Chapter 66: The Magic of the Dollar
January 11
Hunter wasn't lying. He really had less than ten thousand dollars on him.
Although he had recently stolen two safes from Steve—safes containing nearly a ton of gold—he couldn't open them yet. The cash he had on hand was simply not enough to fix Dom's problems.
Hearing this, Mia suddenly smiled.
"Is three hundred thousand dollars enough?"
Her brother was the most famous street racer on the West Coast, the undisputed king of the underground circuit.
For years, Dom and his crew had been hijacking shipments of expensive electronics from Silicon Valley tech giants on the California highways.
Over that time, they had stolen merchandise worth at least a hundred million dollars.
Dom's personal cut of that illicit fortune was over twenty million dollars.
Most of it had been burned on modifying cars, investing in the garage, and maintaining their luxurious, chaotic lifestyle. But as his only sister, Mia had received a generous allowance from him.
Dom spoiled her far more than any other girl her age.
Mia, unlike most American teenagers, wasn't obsessed with brand-name makeup, jewelry, or designer bags. She had saved almost everything.
Now, her savings totaled over three hundred thousand dollars.
Hunter looked at Mia in surprise. He hadn't expected the girl in his arms to be a little heiress.
He didn't waste time on envy or hesitation. He nodded decisively.
"Hiring a capable, shark-like defense attorney will cost about thirty to fifty thousand dollars."
"If the FBI hasn't cracked your brother or found hard evidence yet, the most they can pin on them is participation in illegal racing and reckless endangerment/illegal modification."
"Bail for each person should be around thirty thousand."
"Three hundred thousand is more than enough."
Hunter had actually looked into this recently, so he knew the market rates.
Seeing his logical breakdown and hearing a concrete rescue plan so quickly, Mia finally let go of the fear that had gripped her for the last two days.
"So, when do we go get the lawyer?"
She looked at him with urgency, desperate to get Dom out.
Hunter looked closely at her face. He saw the bloodshot eyes and the dark circles bruising her fair skin. Mia clearly hadn't slept well in days.
His heart softened.
He pulled her into his arms again and tapped her cheek affectionately. "Leave it to me."
"I'll go with you to get the money now. Then you stay home and rest."
"I'll handle the lawyer."
"If everything goes smoothly, Dom and the others should be out on bail by tomorrow."
Mia was young and trusting. She didn't for a second suspect that Hunter might run off with her life savings.
She hesitated, wanting to go with him, but Hunter insisted. After some persuasion, she agreed to stay back and rest.
They returned to the Toretto house. Mia handed over the bank card containing her entire nest egg.
Hunter took it, smiled, and patted her hand reassuringly. "Rest easy. I'll come back tonight to keep you company."
"It might be late, though."
"I'll find a lawyer this afternoon and try to get him in to see Dom tonight. We need to make sure they get their stories straight before someone cracks under interrogation."
Mia knew time was of the essence. She nodded and reluctantly watched him leave.
Hunter spent the entire afternoon running around the city.
He might be developing a bit of a "scumbag" persona when it came to romance, but he hadn't sunk low enough to scam a woman out of her money.
At most, he was just scamming her heart and body.
He made a call to Lyle, the hacker from Charlie's team, asking for a favor: find the lawyer in Los Angeles with the highest win rate and the fewest morals.
Over the past two weeks, Hunter had become quite chummy with Lyle. He visited frequently, listening to Lyle brag about his college hacking exploits while casually picking his brain for programming tips.
Lyle, being a talkative nerd, was happy to have an audience. Under Hunter's deliberate flattery, he had opened up and even started considering Hunter a friend.
For a computer wizard like Lyle, Hunter's request was child's play. A quick search later, he sent Hunter a name.
Scott Lyman. Irish descent.
He was one of the most notorious "gold medal" lawyers in LA. He was also one of the most successful.
Scott Lyman didn't know the meaning of "fairness" or "justice." He didn't care about the dignity of the law or moral baselines.
In Scott Lyman's eyes, as long as the money was right, he could argue that a corpse was just taking a nap. He had once successfully bailed out a murderer by exploiting a loophole in procedural law.
"Mr. Sun, I will prove to you that your hundred thousand dollars was not wasted."
