Chapter 5: The Car is Gone
“That's right. When it comes to reliability and loyalty, who could possibly compare to the Unsullied soldiers?” Daenerys said.
The Dimensional Trading Device could facilitate the trade of living beings, but it was slightly more troublesome than ordinary trades. The being being traded had to either not resist or be incapable of resisting.
However, it was clear that this issue didn't exist with the Unsullied.
The "Unsullied" were a force of soldiers created by the slave masters of Slaver’s Bay. The slaves, castrated at a young age, went through a dehumanizing process that stripped them of freedom, status, and emotion, leaving them with nothing but endless obedience.
Before encountering Daenerys, these soldiers had nearly been stripped of all traces of humanity—body, emotions, pain sensitivity—everything was erased, leaving behind only one thing: absolute obedience to the master who purchased them. They feared neither death nor torture.
It wasn’t until Daenerys arrived at Slaver’s Bay and tricked the slave masters into giving her the staff that controlled the Unsullied, that she granted them freedom and dignity.
As a result, this fearless army became completely loyal to Daenerys.
So, as long as Daenerys made the request to trade them to Josh, they would absolutely not resist in the slightest.
One had to admit, Josh was quite tempted by Daenerys' proposal.
Although the Unsullied's mental capacity might be lacking due to their status as slaves, they were perfect as bodyguards.
With a few dozen Unsullied soldiers, teach them how to use guns, and even though they might not be able to take on the Chicago Police Department (CPD) head-on, Josh would have no reason to fear the mafia or gangs anymore.
He wouldn't have to be so cautious every time he exchanged gold either.
As for whether having a few more people around him would draw unnecessary attention, that wasn’t something he needed to worry too much about.
After all, the whole world was at war. In cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York, which were major American port cities, many refugees with visas had gathered, confined to specific refugee camps. Even though Chicago was technically an inland city, its port could connect to Europe via the St. Lawrence River.
This was why so many Italian and other European immigrants ended up in Chicago.
As long as Josh spent a bit more money, it would be easy to give the Unsullied refugee identities and then legally obtain U.S. citizenship for them.
However, after some careful thought, Josh ultimately declined Daenerys’ offer.
“Sorry, Daenerys. Your proposal is great, but I hope you understand that the Trading Device is crucial to us. I still believe it’s not appropriate for anyone else to know of its existence, other than ourselves. Even if the risk is minimal, it’s still a risk,” Josh shook his head as he spoke.
“You’re right. I was too hasty,” Daenerys agreed after hearing Josh’s words and didn’t press the matter further.
After disconnecting the communication with Daenerys, Josh let out a long breath. With a wave of his hand, a heavy gold bar appeared in his palm.
“Mwah!” Josh couldn’t help but give the gold bar a kiss. Gold, such a wonderful thing.
After indulging in his own little moment with the gold, Josh got up and packed his things. Glancing outside, it wasn’t too late yet, so he decided to go out for dinner.
Although there was still some bread left at home, he’d been gnawing on that stuff for almost a week now. He absolutely didn’t want to eat it again anytime soon.
Although most of the dollars he got from this morning's gold exchange had already been spent, he still had a few dozen dollars left. There was no need to skimp on himself.
Josh tidied up his clothes, checked the M1911 pistol he had bought earlier, chambered a round, then placed it in the system’s storage before heading out.
“Mr. Kahn!” However, as soon as he started down the stairs, a man in a uniform blocked his path.
Josh recognized the uniform; it belonged to the Property Management Company.
“Is there something you need?” Josh asked, a little puzzled.
“Mr. Kahn, this is the property management fee bill for the past three months. We hadn’t bothered you before due to the passing of your parents, but now that some time has passed, would you mind...?” The man explained politely that he was there to collect the overdue fees.
Josh was surprised to learn that property management fees existed in America during this time.
Of course, this only showed Josh’s lack of knowledge.
In fact, the concept of property management fees had been around since the 1860s in Britain and was introduced to the U.S. shortly after.
Although it was only the 1940s now, America’s system in this regard was already quite established.
