after all, an illegal medical practice. If caught by the Ministry of Magic, they would face prison time. During the process, aside from the patient, no other non-magical persons were allowed to be present.
Rey wrote a reply to Agnes, roughly describing the injuries of Willy Bruce's daughter and indicating that the conditions should be acceptable. However, regarding the rule about no Muggles being present, he noted he would need to ask for the father's permission first.
After finishing the letter and handing it to the owl, Rey let out a long sigh of relief.
Meanwhile, at a dock in London.
The bodyguards and the driver stood on top of the shipping container at the back of the truck, staring at a massive, torn gash in the metal with expressions of utter disbelief.
The container had been transported to the dock to be loaded onto a cargo ship. It was right when the crane was preparing to hoist it that they noticed the damage.
Seeing the torn opening, the two bodyguards and the driver had climbed up to investigate. The sight of the jagged metal made their hearts sink.
Realizing something was wrong, one of them immediately jumped down into the container to check.
He didn't climb back out for a long while. When he finally emerged, he looked like he was about to cry, shaking his head in despair.
"It's all gone."