Hunter had arrived at Scott Lyman's firm and used cash to kick open the door.
Without an appointment, he successfully hired the infamous attorney to represent Dom and his three unlucky crew members.
Incentivized by a hundred thousand dollars in cash, Scott Lyman gave Hunter a masterclass in legal maneuvering.
It took him just a few phone calls to confirm that Dom and his crew were currently being held at the LAPD detention center, not the FBI field office.
That made things much easier.
Lyman drove Hunter to the LAPD station immediately.
Since Hunter wasn't an attorney, he couldn't see Dom. But as their retained counsel, Lyman could walk right in.
Hunter gave him a few very subtle messages to pass on to Dom.
He waited outside the station for a little over an hour.
When Scott Lyman emerged, he was wearing a relaxed smile.
"Sir, as I said, your money was well spent."
"Your commission is complete."
"You can come back tomorrow afternoon to pay the bail and process their release."
"Mr. Toretto's bail is set at fifty thousand dollars. The other three are thirty thousand each."
"And, since our first collaboration has been so pleasant," Lyman added, lowering his voice slightly, "I'll give you a free piece of information."
"Mr. Toretto and his associates are indeed being flagged by the FBI."
"So, once they are bailed out, they will be temporarily barred from leaving Los Angeles. They will also be required to report to the LAPD every 24 hours."
"I think you understand what I mean. Please make the appropriate arrangements."
Hunter looked at the stamped bail application documents waving in Lyman's hand.
Once again, he had a renewed appreciation for the American legal system—and the terrifying magic of the US Dollar.
Chapter 67: Stella in Peril
January 11
Early in the morning, Hunter slowly opened his eyes.
As his consciousness returned, his heightened five senses rapidly came online. His slightly groggy brain quickly recalled the wild events of the previous night.
He remembered returning to the Toretto house around nine o'clock, four approved bail applications in hand.
The sexy, captivating mixed-race beauty had been so overwhelmed with relief and excitement upon seeing her long-lost lover return with good news that she had exploded with surprising passion.
The result? She was still sound asleep. It seemed she was genuinely exhausted.
Hunter's biological clock had already adjusted; he slept five or six hours a day at most.
Seeing the light outside the window, he checked the time. It was just past six.
Although it felt early, Hunter decided to get up.
Without disturbing the sleeping Mia, he quietly slipped out of bed and headed for the bathroom. He had been too tired to shower last night, and waking up sticky was never comfortable.
Los Angeles in June was already heating up. Being a coastal city, the constant sea breeze and humidity made it more bearable than inland cities at the same latitude, but the breath of summer was undeniable.
Hunter took a refreshing cold shower, feeling the chill invigorate his entire body.
In his past life, he only enjoyed hot baths in winter. But now, whenever the weather was warm, he preferred cold showers. He let the icy water cascade over him, washing away the fatigue.
As he scrubbed, Hunter reviewed his gains from the past few days.
"Saving Dom this time should thaw the ice significantly," he mused.
"Except for Vince and maybe a few others, the rest of the crew shouldn't be hostile toward me anymore."
"However, since I personally handled the lawyer and the bail, the FBI will likely take notice of me soon. I need to lay low for a while."
"When I pick Dom up this afternoon, I need to remind them to seriously consider leaving town."
"At the very least, they can't pull any jobs for the foreseeable future."
After showering, Hunter retrieved a clean towel from his Personal Inventory and dried off. He then pulled out a fresh set of clothes.
As his Inventory space expanded, Hunter had developed a habit of stuffing it with supplies.
Now, his storage was filled with everything from changes of clothes and toiletries to tools, firearms, canned food, fresh ingredients, and spices. It was a mobile survival warehouse.
The only reason he hadn't stockpiled even more was his lack of funds.
Having lived through a three-year pandemic in his past life, Hunter—like many Chinese people—had become a hoarder of essentials and medicine. It was practically instinctual.
Plus, time stasis meant nothing in his Inventory would ever spoil.
The only thing holding back his hoarding instinct was his empty wallet.
Dressed and refreshed, Hunter went to the kitchen.
He took out some ingredients and seasonings from his Inventory and whipped up a simple rice bowl for breakfast.
While waiting for Mia to wake up, Hunter pulled a book on computer programming from his Inventory and began to read earnestly.
