America: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 120 Vehicle Recovery

"Honey, come and eat!" Reina called out to Zhang Ailun as he came downstairs.

Zhang Ailun felt quite hungry; he had indeed expended a lot of energy last night!

Without standing on ceremony, he went downstairs, sat down at the dining table, and started eating. He finished his meal in just a few minutes, drank his milk, and then glanced at the time. "Is the shelter closed today?"

Reina smiled and said, "We don't open until 10 a.m. today. There's a charity event this afternoon. Would you like to go?"

"What kind of charity event?" Zhang Ailun asked.

"You can get free condoms and daily necessities by cleaning up litter on the streets and distributing daily necessities to the homeless," Reina replied.

"Never mind then, I thought I would get paid."

When Zhang Ailun heard that it was just a low-level benefit, he immediately lost interest.

If he had just arrived on the West Coast, the leader of this charity event would definitely not have let it pass by. But now that he's a big shot with a considerable amount of savings, he's starting to look down on these low-level resources and would rather give them to other homeless people.

"Rest here for a bit and then get back to your work." Reina finished her black coffee, still with two sugar cubes, and then went to wash the dishes.

Zhang Ailun originally wanted to help her clean, but Reina refused, so he could only lazily sit in a chair and play on his phone.

I opened the Los Angeles version of the 58 app, searched for it, and accurately located the mission to investigate my wife's infidelity, so I chose to accept it.

After receiving the notification, the employer quickly sent him a message.

Mr. Shark: Are you sure you want to accept this commission?

Burger King: Of course, I'm quite sure. What information do you need me to provide? Before making this request, could you briefly explain your requirements and situation?

Mr. Shark: The situation is complicated, but it's also simple in a way. My wife doesn't love me anymore. She's a rich woman, but I'm not.

Burger King: Please continue to explain the situation.

Mr. Shark: I recently suspect that a fitness trainer is deliberately getting close to my wife. My wife used to only love me, but since I was injured and my function has declined, she can't stand being lonely and often contacts other men. She goes to the gym more often than she eats or drinks. The neighbors say that she's been having a lot of fun behind my back! I've also started to suspect her behavior.

I need evidence and information! Ideally, intimate photos of them, so I can break up with her and demand compensation!

Burger King: As far as I know, $2500 isn't enough to tempt someone to take such a risk. Invading someone's privacy is a serious crime. You're not just investigating a wealthy person, but your wife. Even private investigators would face prosecution for this kind of work…

Mr. Shark: What should we do then?

Burger King: You'll have to pay more.

Mr. Shark: ...

Mr. Shark: I don't have much money right now. I had a fight with her a couple of days ago, and in a fit of anger, she kicked me out of the house and froze my cards! Now I'm stuck in motels. All I have is $3000! If you can help me sort this out, I'll get a generous breakup fee! I'll add more money to it later!

Believe me, my wife is a shareholder in a sales company. She frequently attends high-society parties and is very concerned about her image. She won't argue with me about this! I'm confident I can get a $200 million settlement from her!

Damn, is this rich woman really that wealthy?

Craig endured humiliation and hardship, and he really caught a big fish!

Burger King: Has your wife subjected you to any forms of insults, verbal abuse, or physical violence during sexual intercourse after marriage?

Mr. Shark: That's my privacy. Okay, I admit she does like to drip wax on me and play some unbearable little games, but I think it's just normal fun. She's a really nice person. Why are you asking this kind of question? Does it help you investigate?

Burger King: Don't get me wrong, I'm just genuinely curious about your wife's private life.

Mr. Shark: Are you kidding me?! Do you even have any real skills? Can you help me? Otherwise, I won't waste my time here with you!

Burger King: I can handle this for you. It's a piece of cake for me. I can crack their phones and find private photos and chat evidence with just a few taps. If your wife has a habit of taking photos while running errands or shopping, then I'm sure I can get the evidence!

Mr. Shark: You're a hacker!? I'm sorry to speak to you in this tone. When can you obtain that evidence? My wife not only enjoys taking photos, but also has many encrypted private pictures, some of which I haven't even seen. If you can get these photos, please send them to me!

Burger King: I will not share these sexually suggestive images with anyone except for work-related matters! Not even you.

