Chapter 105: The New Ride

Jude watched the staff clear space around the sorting bays, keeping his expression neutral.

He had come to pick up a single afternoon route, but the depot was handling it like a formal audit.

A subtle interface ping sounded in his mind.

[Daily Sign-In Window Active!]

[Claim asset reward: Luxury SUV.]

Claim, Jude signaled internally.

[Sign-in complete. Asset registered: 2026 Rolls-Royce Cullinan Black Badge. Documentation and registration finalized.]

He felt the leather and key fob settle into his pocket.

"What vehicle would you like to take out for the route, Mr. Lawson?" Fiona asked, stepping up with a clipboard. "I can have one of the electric cargo vans cleared for you."

"No need," Jude said, reaching into his pocket. "I’ll use what I have here."

Fiona glanced toward the black Koenigsegg Jesko by the bay entrance. "Delivering packages in that? The cargo space won’t hold more than a couple of envelopes."

The workers nearby looked uneasy at the prospect of loading cardboard boxes into an exotic track-focused machine.

"Not that one," Jude said. He took out the key fob and pressed the release button.

A short double chirp sounded down the block.

30 feet away in the commercial loading zone, the running lights flared to life on an obsidian-black Rolls-Royce Cullinan Black Badge, dark-tinted and sitting high over the curb.

The station manager stared, lowering his manifest.

"A Black Badge Cullinan... parked right behind the hypercar?"

The couriers exchanged looks, completely quiet.

"He drove two vehicles over just to run a delivery route?"

"Must have had someone drop it off while we were inside!"

"Sister Feng, let’s run the route registration and get a vest," Jude said. "I can take the first run now."

"Right away. Inside, Mr. Lawson," Fiona said, leading the way to the desk to process his profile and issue his route scanner.

When Jude walked back out to the platform in a blue MetroExpress vest, the manager had set aside a manageable hamper of 20 small residential parcels.

"This batch covers a single residential cluster, Mr. Lawson," the manager said. "It’s an easy run to get started."

"Understood," Jude said. "Drop the title while I’m on shift. Jude is fine."

The manager gave an awkward nod. "Right... Jude."

The couriers carried the 20 parcels over, loading them cleanly into the rear cargo bay of the Cullinan.

"Appreciate the assist," Jude told them as he opened the driver’s door. "I’ll pick up the tab for drinks after shift."

He left the Koenigsegg parked near the office, settled into the Cullinan’s quiet cabin, and pulled out into the cross-street traffic.

The elevated driving position and acoustic glass made city driving effortless.

More importantly, getting behind the wheel and working a direct schedule broke up the quiet afternoon...

Back at the depot, the staff watched the black SUV turn onto the avenue before turning their attention back to the Koenigsegg still sitting in front of their office.

As Jude navigated toward the first delivery cluster, his interface chimed.

[Milestone Reward Unlocked: Insight Eye!]

The reward activated immediately, sharpening his focus and clarity...

He turned into the entrance of Riverview Towers, an upscale residential high-rise listed on his initial waybill.

Seeing a late-model Cullinan approach the security gate, the guard on duty stepped out of the booth, checking the front windshield for a resident transponder.

"Afternoon, sir. Visiting a resident?"

Jude rolled down the driver’s window.

His sight changed at once, picking up small clues in seconds:

Male, early 50s. Heavy tea stains along the inner incisors, no nicotine residue. Dermal friction and trace moisture on the right index knuckle, with residue along the cuff... stepped away from the guardhouse sink under 2 minutes ago.

Jude noted the breakdown.

The reward let him figure out everything in seconds, just by looking!

"Courier drop for Tower B," Jude said, holding up the route tablet.

"Go right ahead, sir," the guard said, pressing the gate control and extending a hand toward the window. "Appreciate you checking in."

Jude kept his hands on the wheel, letting the gate rise. "Thanks, officer. Keep the gate clear."

He pulled through the barrier toward the visitor parking bays.

The guard lowered his hand, watching the SUV move down the lane before heading back inside the booth.

Jude parked outside Tower B, took a small cardboard parcel from the rear cargo area, and rode the elevator up to the 10th floor.

He stepped down the carpeted corridor and knocked on the door of Apartment 1001.

"MetroExpress delivery," Jude called out.

Footsteps moved slowly across the floor inside before the deadbolt slid back.

The door opened 4 inches on an interior security latch.

Through the gap appeared a thin, pale man in his 30s with hollow cheeks and unkempt hair.

Without speaking, he extended his right hand through the opening to take the box.

As Jude handed the parcel over, his focus registered distinct markers:

A tiny fleck of dried, dark crimson residue remained lodged in the lateral crease of the man’s index cuticle, with a faint matching trace under the lip of the brushed-metal door handle... coagulated arterial blood, recent and partially scrubbed.

Jude passed the box over without changing his expression.

The man pulled the parcel inside, shut the door, and locked the deadbolt into place.

Jude turned and walked down the hallway toward the elevator bank.

Without the observational enhancement, the flecks of scrubbed residue in the cuticle bed and along the inner edge of the hardware would have been invisible to the naked eye.

The tenant had rushed through cleaning up after returning to the apartment.

As the elevator doors closed, Jude took out his phone and dialed Lola Grant.

"Lieutenant," Jude said when she picked up. "You might want to bring a unit out to Riverview Towers. I think I just delivered a package to your target..."

After relaying the address to Lola Grant and ending the call, Jude remained on the 10th-floor landing.

If the suspect finished wiping down the apartment and moved before the precinct units arrived, locating him in the complex would take time...

Jude walked back down the hallway and knocked twice on the door of Apartment 1001.

A moment later, the deadbolt retracted, and the door opened a few inches on the security chain.

The gaunt man looked out, his forehead creased with annoyance. "Forget something?"