This was a triple threat: it leveled up his [Reading], [Computer Science], and [Foreign Language]skills simultaneously.
It was strange, really.
In his past life, Hunter wasn't stupid—he was actually quite sharp. When a boss targeted him unfairly, Hunter had slashed all four of the guy's tires without getting caught, despite the surveillance cameras. But he had hated studying. He barely scraped by with a vocational degree, graduated, and suffered through low wages and hard labor.
Even after transmigrating, he still didn't technically love studying.
But the moment he thought about his cheat—the Proficiency System—everything changed. Seeing those skill bars fill up, knowing that leveling them enhanced his physical stats and expanded his Inventory... it was addictive.
The guy who used to hate books now found himself possessing endless patience for grinding XP.
Many of the skills he triggered were highly technical and incredibly boring to level up. They required serious study and time investment.
Yet, Hunter enjoyed it tirelessly.
He flipped through the pages, quickly immersing himself in the world of code.
However, what Hunter didn't know was that his actions had consequences.
Because he had preempted Charlie Croker and robbed Steve first, the Butterfly Effect was beginning to manifest.
While Hunter was studying peacefully at the Toretto house, over a hundred kilometers away, Stella Bridger was going about her morning routine.
She washed up, ate breakfast, changed her clothes, and grabbed her purse, preparing to meet Charlie.
Charlie had been investigating Steve for some time. They were planning a test run to infiltrate Steve's villa soon.
To facilitate this, Handsome Rob, the team's driver and resident charmer, had used his skills to seduce a female employee of a cable TV company. He had not only slept with her but also swiped her ID badge.
The plan was for Stella to disguise herself as a cable technician. They would engineer a small glitch in Steve's service, allowing Stella to enter his home legitimately and scope out the interior.
Today was the day the operation was supposed to begin.
But Stella didn't know that the moment she walked out of her apartment and took out her car keys...
She was already being watched.
Several burly men in suits were waiting.
Seeing her approach her car, they exchanged a glance.
Instantly, a black sedan accelerated, screeching to a halt right in front of her, blocking her path.
"Hey! You..."
Stella was startled. Before she could shout, the car doors flew open and the men surrounded her.
She opened her mouth to scream, but stopped when one of the men pulled a gun from his jacket and aimed it at her stomach.
"Miss Bridger," the man said coldly. "Our boss would like a word."
Chapter 68: Bailing Out Toretto
January 11
It was late afternoon outside the LAPD station.
Hunter leaned against the van, lighting a cigarette and taking slow, deliberate drags.
Mia had woken up around noon, but Hunter hadn't let her come with him to pick up Dom and the others. The bail had been posted, but the release processing took time.
So, Hunter had exited the station first and was now waiting outside.
He leaned casually against the vehicle, looking for all the world like a bored smoker. In reality, his sharp eyes were scanning the perimeter, hunting for the gaze he felt burning into him.
Shortly after leaving the station, Hunter had sensed eyes on him. But after searching for a while, he couldn't pinpoint the source.
Of course, he had his suspicions.
While surveillance cameras weren't as ubiquitous in the US as they were in other countries, this was the LAPD headquarters. The area wasn't exactly lacking in security infrastructure.
In just a few moments, Hunter had spotted at least three cameras pointing in his general direction.
He was mentally prepared for this. Helping Dom meant exposing himself.
So, he didn't bother hiding.
From the moment he agreed to Mia's request, Hunter knew he was putting himself squarely in the FBI's crosshairs.
After waiting for nearly an hour, the main doors of the station finally swung open.
Four young men and women walked out, including a large, bald man.
It was Dom, his girlfriend Letty, and two of his crew members.
Hunter's borrowed van was parked in the temporary lot directly across from the station.
As soon as Dom stepped out and looked down from the high steps, he spotted Hunter leaning against the van, smoke curling from his cigarette.
"Dom!"
Letty saw him first. She patted her boyfriend's back gently and pointed.
Dom followed her gaze. When he saw Hunter, the gloom on his face lifted slightly, replaced by a faint, grateful smile.
"Hey!"
The group walked down quickly. Dom extended his hand first.
"Thanks."
He was as stoic as ever, a man of few words. But Hunter could tell that Dom no longer held any hostility toward him.
