Late Night, Nassau Coast.
Hunter Sun stood in the shadows, watching a villa in the distance where lights still flickered warmly.
Dressed in a black wetsuit, he had used his [Swimming: Level 5] skill to glide silently through the water, attaching a tracker to the underside of the yacht docked at the villa's private pier.
Through his binoculars, he could see into the villa's living room.
Jared was laughing and chatting animatedly with his old friend Bryce, who had just arrived from the US. Their girlfriends, Sam and Amanda, were also talking, though the vibe seemed forced.
Despite the apparent party atmosphere, Hunter noticed one crucial detail: Jared and Sam hadn't interacted directly in over an hour. The rift he had engineered was holding strong.
Satisfied, Hunter slipped back into the water and swam several hundred meters to a secluded beach.
He quickly changed clothes and pulled out his tracking device—high-tech gear purchased from the Continental Hotel using gold coins.
He checked the signal. The tracker on Jared's borrowed yacht was active.
Then he checked the other signal.
Hunter pulled out a map, verified his next target, and hopped onto a motorcycle he pulled from his [Inventory].
Half an hour later, Hunter—back in his wetsuit—arrived at a commercial pier on the other side of Nassau.
Docked there was a converted salvage trawler. It belonged to Bates.
Bates was a local celebrity in the Nassau underworld. He was a ruthless treasure hunter who had found several historical wrecks. While he hadn't struck the motherlode of gold yet, he had made a small fortune selling artifacts and had a crew of loyal thugs.
He was also the primary antagonist of Into the Blue.
Hunter knew Bates was dangerous, smart, and ambitious—traits that made him a far more formidable opponent than the impulsive Jared.
But Hunter wasn't here to fight him. He was here to set him up.
Hunter swam silently toward the trawler. He could hear muffled voices from the cabin—the night crew playing cards.
Ensuring he was unseen, he dove underwater.
From his Inventory, he pulled out a portable underwater welding/cutting torch he had bought locally.
He began to cut.
Thanks to the system, Hunter had picked up a [Welding: Level 2] skill out of boredom months ago. It wasn't high level, but it was enough to sabotage a hull.
He cut four distinct cracks into the trawler's hull below the waterline.
They weren't large enough to sink the ship immediately—it would take ten hours or more to take on serious water at the dock. But once the ship moved and hit open ocean waves, the pressure would rip those cracks wide open.
Hunter dropped the torch and the breathing gear into the deep ocean trench nearby, erasing the evidence.
He surfaced and swam back to shore.
The plan was simple.
Bates and Jared hated each other. Jared had publicly claimed Bates stole his credit for a previous wreck find. Bates had gotten Jared fired multiple times.
Tomorrow, Jared would finally have a boat (Bryce's yacht) to go treasure hunting.
At the exact same time, Bates would discover his own ship was sabotaged.
The damage—crude cuts made by an amateur welder—would scream "sabotage." And who was the amateur diver with a grudge against Bates who just happened to get a boat of his own?
Jared.
Bates would immediately suspect Jared was trying to knock out the competition.
Hunter smirked as he dried off on the beach.
"Sorry, Jared," he whispered to the wind. "You're going to have a rough few days."
"But don't worry. I'll take care of Bates for you in the end. And I'll even let you find that plane full of drugs."
"I'm trading you a few hundred million dollars' worth of cocaine for your girlfriend. That's a fair trade, isn't it?"
Hunter felt zero guilt. He wouldn't touch the drugs himself—his principles forbade it—but he knew they were the key to destroying Jared.
The drugs would bring the cartel. The cartel would bring violence. And Jared's greed would make him try to sell the drugs, proving once and for all to Sam that he was beyond saving.
With the necklace in his pocket and the sabotage complete, the trap was set.
Hunter got back on his motorcycle and sped toward Paradise Island.
The treasure would be found within forty-eight hours. The clock was ticking.
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