Jeff sat on the edge of the bed, phone in hand, letting the glow of the screen fill the quiet safe house. The date read April 12, 2011. Location: United Kingdom, on the outskirts of Manchester. The place smelled faintly of dust and leather, a house frozen in time but stocked and waiting for him.
He scrolled through the news. Local politics, a bus strike, a charity gala nothing of interest. So the plot hasn't thickened yet, he thought. That meant he had time. Time to prepare.
After a hot shower that stripped away the lingering scent of hospitals, he ate a simple meal of eggs and toast, then sat down to finally dive into the System Interface.
The translucent blue menu unfolded in his vision:
System Space
Tasks
Lucky Draw
System Shop
Inside System Space, the glowing novice reward pulsed: Car Transformation Opportunity (1/1). Beneath it, the cash transfer of 40 million sat ready, along with the ownership papers of several safe houses. He smirked. Yeah, I can work with this.
Tasks showed simple starting objectives: "Field Test Vehicle Diagnostics," "Secure Perimeter," "Range Training." Nothing too heavy, just breadcrumbs leading forward.
He skipped past Lucky Draw gambling wasn't his style and opened the System Shop. The catalogue stretched endlessly: weapons, tactical suits, computers, summon cards, food replicators, exotic car parts. Anything money could buy, if you had enough of it.
But Jeff wasn't here to browse. He was here to build.
He activated the Car Transformation Opportunity.
Ideas flowed into blueprints before his eyes:
Frame: Four-seater chassis with bulletproof laminated glass.
Power: V16 twin-turbo engine fused with hybrid electric motors for instant torque.
Armor: Nano-composite self-healing shell, matte grey finish.
Drive Train: Adaptive system capable of drifting or drag racing on command.
Interior: Bugatti tubblion cockpit design, adaptive seats, HUD for each passenger.
AI Core: Self-driving and monitoring system, predictive analysis, counter-hacking firewalls.
Transformation Module: Reconfigurable chassis racing mode, off-road mode, armored mode.
Defenses & Offense: Jammers, EMP missiles, twin machine guns, oil slick, smoke screen, retractable spikes.
Power Source: Miniature Dydon Core, humming with limitless potential.
And finally, the finish: matte grey, plates tagged POES.
The garage roared with holographic projections as the car came to life, piece by piece. In under an hour, a machine unlike anything on Earth stood waiting for him. Sleek yet deadly, silent yet radiating menace.
Jeff ran his hand across the hood. The nano-shell flexed like living skin, then smoothed back. Perfect.
Sliding into the driver's seat, he was greeted by the AI in a calm, balanced voice." Jeff Remy. Vehicle core synchronized. Diagnostics green. Ready when you are."
Jeff grinned. "Let's take her out."
The car purred down the quiet English lanes, headlights slicing through drizzle. The HUD filled his vision with stats: acceleration curves, torque distribution, battery recharge cycles. He pushed the throttle, and the V16 sang deep, commanding, alive.
At 150 mph, the car was as steady as if it were gliding at 40. Jeff flicked the switch for transformation mode in seconds, the chassis lowered, armor plates retracted, aerodynamics sharpened. Racing mode. The world blurred.
The AI pinged. "Approaching unregistered vehicles, one mile ahead."
Sure enough, two hatchbacks blocked the road ahead, their hazard lights blinking. A crude setup, an ambush. Jeff slowed, curious. Three men stepped out, baseball bats in hand. Amateurs, local street punks looking for an easy mark.
One rapped on the window. "Nice ride, mate. Step out and leave the keys."
Jeff chuckled, shaking his head. "Wrong day, wrong guy."
He tapped a control. The car hummed. Smoke vented from the rear, cloaking the road. The punks coughed and stumbled. Jeff flicked another switch, and the car's grill split open twin machine guns slid out, glowing softly. He didn't fire, just let them see.
Panic lit their faces. They scrambled back into their cars and peeled off, tires screeching into the night.
The AI noted: "Hostile encounter resolved. Minimal force applied."
Jeff smirked. "Good girl."
He floored it again, pushing past 200 mph, testing every system until the night was nothing but blur and heartbeat.
By dawn, he rolled the car back into the garage. Diagnostics complete. The system chimed:
Task Complete — Vehicle Diagnostics. Reward: 1,000 credits, Weapon Mod Voucher.
Jeff leaned back in the seat, exhausted but smiling. For the first time in years, his heart wasn't weighed down. He had power, freedom, and a chance to live without regrets.
Looking at the matte-grey monster he had built, Jeff whispered :"This time, I won't waste it."