Hunter sped through the bustling streets of Los Angeles on his old motorcycle.
The bike itself was nothing special, but his Driving skill had just leveled up to Lv 4.
Suddenly, it felt like he had enabled a cheat code. Even in the congested city traffic, Hunter could calculate the optimal route instantly.
He wove through cars with elegant precision, leaving the gridlock far behind.
A trip that usually took ten minutes in light traffic? He made it in ten minutes flat during rush hour.
He arrived at the destination and stopped the bike.
It was another warehouse.
But this one was massive—at least 5,000 square feet.
Hunter sighed. America's logistics network really is everywhere. Every illicit job he took seemed to end up in a nondescript warehouse.
Five minutes later, a Volkswagen sedan pulled up slowly.
Charlie stepped out. He spotted the cigarette butt on the ground near Hunter's feet.
"How long have you been here?" Charlie asked, surprised.
Hunter already had a hypothesis about this man's identity, but he needed to confirm it.
"About five minutes," Hunter said, crushing the cigarette under his boot. He wasn't a heavy smoker anyway.
Charlie scrutinized the young Asian man again.
To a Westerner, distinguishing between Chinese, Korean, and Japanese was as hard as distinguishing between French, British, and German. Charlie couldn't tell Hunter's nationality, but he hoped the kid was reliable.
"Let's hope you're as good as you look," Charlie muttered.
He glanced at Hunter's bike, then pulled a key from his pocket.
"Follow me."
Charlie unlocked the warehouse door and walked in.
Hunter followed closely. Having tested his combat prowess on Vince, and with a weapon in his inventory, he wasn't afraid of a trap.
It was still early, so natural light streamed through the high windows, illuminating the vast space.
In the center sat a single vehicle: a Dodge Ram 3500 Van.
In China, they'd call it a "bread van."
Hunter was surprised.
"You want to modify this?" he asked.
The Dodge Ram 3500 Van was a capable workhorse, but its positioning was awkward. If you wanted hauling capacity, you got a small box truck. If you wanted road performance and utility, you got a pickup.
Modifying a passenger van for high-stakes work? It was inefficient. The cost-to-performance ratio was terrible.
"I need more horsepower," Charlie said, outlining his requirements. "And I need to install a lot of electronic equipment, servers, and heavy-duty batteries."
"I need the rear windows replaced with privacy glass—one-way visibility."
"And most importantly, I need it to maintain a specific payload capacity."
Hunter nodded. Big job.
He circled the van, inspecting it.
"Mind if I open it up?"
"Go ahead."
Hunter opened the doors, poked around the interior, lay on the ground to check the chassis, and finally popped the hood to inspect the engine.
After a long silence, Hunter stood up.
"How heavy is the electronic equipment and battery array?"
"About 400 pounds."
Hunter did a quick mental calculation. 400 lbs was roughly 180 kg.
"This van has about 400 horsepower stock. The electronics alone weigh as much as two large men."
"Add the driver and maybe one or two operators in the back..."
"The remaining payload capacity in its current state is less than 300 kg (660 lbs)."
"How much more payload do you need?"
Charlie was impressed. Hunter had accurately estimated the vehicle's limits just by looking at it.
He smiled, revealing the true challenge.
"At least one ton."
Hunter raised an eyebrow.
The Dodge Ram 3500 Van was spacious, but this was the passenger model. Its suspension was tuned for comfort, not heavy hauling. It already had a payload deficit compared to the cargo version.
Asking for an additional ton of capacity on top of the electronics and crew?
That wasn't just a high requirement. It was absurd.
Unless...
Is this guy really Charlie Croker from 'The Italian Job'?
If he is... then his target is gold.
One ton of gold.
Hunter's Intelligence (16) and Lv 4 Mechanics knowledge kicked into overdrive. He ran simulations in his head.
Suspension upgrades. Leaf spring reinforcement. Engine tuning. Transmission cooling.
"No problem," Hunter said finally. "I can do it."
"But it won't be cheap. I'll give you a list of parts you need to buy."
"Once the parts are here, I can finish the job in two days."
"Parts alone will cost you at least $70,000. That doesn't include my fee."
Before Hunter could name his price, Charlie cut him off.
"Ten thousand dollars."
Hunter blinked. Charlie's tone was firm.
"I'll pay you $10,000 max. Five thousand now, five thousand on completion."
"If you accept, I'll start buying parts immediately."
"If not, I'll find someone else."
Ten grand was lower than Hunter expected.
But his curiosity about whether this was truly the "Gold Thief" Charlie Croker outweighed the money.
He nodded.
"Fine. I'll write the parts list now."
"Get the electronics, batteries, and wiring here ASAP."
"And one more thing," Hunter added, a smirk playing on his lips. "If you add another five grand... I guarantee I'll finish the modification in one day. I won't eat or sleep until it's done."
"I keep my word."
Charlie paused. He stared at Hunter, assessing his confidence.
"Deal," Charlie said.
"Fifteen thousand. I want to see it done in 24 hours."
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