While waiting for the parts he needed for the Dodge Ram 3500 van, Hunter stayed busy.
Solo overhauling a van in a single day was tough.
So during the wait he ripped out the rear seats and stashed them in a warehouse corner, then set to work removing the engine.
With a few jacks he hoisted the van and swapped its worn tires, ready for fresh rubber.
Charlie worked faster than Hunter expected; within two hours parts began arriving.
Though Hunter knew this van would likely never see action, money was money.
Following Charlie's list, he carefully upgraded the vehicle piece by piece.
Although he couldn't figure out why modification hadn't been listed as a separate skill and was bundled together with Repair.
Still, from afternoon till night, as he kept dismantling and reassembling.
From working in the dark to the warehouse lights blazing.
Hunter heard the frequent +1 Repair experience notifications in his head and felt pumped to keep working.
Charlie didn't return to the warehouse until seven in the evening.
He saw the place in chaos—car parts scattered everywhere.
Even though oil and gasoline had made the floor a mess.
An old hand at Driving, Charlie could still tell.
The modifications were moving fast and going smoothly.
He'd originally felt uneasy because the guy was asian and looked too young.
But that worry eased as he watched Hunter's serious, meticulous attitude and practiced moves.
"Hey, Hunter, nice skills!"
After watching a while, Charlie saw the retrofit was racing along.
The Dodge Ram 3500 van's engine had originally put out about 400 hp.
Hunter had swapped in a second-hand 6.0L twin-turbo.
Peak power now hit 450-460 kW—roughly 600 hp.
Worried about extra load, he'd fitted four new specialty tires.
He'd also welded two aluminum alloy support rails beneath the rear floor.
Added almost no weight yet hugely boosted load safety.
Charlie listened as Hunter explained each step.
A seasoned driver himself, he understood every word.
So, watching the van near completion,
Charlie was very pleased and struck up a conversation.
Still working, Hunter smiled and said, "My parents died early; I had to drop out of high school and hustle for food."
"Luckily I've got a knack for Repair and modification."
"Picked up some skills—enough to get by."
He knew Charlie was sounding him out.
The man was a pro thief, meticulous and cautious.
Next time a job needed a ride prepped,
Hunter might be his first call.
Hearing that, Charlie's grin widened.
Crooks like them preferred partners with clean, simple backgrounds.
Hunter's family history was straightforward—less trouble.
At the very least Charlie wouldn't have to worry that, while the van was being worked on,
cops might suddenly show up for some past crime of Hunter's,
haul him away, and investigate the rest of them in the process.
After ten p.m. most of the retrofit was done.
Just as they were about to wire the electronics and battery, Charlie told Hunter to stop.
Grab some food and rest.
Hunter guessed there might be other plans.
He was hungry anyway, so he agreed.
He'd just finished his burger when motorcycle engines roared outside.
Along with the engines came a crash and a scream.
Charlie's face changed; he sprinted out.
Curious, Hunter followed.
They found a wiry young white guy pinned beneath a Honda RC51, howling in pain.
The crash had left scrape marks on the wall.
Clearly the kid had ridden straight into it.
"Lyle, I told you bikes aren't your thing."
Charlie chuckled, teasing the pinned youth.
Then he righted the bike and hauled the kid up.
Hunter had still harbored a sliver of doubt about Charlie's identity.
But the moment he saw this young man,
that last doubt vanished.
The white kid was Lyle—computer prodigy, top-tier hacker.
In The Italian Job, Lyle had helped Charlie.
Hack into Los Angeles's traffic grid and bring the whole system down.
Snatch back the gold Steve stole—without firing a single shot.
It's no exaggeration to say that the protagonist's team in "The Italian Job" was eventually able to snatch back the gold.
It would have been impossible without Lyle; it's not even an overstatement to say he deserves the most credit.
"Right, how could I forget about computers."
Hunter was also delighted to see Lyle.
Identifying Charlie as the master gold thief Charlie Clock from the plot of "The Italian Job" was one thing.
What made Hunter happiest was suddenly remembering that a skill could be triggered.
To avoid suspicion, however, his gaze quickly landed on the motorcycle with a slightly scuffed front end.
A Honda RC51, a high-performance motorcycle released a few years ago.
Equipped with a 999cc V2 four-stroke engine, it had a maximum output of 131 horsepower.
This was a high-performance motorcycle that stood out exceptionally well in races, on the road, or on the streets.
His predecessor had also once wanted to buy an RC51; in the US, the base model cost nearly ten thousand us dollars.
Lyle's bike was clearly a high-spec flagship model.
Judging by the patterns and some of the components, it was likely a custom version.
In other words, it definitely couldn't be had for less than twenty thousand us dollars.
He marveled for a moment at the high income of these hackers.
In Hunter's heart, the desire to trigger computer-related skills became even more fervent...
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