How would I know what those encrypted images are?

All I have are photos of your wife and Craig posing sweetly together—on the balcony, on the sofa, in the bathroom, in the bathtub, and in the kitchen.

Dude, you've definitely been cuckolded!

Mr. Shark: Okay, you really are a professional!

Burger King: Wait for my message.

After exiting the app, Zhang Ailun opened the chat messages and private pictures again, making sure there were no irrelevant pictures other than work-related ones.

The daily intelligence reports are rigorous and will never provide you with irrelevant evidence.

It's a pity, I thought there would be sensitive words like celebrities, tycoons, ministers, members of parliament, and island parties.

These wealthy people undoubtedly indulge in extravagant lifestyles in private, but most of it is shady and group sex is just a minor matter.

I then opened the VT Exchange and found the vehicle recycling job event, and confirmed that I could accept it.

The employer was interesting and aloof. He didn't say much, only replying: "You are the sixth person to accept my task. If there is no progress by tomorrow, I will cancel the task."

Zhang Ailun only replied with one sentence: You'll be able to see your Mustang before evening.

Mr. Hacksaw: I hope so. Don't say I didn't warn you, if my vehicle has any scratches or damage, the price I pay you will be significantly reduced!

Burger King: OK.

Zhang Ailun accepted the task, ignored his employer, and immediately sent a message to Sieg.

Zhang Ailun: I have an errand to run, come quickly.

Sig: What kind of job? Freebies? Territory raiding? Can raiding?

Zhang Ailun: Stealing a car.

Sig: ? ? ?

Without explaining much to Sieg, Zhang Ailun said goodbye to Reina and left the shelter.

After waiting on the street for a few minutes, Sieg drove up in his beat-up pickup truck and parked on the side of the road. In the back seat sat Air Force Bailey, one of the Five Elders of Kongtong.

As soon as Zhang Ailun got into the car, Sieg eagerly asked, "Boss, what do you mean by stealing cars? Are we really going to be doing car reselling?"

"Calm down. How could that be! Do you think I'm the kind of person who would do anything for profit, break the law, or knowingly violate the law? I just picked up a job posting for recycling vehicles on the VT Exchange. The employer can give us up to $5000!" Zhang Ailun explained, then showed him the job posting list.

"So many!?" Sigman was astonished.

Air Force officer Bailey looked at the 12-hour countdown and hesitated, "Why is there a time limit? Does that mean if we don't get the car back by the deadline, he won't pay us?"

"After all, it's a $5000 project, so it's normal for the employer to have some requirements. He had asked at least six different groups of people before, but none of them could find the car. I just happened to find relevant information and saw the car on the road." Zhang Ailun then took out the picture of the intelligence.

"The parking garage of apartment building number 1286 on Second Avenue in Seventh Street?" Sieg looked at the corresponding sign on the background map.

A silver Mustang coupe, very similar to the picture provided by the employer, except that the license plate was covered and the paint color and tires were different.

"It must have been modified and painted at some unknown small repair shop. Those pickpockets are professional team members, and there must be a corresponding industry chain for them." Zhang Ailun didn't care.

No matter how varied its appearance may be, at least the intelligence provided won't be wrong; if it says it's stopped there, then it's stopped there.

Their challenge was to drive the car away from the parking garage without triggering the alarm or attracting the attention of the car thieves.

But it seems difficult. They are not professional car theft gangs and cannot do it at all. It would be better to just deliver the car to their door and put a gun to their head!

"Why don't we just tell the employer and let him find it himself? Someone who can afford a Mustang sports car probably isn't short of money," Air Force Bailey said.

"Are you stupid? Do you think we get the same pay if we find the car and deliver it to the employer, or if we just provide information to the employer?" Zhang Ailun immediately criticized his flawed thinking.

This $5000 is hard for other teams to earn, but for them it was no problem at all; it was practically free.

Sieg drove his pickup truck to Second Avenue on Seventh Street, circled around two and a half times, and stopped in an open-air parking lot converted from a basketball court. The cars parked there were all junk cars, and the old white man in charge of the gate managed to extort $5 from him for parking.

Zhang Ailun didn't want to argue too much with the other party. This area was clearly a high-end community, so the parking fees would naturally be high. Hotel parking spaces or community parking lots were not cheap, and in the city center, they could reach $15 an hour.

