I yanked the wheel right, then left—the tires screaming with every turn.
Sparks trailed behind me, bouncing across the cracked and peeling asphalt. Behind me, a massive metallic shape loomed in the rearview, closing in like a predator intent on crushing its prey.
Good grief, these guys... do they really think they can win just by ramming me?
Three black shadows bared their headlights in the mirror, rapidly closing the gap. The sheer pressure of all that metal felt like it was crushing the air right out of the atmosphere.
But—it wasn’t bad. It had been a long time since I’d felt this kind of tension.
A smirk tugged at the corners of my mouth.
I tapped the control panel with my right hand and selected the top track on my playlist. The beat of RIDE or DIE roared, blending with the low thrum of the engine. A drive needs a soundtrack. And if it’s a life-or-death drive? Even more so.
Yeah, now I’m getting pumped.
I slammed my foot onto the accelerator.
The tachometer needle buried itself past the red zone, and the engine let out a piercing shriek. G-force pinned me against the seat, but the high-grade air cushions absorbed the impact. My entire body surged with adrenaline.
Pale blue sparks danced along the rims of the electromagnetic wheels as the car’s contours began to glow with light.
《Target: Road Stella Rouge》 《Damage Rate: 7%》 《Repair? : Materials are sufficient》
A repair panel flickered at the edge of my vision.
OK, I willed it.
In an instant, the entire vehicle pulsed a deep crimson, accelerating like a meteor slicing through the atmosphere. The industrial district at night was swallowed by the darkness behind me in a flash. The heavy bass of the music, the vibration of the chassis, the pounding of my heart—it all synchronized.
The adrenaline reached every corner of my brain, making my vision feel unnervingly sharp.
I spotted one of my pursuers in the mirror. A figure leaned out from the roof, leveling a recoilless guided cannon.
I figured as much!
With a dull thud, the warhead launched. Clad in a faint blue light, it sliced through the air, homing in on my position.
I kept the wheel steady with one hand and fished an EMP grenade out of my pocket. The silver cylinder glinted dully under the moonlight.
"Sleep tight!"
I gauged the timing and tossed it out the window. Mid-air, I activated my skill—Repair.
The half-broken grenade was instantly restructured into a perfectly functional state. The moment it hit the road with a sharp metallic clink, a green flash tore through the dark.
BOOM!
An electromagnetic pulse rippled outward, shivering through the night air. The pursuit vehicle’s control systems went dead in an instant. The guidance lock snapped, and the warhead veered wildly off course.
It streaked past my car and impacted the ground ahead. An explosion like a localized earthquake followed. A pillar of dazzling sparks and smoke erupted, gouging the earth and raining iron fragments down like hail.
"Haha! What a night!"
I floored it, the car leaving a crimson afterglow in its wake. A tail of light tore through the wasteland. Under the night sky, my Road Stella sparkled like a true star.
Still, they were persistent.
The plasma gatling howled from behind again. Their muzzles spat fire, determined to turn me into a beehive.
Honestly, guys. Being this clingy won't make you popular with the ladies.
I clicked a switch beside the steering wheel.
A thick cloud of black smoke billowed from the exhaust. Nano-smoke—particulate-level concealment. The black mist swirled into a vortex behind me, and the pursuing cars plunged straight into the heart of it.
The plasma bolts refracted against the smoke particles, their trajectories twisting and warping. Power and accuracy plummeted. Their aim went to hell, and the rounds clawed uselessly at the empty air.
See? You can't hit what you can't see.
The black particles sucked into their gun barrels and cooling lines. Even a minor electrical disturbance was enough to send their controls into a tailspin. The cars behind me began to fishtail, their drivers firing frantically in irritation.
Nice. I can practically see their frustrated faces.
"Alright, time for a little counterattack."
I eased off the gas and slammed on the brakes. The Road Stella let out a scream as it decelerated sharply. Riding that momentum, I flicked the lever beneath the steering wheel.
SCREEECH!
Hidden panels beside the front wheels slid open, and silver blades flashed. Metal shrieked against metal, and sparks tore through the dark. The moment the nearest pursuer lunged forward due to inertia, my blades sliced along the side of its chassis.
Crackle!
A pale blue flash erupted. High-voltage current surged through the enemy car, causing the engine to thrash like it was having a seizure.
"Oops. There goes one."