Letty smiled and patted Hunter on the shoulder.
"Not bad, kid. Not bad at all."
When the lawyer had visited them yesterday to announce he was handling their bail application, Dom knew instantly that this wasn't Mia's doing.
Mia might be eighteen now, but just last year she was still a high school student. Even after she dropped out, Dom had set her up with a quiet life running the cafe/grocery store. He had purposely kept her insulated from his criminal activities.
So when a high-powered attorney showed up and effortlessly navigated the legal bureaucracy, Dom knew Mia didn't have the connections or the savvy to pull it off alone.
Seeing Hunter now, everything clicked into place.
Initially, they had wondered if Mia had gone to Vince for help. But Vince and the others were still in the hospital recovering from the beating Hunter gave them weeks ago. They certainly hadn't been part of the street race that got everyone arrested.
Hunter shook Dom's hand and nodded at Letty with a smile.
"This isn't the place to talk. Let's get out of here."
"Mia is waiting for you at home."
Hunter wasn't close to the other two who had been arrested, but he recognized them.
Jesse and Leon.
They, along with Vince, formed the core of Dom's team. With Vince and the muscle currently hospitalized by Hunter's hand, Jesse and Leon were the last pillars of support Dom had left.
With them all locked up, Mia had literally no one to turn to.
That was why she had gone to Hunter.
Dom clearly understood this too.
Their cars had been impounded for illegal modifications. They would have to be restored to stock condition before they could be reclaimed. That meant they needed a ride.
Hunter had borrowed a nondescript van from Old Parker for the pickup.
Fortunately, Dom and his crew weren't the type to be picky about luxury. They nodded and piled into the van. Hunter took the driver's seat and headed for the Toretto house.
Inside the LAPD station, in a secure monitoring room.
Brian O'Conner, sporting bandages from his recent beating, stood behind several senior FBI agents.
Together, they watched the live feed on the monitor. The screen showed Hunter picking up Dom and his crew.
"Do you know this guy, Brian?"
A black agent pointed at Hunter's grainy image on the screen and asked.
Brian frowned, staring at the slightly blurred face.
The guy looked familiar, but Brian couldn't quite place where he had seen him.
He shook his head. "He looks familiar, but I can't remember exactly where I've seen him."
"Is he part of Toretto's crew? Is he in the database?"
The black agent shook his head. "No. Toretto's core team doesn't have any Asian members."
"Captain," the agent turned to a middle-aged white man in an LAPD uniform. "Do you have anything on him?"
The Police Captain nodded. "We do, though not much."
"His name is Hunter Sun. He's 18, Chinese-American."
"He's the kid who hired the lawyer to bail Toretto out."
"We've run a background check. He has zero criminal record with us."
"Plus, the lawyer he hired is a shark. The guy plays golf with state senators."
"Since you Feds couldn't produce hard evidence proving Toretto is behind the highway hijackings, we could only hold them for forty-eight hours max."
In America, powerful scumbag lawyers often had powerful backings.
The FBI agents understood the LAPD's frustration.
But Brian was agitated. "Captain, based on my investigation, Toretto fits the profile perfectly."
"The cars you have impounded..."
"They are the exact same make and model as the ones spotted at the hijackings."
"I have every reason to suspect Toretto is the highway hijacker."
Chapter 69: Brian's Ordeal & Dom's Approval
January 11
Due to Hunter's interference, FBI agent Brian O'Conner had failed his primary objective: to infiltrate Dom's inner circle by seducing his sister, Mia.
Consequently, Brian harbored zero goodwill toward Dom.
In fact, thanks to the earlier conflict with Dom's crew, Brian had been beaten up by a group of thugs. To make matters worse, the auto parts shop he was using as a cover—Harry's, The Racer's Edge—had been trashed by unknown assailants and forced to close indefinitely.
Brian couldn't prove that the men who vandalized the cooperating shop were Dom's people. But Brian was a man who despised evil, and he had suspected Dom's crew of being the California Highway Hijackers from day one.
Adding these recent personal grievances to his professional suspicion, Brian now deeply hated Dom and his crew.
Brian's insistence on Dom's guilt made the senior black FBI agent frown.
