After another busy day, Hunter looked at the parts he had scattered all over the warehouse.
He looked at the three vehicles that had already been modified.
Taking off his gloves, he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket with his dirty hands and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Hunter then checked the time; he felt it was time to call it a day.
"Old Parker gave me a week!"
"But the parts that were promised within three days took a full five days to arrive."
"If it weren't for my current physical condition and Level 4 Repair skill..."
"...it would have been impossible to get this done in a week."
"Fifteen thousand us dollar is definitely too little."
Looking at the messy parts everywhere, Hunter could almost not resist wanting to light a cigarette for himself.
But he also knew that would be suicidal.
The entire warehouse floor was covered with residue from engine oil, gasoline, and lubricants left over from the modifications.
A single spark could lead to unimaginable consequences.
Hunter didn't bother tidying up; being able to finish modifying the three cars by the end of the week was already the result of his best efforts.
Wiping away the sweat, he picked up the dirty scraps of paper and put them in his pocket.
In a place like this, Hunter tried his best not to leave any traces.
After all, he knew better than anyone exactly what kind of performance the three cars he had modified possessed.
These things—the mastermind who commissioned Old Parker for the modifications was likely planning to rob a bank or a jewelry store.
Or they were going to participate in a gang war, the kind that looks like a fully-armed shootout in a blockbuster movie.
Either way, getting involved with them would definitely bring no benefit.
Frustrated, he pulled out his phone; Hunter was still using his predecessor's vintage Motorola.
After all, the point in time he had transmigrated to was only the early 21st century.
Smartphones wouldn't be invented and popularized for another decade or so.
He soon got through to Old Parker, and as the familiar voice came from the other end...
Hunter immediately said in a low, unhappy voice, "Parker, because of you, I've been working overtime for several days straight."
"I got it done before the night of the last day."
"But you'll have to come and clean up here, because I'm too tired to move."
"I've left the key under the protruding rock to the left of the warehouse door."
"I want three days of paid leave!"
"And fifteen thousand us dollar is too little."
"Remember to transfer the money to my payroll card before noon tomorrow."
"That's it."
After saying that, Hunter didn't want to hear Old Parker's response and decisively hung up.
He stuffed the phone into his pocket and turned to look at the three cars parked quietly in the warehouse.
Complaints aside, Hunter was still very satisfied with the past busy week.
Modifying these three cars had increased his experience points by nearly a thousand.
You see, for Hunter's current Repair skill to reach the next level, he needed as many as ten thousand experience points.
Furthermore, as the level of his Repair skill got higher...
...the experience points Hunter could gain from ordinary Repair work were now less than a third of what they used to be.
So this time, gaining nearly a thousand experience points from modifying three cars...
...was actually a pretty good job for him.
He locked the warehouse door, checked the surroundings briefly to ensure no one was around, and left the key under a rock.
After finishing all this, he went to the nearby parking area, got on his vintage motorcycle, and headed for his residence.
Speeding along the way, Hunter found that he had already come to love this life full of passion.
No mortgage, no car loan, and no pressure to get married, have kids, and carry on the family line.
He had worked hard for over thirty years in his previous life, living under constant suppression, yet he still failed to let his parents see those milestones before they passed away.
But now, after transmigrating to a parallel world...
...without the pressure of life and societal expectations, and with a system cheat at his side...
Hunter truly felt that every day he lived now was incredibly free and easy.
"Damn mortgage, damn car loan."
"To hell with getting married, to hell with continuing the bloodline."
"In this life, I'm going to live however I want and have as much fun as I please!"
Without realizing it, he had pushed his speed to over 120.
Riding his vintage motorcycle, Hunter sped along, weaving through and overtaking car after car.
Before long, he returned to the rental apartment where he was temporarily staying.
*Bang!*
He had just parked the motorcycle in the parking area...
An empty beer bottle flew out from one of the apartment windows in the building several meters away.
Hunter was nearly hit by the shattering glass. He frowned and looked up toward where the bottle had come from.
Unfortunately, he had no way of telling which neighbor was the one recklessly throwing trash outside.
"Sigh!"
With a sigh, Hunter kicked the glass shards aside and stopped worrying about it.
Most of the old apartments in this area were built after World War II.
By now, few middle-to-high-income earners lived nearby, aside from some immigrants of color.
As a result, the streets and alleys outside were usually quite chaotic at night.
It was common to encounter people urinating or defecating in public, injecting drugs, or engaging in reckless partying and brawling.
Hunter had even encountered muggers twice since he transmigrated.
Fortunately, his good habit of carrying a firearm saved him a lot of trouble.
Under the threat of American Iaijutsu—especially once, when a few guys planning to rob him saw Hunter flick off the safety without hesitation—
they immediately retreated. Clearly, they were worried he would open fire at the slightest provocation.
Hunter didn't want to stay in this place for a moment longer.
However, moving out would have to wait a while.
At the very least, Hunter wouldn't consider moving to a new place until he had more money in his pocket.
Returning home, he first took a wonderful shower.
He washed away all the engine oil and fatigue from his body!
Afterward, Hunter made himself a simple Western meal and made do for dinner.
Once everything was done, he lay down in bed and quickly fell asleep.
It wasn't until the next day that the persistent sound of knocking woke Hunter, who had rarely slept in.
"Coming!"
He grabbed the alarm clock by the bed and checked the time.
Yawning, Hunter walked toward the front door.
As usual, he only cracked the door open slightly without undoing the latch.
As it turned out, the person he saw was the mixed-race beauty Mia, whom he hadn't seen for over half a month.
The moment he saw her, Hunter immediately felt his lingering drowsiness vanish!