— Sorry, Inspector, but I'm in a hurry today!

Without waiting for his response, I throw the nearly empty bottle of Revitalizer in the direction of Inspector Grant. Of course, it doesn't do any real damage, but it's enough to distract him for just long enough to buy me a few precious seconds. The back exit of the Hot Steam is narrow, dark, and exactly the type of route perfect for someone as desperate as I am.

As I run like my life depends on it—and it probably does—I hear the harsh voice of the Inspector shouting behind me:

— One day you're going to get tired of running, Felix!

"But it won't be today," I think, dodging piles of garbage, jumping over old crates, and stumbling on a pile of wet newspapers. I glance back for a second, almost regretting it. The Inspector, despite his large build, doesn't give up easily.

I round a tight corner, leap over an abandoned cart, and finally manage to lose the Inspector by hiding behind a stack of crates, panting. Sweat drips down my face as I try to figure out which god I've angered to deserve this kind of bad luck.

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— This isn't working — I mutter, tired and frustrated with myself.

My "career" as a street vendor had ended a long time ago, but I kept ignoring that small detail. This life has no future. Not while Inspector Grant continues patrolling the streets like a grumpy automaton, tireless and impossible to fool with a few pretty words.

And it's right there, sitting among trash and rats, that I realize something important: I can't keep improvising. I need a planned con. I need sophistication. Something so elegant, so genius, and so convincing that even Grant wouldn't notice the lie.

I slowly rise to my feet, regaining the dignity left after my humiliating escape. I adjust my clothes and take off the fake mustache, looking at it with disgust before tossing it away.

"No more bad disguises," I think with renewed determination.

My next step is simple: find a good enough con to get me back in the game. But before that, I need a place to sleep that isn't behind these damn crates.

What I didn't expect was that, right at that moment, my luck was about to change.

Or at least, that's what I hoped. After all, it couldn't get any worse, right?

Well… that's what I thought.