Hunter's gaze lingered on the newly retrieved safe for only a moment before he got to work.
He pulled another set of tools from his Inventory.
To fully open this top-tier Worthington 1000 private safe, one needed to bypass three security systems—commonly known as the "Three Locks."
The first lock was a physical key mechanism.
The second was a mechanical combination dial.
And the third was a digital keypad, which likely also required Steve's retinal scan for verification.
The first lock was undoubtedly the easiest for Hunter.
He leaned in to inspect the keyway, a smile quickly forming on his face.
The Worthington 1000 required a custom-made key to disengage the initial security layer.
But for Hunter, whose [Lockpicking] skill had reached Lv 5, this was child's play.
He swiftly took out a specialized pick tool and probed the keyway.
After determining the position and depth of every pin inside...
Hunter rummaged through his toolkit and found a set of alloy key blanks he had custom-ordered during his training at Stella's farm.
He selected the blank that most closely matched the Worthington 1000's profile.
Then, using a pair of metal clippers, he rapidly cut notches into the key based on his mental map of the lock.
A few quick passes with a file to smooth the edges...
In less than two minutes, Hunter had fabricated a working key on the spot.
He inserted the newly made key into the Worthington 1000's lock and turned it gently.
Click.
With a crisp sound, the first lock of the world's premier private safe was open.
However, this was merely the easiest of the three.
Hunter felt no pride in this small victory.
He stored the unnecessary tools back in his Inventory and pulled out a stethoscope.
Placing the earpieces in his ears, he pressed the diaphragm against the cold alloy of the safe door.
Then, he began to turn the mechanical combination dial with infinite care.
The second lock—the mechanical combination—was a standard anti-theft device found on high-end safes and vaults.
It consisted of a dial, a spindle, drive cams, a fence, and a drop lever, all interacting deep within the safe's thick alloy wall.
Unlike the massive vaults in banks or casinos, which often used multiple dials...
The Worthington 1000, limited by its size, used a single dial with a complex internal wheel pack.
Cracking it wasn't overly difficult, just time-consuming.
The real trouble lay with the final digital lock.
Hunter spun the dial back and forth, listening intently for the telltale click of the gates aligning within the wheel pack.
Click.
Click.
Click.
Click.
Ding!
After two or three minutes of intense concentration and manipulation...
Hunter confirmed the correct combination sequence.
He memorized the numbers immediately. Then, his gaze shifted to the safe's final line of defense: the digital keypad.
The Worthington 1000's digital lock looked simple.
It required a six-digit code. At first glance, Hunter noticed something interesting.
Only four of the number keys showed signs of wear.
The other keys—except for "Enter"—looked brand new.
This meant Hunter only needed to test the various permutations of those four digits. With enough time, he would crack it eventually.
He stared closely at the worn keys: 0, 2, 5, 7.
Observing the degree of fading on each, Hunter noted that 0 and 5 were significantly more worn than 2 and 7.
In other words, in the six-digit code Steve had set...
The digits 0 and 5 were likely repeated at least once each.
Armed with this deduction, Hunter began mentally arranging the numbers 0, 2, 5, and 7 into possible combinations.
Within moments, he had narrowed it down to a few dozen likely codes.
However, Hunter glanced at the small screen above the keypad.
He knew the Worthington 1000 system offered a retinal scan feature.
If Steve had enabled that, this safe didn't just have three locks—it had four.
"Can't gamble on it."
Hunter stared at the screen for a moment.
He pulled out another set of tools. Carefully, he began to work on the hairline seam around the keypad housing.
After a while, he managed to widen the gap.
Relying on his Lv 5 skill, he pried the keypad housing open bit by bit, moving with extreme caution.
He knew the Worthington 1000 had an automatic lockdown failsafe (a "relocker").
If the system detected multiple failed passcode attempts or brute force tampering, the relocker would engage, driving hardened steel bolts into the mechanism and sealing the safe permanently.
Simultaneously, it would trigger a silent alarm, transmit video footage to Worthington HQ, and broadcast its GPS coordinates.
Hunter didn't want unnecessary trouble. Following Stella's teachings, he bypassed the brute force approach.
He lifted the keypad housing just enough to peek underneath.
Sure enough, besides a few wires, there was a thin, almost invisible filament wire connected to a tamper sensor chip.
Hunter took a pair of wire cutters.
Snip.
He cut the power wires and the sensor filament simultaneously.
Instantly, a faint hum that had been emanating from the safe's electronics died out.
The electronic lock was now dead—defaulted to "open" or bypassed entirely by cutting the solenoid control.
Hunter's heart skipped a beat.
He re-inserted the key into the first lock and turned it.
Then, he spun the mechanical dial to the correct combination he had deciphered earlier.
Hiss...
With the sound of a pneumatic seal releasing...
The safe Hunter had stolen from Steve finally swung open.
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