Chapter 4

When I arrived at the factory gates, the scene was even wilder than I imagined.

Threatening banners fluttered in the breeze.

A crew of suppliers was actively hauling office desktop computers into the back of a flatbed truck.

Sweating through his shirt with two buttons popped off his collar, Richard was desperately waving his arms in the driveway.

The second my sedan pulled up, his eyes lit up like he had spotted a rescue helicopter in a war zone.

"Chase! Chase, thank God you're here!"

He lunged forward, clutching my car door handle as if terrified I might hit reverse.

I rolled down the window and tapped my watch face.

"The exact time is 3:40 PM."

"The meter is officially running."

A muscle in Richard’s jaw twitched violently, but he swallowed the rage and nodded frantically.

"Yes! Fine! Whatever it takes, just fix it!"

I stepped out and walked straight toward the primary workshop.

Trent and a handful of shift leads were hovering nervously near the double doors. Seeing me approach, Trent instinctively averted his gaze.

"Out of my way," I said quietly.

Trent didn't move fast enough.

Richard rushed over and smacked him hard across the back of his head.

"Didn't you hear him?! Get the hell out of the way!"

Trent clutched his skull and scrambled backward like a startled rat.

I stepped inside the workshop.

The familiar master control cabinet hung wide open.

Inside, the wiring harness looked like a plate of mangled spaghetti.

Diagnostic tools were strewn across the floor, alongside several charred, smoking circuit boards.

A single glance told me everything.

"Who touched the jumper pins on the core processing module?"

Trent shrank back, his voice barely a squeak.

"I... I just figured a hard reset might reboot the BIOS..."

"Moron," I spat out.

"The core controller has physical anti-tamper safeguards. Forcing a hard reset trips a localized surge that fries the logic board instantly."

"This isn't just a software lock anymore. You completely torched the physical hardware."

Richard’s knees went visibly weak.

"What do we do now?"

"Chase, you have a spare, right? Tell me you can fix it!"

I strolled up to the operator console, typing a quick query into the diagnostic terminal.

The monitors remained pitch-black, save for a solitary blinking prompt.

"I can fix it."

"But it's going to cost you extra."

Richard’s eyes bugged out.

"Extra?! We agreed on a thousand a minute!"

I leaned casually against the control desk, crossing my arms.

"A grand a minute is my technical advisory rate."

"The hardware is fried. I happen to carry a replacement module in my personal kit, but it’s from my private reserve."

"This board costs one hundred thousand dollars."

"Take it or leave it."

Richard sucked in a sharp breath.

"A hundred grand?! Is it made of solid platinum?!"

"Chase, that's highway robbery!"

I glanced down at my wrist.

"Five minutes have passed. That's five thousand dollars."

"Every minute you spend whining costs you another grand."

"And by the sound of it, your clients outside are running out of patience."

Right on cue, the sound of breaking glass echoed from the front courtyard, accompanied by angry shouting.

Richard flinched, trembling from head to toe.

Veins bulged along his neck as he glared at me, his eyes bloodshot.

"Fine! One hundred grand!"

"Just fix the damn thing!"

I held out an open palm.

"Payment upfront. No credit."

"Wire it directly, marked: 'Technical Services and Proprietary Components.'"

With trembling fingers, Richard whipped out his phone and mashed the banking app.

"Ding."

A notification flashed on my screen: Funds received. One hundred thousand dollars.

I nodded with satisfaction, unzipped my gear bag, and pulled out a clean controller board.

Truth be told, it was a standard off-the-shelf industrial board worth a few hundred bucks.

But right here, right now? It was worth its weight in diamonds.

With practiced efficiency, I mounted the board, clicked the wire harnesses into place, and flipped the master breaker.

The screens flickered to life.

I hammered a specialized algorithmic sequence into the command line.

"Enter."

The industrial motors gave a deep, throaty roar as the conveyor belts began to roll smoothly into motion.

The status beacon flashed a steady, beautiful green.

Richard nearly dropped to his knees in relief.

"It's running! It's running! We're alive!"

I checked my watch again.

"Total repair time: fifteen minutes."

"Plus the five minutes of negotiation outside makes twenty minutes flat."

"Twenty thousand for the consulting fee. Settle up."

The joy on Richard’s face vanished instantly.

He stared at the smoothly running machinery, a predatory, deceitful smirk returning to his lips.

"Chase, I already paid you a hundred grand for that tiny piece of plastic."

"Don't you think asking for another twenty grand is a bit greedy?"

"You tapped a keyboard for five minutes and plugged in a wire."

"Tell you what, I'll give you two hundred bucks for your trouble, and we call it even."

Looking at his smug, treacherous expression, I wasn't surprised in the slightest.

"Backing out on the deal, Mr. Leach?"

Richard sneered, tossing a subtle head tilt toward Trent.

Trent and four burly mechanics stepped forward, blocking the workshop exit.

"Backing out? What are you gonna do about it?"

"Chase, you're on my turf now."

"The machine is running. What are you gonna do, rip it apart with your bare hands?"

"Take your hundred grand and get the hell out while you still have your teeth."

"Otherwise, I might just make you cough that money right back up!"

Facing the circling goons, I didn't flinch.

Instead, I broke into a bright, genuine smile.

"Mr. Leach, do you honestly think all I did was swap a board?"

"Haven't you noticed that while the line is turning, it’s only running at half speed?"

Richard froze. He snapped his head toward the conveyor.

Sure enough, the belts were creeping along at a snail's pace.

"What the hell is this?!" he bellowed.

I casually packed my screwdrivers back into my leather kit.

"That’s trial mode."

"Unless an encrypted activation key is entered, the logic board initiates an emergency lockdown after ten minutes."

"And this specific lock triggers an intentional voltage feedback loop that will permanently fry every primary drive motor on the floor."

"Care to roll the dice?"