Their beat-up pickup truck wasn't even qualified to park there.

Sieg reluctantly paid the $5. At least it was under guard and had cameras, so it wouldn't be stolen like a zombie car if parked here.

The three of them waited by the roadside and soon found apartment number 1286 by following the house number.

After circling around for a while, I found the parking garage at the side entrance.

Under Zhang Ailun's arrangement, they didn't rush to knock on the door and forcibly retrieve the vehicle, because no one knew how many people were inside, so they didn't want to alert them. Instead, they sat on a roadside bench and started chatting while waiting for the situation to unfold.

Around noon, the apartment building door opened, and a black man with a full beard, wearing sunglasses, a silver bracelet, and large tattoos on his arms, walked out, carrying a briefcase. He walked across the traffic lights, seemingly heading towards a nearby restaurant for lunch.

"Pele, go watch him. If he comes out after eating, pretend to bump into him accidentally, then drop something from your arms and break it, demanding compensation. Basically, just keep bothering him!!"

Zhang Ailun cleverly applied his knowledge, using staged accidents to buy time.

Pele nodded and immediately followed.

"Sig, go check if anyone is still in the room," Zhang Ailun instructed Sig to probe.

Sieg crossed the traffic light, looked left and right, arrived at the apartment building door, rang the doorbell, and knocked. But there was no response from inside.

After confirming that no one seemed to be inside, Sieg returned and discussed it with Zhang Ailun. They decided to pry open the side door of the parking garage.

"They didn't install cameras at the front or side doors," Sieg checked, which was the most important thing.

"Maybe he's feeling guilty." Zhang Ailun searched around the side yard and found a red-painted crowbar, which felt quite handy in his hand.

He told Sieg to keep watch from the side, while he took out his phone and took a picture of the garage door.

I used the almighty Google search and found the keyword: how to pick a lock.

Sure enough, a whole bunch of valid questions and answers appeared the next second. Looking at the profile pictures on that social media platform, without exception, they were all black guys with dreadlocks and thick lips.

One-click acceptance!!

Zhang Ailun studied their knowledge and felt that he had mastered the art of prying open doors.

After glancing around to make sure no one was watching, Sieg nodded to signal that he could proceed. Zhang Ailun then bent down, tucked one corner of the crowbar into the gap in the garage door, took out a nearby flowerpot and secured it, took two steps back, and kicked the crowbar with all his might.

With a snap, the garage door shook violently, the internal security chain instantly broken by a tremendous, skillful force. With a gentle lift, the garage door swung open.

Zhang Ailun grinned, having learned another trick.

He turned around and gave Sieg an OK sign.

[Lock picking level 0: Suitable for garage door locks and other low-level locks.]

Sieg was also very pleased, never expecting it could be done this way.

Zhang Ailun tossed the crowbar aside, opened the garage door, and sure enough, a silver Mustang coupe was parked inside. After checking, he found that the key was not there.

The two men went straight into the garage and began searching for the car keys.

Forget about keyless start technology; it's a highly difficult skill. Old black guys who frequently steal cars might be very skilled at it, but Zhang Ailun and Sig aren't professionals and don't know this skill at all.

It's impossible to learn in a short time, and you might even burn out the ignition system, which wouldn't be worth damaging the vehicle!

The two searched the garage but found nothing. Sieg suggested they look upstairs, since the garage and apartment building were connected.

Zhang Ailun also took his advice. As soon as he came upstairs from the garage and opened the door, he heard a loud, booming sound.

Pushing open the door, I saw two shirtless, fat, black men sitting on the sofa, eating popcorn, fried chicken, and fries. There were also beer bottles, playing cards, and leaves on the table.

Hearing the sound of the door lock, the two old black men turned around in confusion.

"..."

Their eyes met, and both were stunned.

Holy crap, wasn't no one there? Zhang Ailun was completely stunned. Didn't they hear the loud noise of them prying open the door?

That's right. He only heard the loud music after he opened the door. The room is so well soundproofed that even if you sneaked around behind them and moved all the goods, they probably wouldn't know.

P.S.: Thank you to "Reading is so enjoyable" for the 5000-coin reward.

(End of this chapter)