The car veered off, hit a rock face, and flipped. The moment its tires left the ground, it exploded. Flames scorched the night sky as wreckage bloomed in the air like a fiery flower.
A blast of heat struck my windshield. I reflexively jerked the wheel to dodge as the remaining two cars pulled up on either side of me.
The rear door of the car to my right slammed open. Several augmented soldiers in black body armor leaned out, leveling their rifles. Their cold, inorganic optical sensors locked onto me.
"Hey now, don't look at me like that. You'll make me blush."
The sound of multiple triggers being pulled overlapped. Bullets peppered the glass, and laser-like light trails streaked across my vision. But it would take more than that to pierce the front.
I smirked. The repair panel in the corner of my eye was steadily ticking up its percentage.
《Repair Complete》
With every mental command, the bullet holes sealed themselves shut.
"Sorry, but my girl is tough."
A car that remained unscathed no matter how much it was shot—from their perspective, it must have looked like a monster. I felt a fleeting moment of sympathy for them. Not that I intended to show any mercy.
I slammed my palm against the center of the steering wheel. The lower part of the front bumper transformed with a heavy metallic clunk, revealing a twin railgun unit.
"Here, have a return gift."
I pulled the trigger.
A heartbeat of silence—then a flash.
The front of the car seemed to split as two streaks of light roared out like thunder. They weren't just bullets; they were lines of destruction. The bundled plasma blades skewered the enemy vehicle, impaling the soldiers and the engine alike.
A second later, the engine short-circuited with a violent crackle. Light surged, and the resulting electromagnetic pulse warped the very space around it.
An explosion. A wall of fire. Metal groaned as it was tossed into the air.
"Thanks for the show."
I swerved to avoid the flaming wreckage and surged ahead. Only one left. The final hunter was still on my tail, baring its fangs.
Man, you really don't know when to quit.
I licked my lips, my eyes narrowing as I focused on my final prey. Whether out of desperation or a genuine death wish, the last car accelerated at a suicidal pace, charging straight for me. Its headlights bounced violently as the shadows on the asphalt undulated.
Ah, I see. You’ve run out of options, haven't you?
"I admire the guts, though."
I tapped the steering wheel with my left hand and pulled the floor lever with my right. With a metallic click, the rear trunk popped open. Accompanied by the whistle of the night wind, a black mechanism rose from the compartment.
A combination jet nozzle and energy cannon.
Impressive, right? It was a "Romance Cannon"—a piece of overkill Cordeaux and I had installed during a fit of idiotic enthusiasm.
I tapped the gas and opened the energy lines. Light began to pool inside the nozzle. It started as a phosphorescent blue before turning incandescent. The internal mechanism began to spin with a low, heavy groan.
The high-frequency motor made the metal vibrate. The entire car shook, the resonance rattling my very spine. Sparks flew, and particles burst forth like a crimson tail. The headlights of the pursuing vehicle reflected off the gathering energy, turning into a dazzling band of light.
It was a gateway to hell so stunning I could have stared at it forever.
"Later."
I flipped the most prominent red switch.
An explosive roar and a blinding flash painted the world white. Incandescent light erupted from the rear, propelling the car forward with violent acceleration. The front wheels actually lifted off the ground.
I gripped the wheel with both hands, fighting the intense G-force. My vision distorted, and for a heartbeat, it felt like time had stopped.
The pursuing vehicle was swallowed by the flash. Its armor melted like liquid, the ground beneath it was scorched to cinders, and the asphalt fused into glass. Trailing a crimson afterglow, my car tore through the night.
The numbers on the repair panel jumped frantically, but I kept the skill active, constantly reconstructing the frame as it pushed its limits. As the energy discharge finally subsided, the speed began to settle.
Before I could even catch my breath, the world around me returned to focus. The night wind carried away the heat, leaving only the quiet, ringing echo of the explosion.
"...Damn. I ended up all the way at the edge of the Upper District."
The lights of the security gate were a hazy glow in the distance. I’d strayed much further off course than intended. Getting back was going to be a pain.
Behind me, the ground was still smoldering. The heated asphalt glowed a dull red, and the molten remains of a car sat there like a puddle of ruined sugar. In the far distance, a line of police lights began to approach.
Time to go.
"Well then. Tonight's drive ends here."
Just as the music faded into its final, lingering notes, my car’s engine let out a low, satisfied growl.