The officers from the LAPD standing nearby didn't even bother to hide their displeasure; their faces fell instantly.
"Officer O'Conner!"
A police captain from the LAPD addressed Brian rudely. "If the FBI has evidence, put it on the table right now."
"If you do, we won't hesitate to arrest them and throw away the key."
"But if you don't? American law doesn't allow us to just snatch people off the street because you have a hunch."
When the FBI had notified the LAPD about the joint operation recently, they had sold it hard.
They claimed that among the racers organizing the underground drag race were the hijackers responsible for dozens of highway robberies over the last few years.
Although the FBI offered no concrete proof at the time, the California police were desperate. They had been under immense pressure for years because the hijackers had eluded capture.
So, despite the usual friction and power struggles between the local police and the feds, the LAPD had agreed to cooperate.
The result?
They arrested dozens of street racers and confiscated a fleet of illegally modified cars.
The FBI had even taken the lead on the operation.
But the LAPD was furious with the outcome.
The reason was simple: The FBI couldn't back up their claims.
Dom and his three associates—the primary suspects—had been in custody for two days. The LAPD had subjected them to separate, intensive interrogations. They had raided their homes and properties.
Aside from finding some cars that bore a resemblance to the vehicles described in the hijacking reports, they found nothing.
No stolen goods. No electronics. Not a shred of evidence linking them to the crimes.
Without the loot, they couldn't prove Dom was the hijacker.
The LAPD felt used. They felt like the FBI had treated them as pawns.
As the second-largest police department in the country after the NYPD, the LAPD had significant power and resources. They resented the FBI's increasing encroachment on local criminal investigations.
If the FBI hadn't lied to them—promising solid evidence upon arrest and offering the LAPD credit for the bust—they never would have mobilized hundreds of officers, patrol cars, helicopters, and SWAT teams for a wild goose chase.
And now, here was Brian O'Conner, a rookie Fed, insisting Dom was guilty without a single piece of paper to prove it.
The LAPD brass wasn't having it.
Seeing the impatience of the LAPD captains, the senior FBI agents exchanged dark looks.
They knew this operation was a failure. Regardless of whether Dom was actually the hijacker, they had blown it.
Worse, their reckless raid had likely spooked the real targets. Catching them now would be infinitely harder.
Thinking about the wrath they would face from the higher-ups at the LA Field Office, the senior agents turned their gaze to Brian.
Their eyes were no longer friendly.
"He's too young. Too reckless."
"Maybe we should send the kid on a deep-cover assignment with the cartels."
"Let him 'sharpen his skills' for a few years."
Hunter and the others had no idea that Brian was about to be thrown to the wolves because of his failure.
Hunter drove Dom and the crew back to the Toretto house quickly.
Mia had been waiting anxiously for a long time.
"Dom!"
Hearing the car pull up, Mia ran out the door and threw herself into her brother's arms.
"You did good, Mia," Dom said softly, hugging her back.
Letty joined the hug a moment later. "Good job, girl."
Although Letty knew Hunter was the one who pulled the strings, she also knew that if Mia hadn't found the right person, they would still be rotting in a cell.
Jesse and Leon had already gone home. They had families too, and their sudden arrest had caused panic. Dom and Letty understood; they needed to reassure their own loved ones.
Hunter wasn't in a rush to return the rental van. He had rented it for the whole day.
He parked it in the Toretto driveway, pocketed the keys, and lingered.
This was a golden opportunity to solidify his relationship with Dom, and he intended to seize it. Plus, Mia was a good woman; he wanted to be there for her.
He followed them into the house.
Dom, Letty, and Mia were sitting in the living room, the atmosphere warm with reunion. But as Hunter entered, the chatter died down.
Mia opened her mouth, about to put in a good word for Hunter to ease the tension between him and her brother.
But before she could speak, Dom cut her off.
"Mia, can you and Letty go to the kitchen and fix us something to eat?"
"I want to have a word with the kid."
Hunter looked at Dom immediately.
Dom's signature stoic face revealed little emotion. But when their eyes met, Hunter saw no hostility. Instead, he saw a glimmer of appreciation.
So... have I finally earned the Family Man's seal of approval?
Hunter smiled, nodded reassuringly at a worried Mia, and accepted the invitation.
"Sure."