Without hesitation, Hunter picked up the dozen letters and opened them one by one.
Three of them were useless junk mail—collections notices from credit card companies and utility bills for water, electricity, and gas.
The remaining letters, however, were the valuable messages left by Charlie and his team for Stella.
Hunter read through them quickly, piecing together the events of that chaotic night after his departure.
Since they couldn't reach Stella by phone, Charlie's team had resorted to leaving physical letters, hoping she would see them when she returned home.
Clearly, they knew Stella had been rescued.
Although the letters were brief and lacked specific details, Hunter could read between the lines.
Because of Hunter's intervention, Charlie's plan had gone disastrously wrong.
Originally, Charlie intended to use fake gold to stall Steve, then leverage the suicide vest to force Stella's release.
But when Hunter's crossbow bolt killed the power, chaos erupted.
In the confusion, Steve and his men opened fire. One of the stray bullets hit Charlie.
Despite his injury, Charlie still tried to navigate the dark villa to find Stella.
But Hunter unintentionally screwed him over again.
By the time Charlie reached the kitchen (or wherever he was headed), Hunter had already killed the guards and extracted Stella.
Charlie found an empty room.
Meanwhile, Steve and his men, realizing the intrusion, cornered Charlie inside the villa. He was captured alive.
Handsome Rob tried to rescue him but was wounded in the process and nearly captured himself.
At the critical moment, Left Ear—seeing the situation spiraling out of control—rammed their car directly into the villa, creating an opening to extract Rob and Charlie.
All three escaped, but not without serious injuries.
Charlie was in the worst shape. He had been shot eight times. He had only regained consciousness briefly before slipping into a coma.
He was currently in an ICU somewhere, fighting for his life.
But before he passed out, his primary concern was still Stella. He ordered his team to confirm her safety.
That was why these letters were piled up here.
As for Steve? The letters were vague about his current status.
But considering Hunter had used a grenade and Rob had detonated explosives during the rescue...
Two explosions in a high-end residential district? The LAPD couldn't ignore that, no matter how many bribes were paid. Wealthy neighbors would demand action.
Most of Steve's men were arrested before they could flee.
But Steve himself had managed to escape in the chaos, driving the armored SUV loaded with the fake gold.
Charlie's team didn't know where he was.
The only thing they knew for sure was that Steve wouldn't give up easily.
By now, he must have discovered the gold was fake.
Charlie's team could go to ground. But Stella?
She had a registered business and a known address. She was a sitting duck.
Fearing Steve would target her again, they sent letters daily to warn her.
"So that's what happened."
Hunter finished reading the letters quickly.
He gathered them up, intending to bring them back to the farm for Stella later.
He was surprised Steve had managed to slip away in that mess. And that he was still at large.
Hunter didn't care if Charlie lived or died.
But Stella was his teacher now. And he had promised (at least in spirit) to solve her problem.
"So, where do I find Steve?"
Frowning slightly, Hunter walked out of Stella's apartment building.
Just as he stepped onto the sidewalk, he felt a gaze land on him.
With his senses heightened far beyond normal human limits, Hunter reacted instantly. He glanced up casually, scanning the source.
His expression froze for a microsecond.
Then, a smile crept onto his face.
Across the street, under the shade of a large tree, stood a man. He was wearing sunglasses and a hat that covered most of his face, leaving only a distinctive mustache visible.
He was staring intently at the entrance to Stella's building.
To anyone else, he was just another passerby, heavily disguised.
But unluckily for him...
Hunter knew him all too well. One look was all it took to confirm his identity.
"Steve?!"
"Well, look at that. I was wondering where to find you, and you deliver yourself to my doorstep."
"Talk about wearing out iron shoes in a fruitless search, only to find it by sheer luck."
Hunter quickly averted his gaze to avoid alerting Steve.
He continued walking at a leisurely pace, acting natural.
Once he was a safe distance away, he scanned his surroundings. He spotted another apartment building nearby that offered a vantage point.
Finding a secluded spot, Hunter quickly applied a disguise.
He donned a wig, pulled a baseball cap low over it, and put on a pair of large aviator sunglasses. He finished the look by sticking a fake mustache above his lip.
Ever since unlocking the [Disguise] skill (or simply realizing its necessity), Hunter had stocked up on makeup and props.
This preparation had kept his true identity safe during all his operations.
transformed, Hunter entered the neighboring apartment building.
He climbed the stairs all the way to the roof (or a high floor window).
Looking down, he searched for an angle that gave him a clear line of sight to Steve.
After a few moments, he found the perfect spot.
He checked his surroundings again. There was a security camera nearby.
Hunter pulled his cap lower and walked casually toward the camera.
When he was directly underneath it, he pulled a baseball bat from his Inventory and nudged the camera lens, spinning it until it faced a blind corner.
He knew security would notice the dead feed soon.
He didn't have much time.
Hunter returned to his firing position. He locked his gaze on Steve, who was still standing under the tree, watching Stella's apartment like a hawk.
Hunter pulled the Tactical Crossbow from his Inventory.
He loaded a bolt.
Silently calculating the wind speed and distance, he settled the crosshairs on Steve's chest.
He pulled the trigger.
Thwip!
The bolt hissed through the air.
In the distance, the figure under the tree crumpled to the ground.
Hunter stowed the crossbow quickly. He grinned, taking a brief moment to appreciate his handiwork.
Then he turned and disappeared into the stairwell.
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