While Josh was a bit surprised, he took the bill. Thankfully, the fees weren’t high—after all, it was just an ordinary apartment complex. The monthly management fee was only forty-two cents, so three months amounted to just over a dollar.
He immediately handed over the money.
Seeing Josh pay up, the man gave a relieved smile.
For the Property Management Company, they weren’t too worried about homeowners not paying their fees, as property companies in Western countries were quite powerful. If a homeowner accumulated a certain amount of debt, they could take the case to court and have the homeowner’s property auctioned off.
Before Josh’s time-travel, he had read a news story about a Chinese-American woman with a PhD in the U.S. who, after having a dispute with the Property Management Company, maliciously refused to pay the fees. In the end, her house, worth several million, was auctioned off at a low price. When the police came to deliver the court order, she resisted violently and ended up getting shot.
However, while the Property Management Company wasn’t afraid, the staff responsible for collecting the fees certainly were. If they didn’t collect the money or if they were reported by homeowners, it would affect their bonuses. Naturally, they preferred to avoid unnecessary trouble.
“By the way, does your company handle property sales?” After paying the fee, Josh casually handed the man a ten-cent tip and asked.
“Uh, Mr. Kahn, are you planning to move?” The man asked in surprise.
“Yes, that’s right. This place is full of sad memories for me, as you know, so I plan to leave,” Josh said, feigning sadness.
Though it was true that he didn’t want to stay here any longer.
This apartment was too small, the security wasn’t great, and someone had died here—though it was the parents of his current body, it still made Josh uncomfortable.
He hadn’t been able to do anything before due to a lack of money.
But now, with all the gold in his system’s storage, once he sold it off, even if he didn’t splurge on a luxury mansion, it would be enough to buy a large six-bedroom house in a high-end neighborhood.
Of course, this didn’t mean Josh had to buy such a large house. After all, he was just one person and didn’t need that much space.
Besides, he needed to keep most of the money as capital for future endeavors.
So in the short term, he was planning to rent a nicer, upscale apartment.
“I see. Our company does handle property sales, and small properties like this one are easy to sell. If you need help, I can get in touch with the right people for you,” the man nodded.
“Thank you. Let me know when there’s any news.” Josh nodded back. There was no need to discuss how to contact him since the building had a doorman. Whenever he was home, the doorman would see who came and went, so there was no concern about missing messages.
After sorting things out with the man, Josh stepped out of the apartment.
And just like that, his previously good mood instantly soured.
Because where his recently purchased second-hand Ford should have been parked, there was now nothing at all.
The car was gone.
For a few seconds, Josh stood there staring at the empty space, his mind blank.
A moment later, he exploded.
"Who the hell stole my car?!" he roared, his face turning red with rage.
He had just bought that second-hand Ford not long ago. Although it wasn’t new, it was still a solid vehicle that he'd spent a decent amount of money on. Now, it was simply gone without a trace.
Josh took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.
After a few moments, he quickly headed toward the system storage in his mind. After a brief search, he found something he could use—a surveillance bug. He activated it and sent it hovering around the vicinity where his car had been parked.
The surveillance bug was one of the perks he'd gotten from the Dimensional Trading Device. It could record events within a small radius for up to seventy-two hours.
Soon, the bug began replaying the last few hours of footage.
Through the bug’s eyes, Josh saw the whole process of his car being stolen. Two men had appeared at the scene, fiddling with the lock for a few minutes before managing to break in. Once they were inside, they quickly hotwired the car and drove off without hesitation.
“Damn it…” Josh muttered under his breath.
His mind raced as he wondered whether to call the police. But after thinking it over, he shook his head. The police in this part of town probably wouldn’t care much about a stolen second-hand car, and he didn’t want to waste time filling out a report that might not go anywhere.
Besides, with the Dimensional Trading Device, there were other ways for him to track the thieves down.
Summoning the bug back into his system storage, Josh quickly formulated a plan. The thieves couldn't have gotten far. It was time to hunt them down and retrieve what was rightfully his.
Without wasting any more time, Josh set off, determined to reclaim his stolen car.
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