There's a Ghost!

The exchange of glances lasted only an instant. Ji Jue withdrew his gaze after that, not looking back again, the smile on his face never wavering in the slightest. He simply stood quietly on the sidelines, watching the hedonistic revelry like a detached bystander, never joining in. By now, he was basically ten thousand percent sure: The visitor did not come in peace. He just didn't know how much the fellow across from him had spent to make that woman bare her teeth like that, turning into a rabid dog guarding its food. They were both just subcontractors; why should subcontractors make life hard for subcontractors? If they talked it out privately, put on a classy, spectacular show, and split the money in the end, wouldn't that work? There was always more money to be made anyway—friendship first, competition second. Provided, of course, that second place wasn't his. Still, seeing how intimate she was with Mu Jiang—practically attached at the hip—she didn't seem like a downtrodden wage slave like him. She might even be a close partner. But since you don't want friendship... Then all that's left is the big stick. It was just that he only had a nine-millimeter Deerhunter on him. He didn't know what caliber she liked—should he swap it for something bigger? Off the course, an inconspicuous little tricycle was already parked quietly beside a row of trucks, awaiting orders at any moment. And so, after the routine of trading threats, slinging taunts, and stoking pre-race tensions, the champagne-soaked young masters and princesses finally got the race underway. Aside from Chen Yubo and Mu Jiang, who were like fire and water, five or six other contestants entered the race. Every one of them drove center-stage luxury models from auto shows or sports cars so heavily modified their own mothers wouldn't recognize them. Eight or nine sports cars lined up on the road, their throttles revving relentlessly in a deafening chorus. "Huh?" When getting into his car, Mu Jiang glanced over at the Kunpeng next to him, female companion in tow, his brows slowly arching. "Why'd you bring someone along? And a guy at that?!" As he spoke, his mockery grew more overt, his voice rising: "Don't tell me you paid for outside help?" "Hello. Yes, indeed." Before Chen Yubo could react, Ji Jue spoke up first and nodded in acknowledgment. Such forthrightness actually caught Mu Jiang off guard, choking back a bellyful of sarcastic remarks. "Huh?" "Considering the hazards of mountain racing, and to prevent any accidents between the competitors, Mr. Chen specifically hired me to provide safety support for the race." Smiling, Ji Jue pulled a thick stack of certificates from his pocket: Emergency Lifeguard Certificate, First Aid Responder Certificate, Level 3 Mechanical Engineer, Level 2 Auto Repair Technician... A whole row of colorful little booklets was fanned out before Mu Jiang, making his expression shift wildly, leaving him temporarily speechless. "Safety first, safety first!" Chen Yubo rubbed his belly and laughed boisterously, patting Ji Jue on the shoulder. "This brother of mine works miracles! I spent a fortune bringing him here. If you get so worked up over losing that you pop a blood vessel in your brain later, Little Mu, he can even resuscitate you. That's a whole lot better than bringing someone who only knows how to wipe away tears, don't you think?" "Keep him for yourself!" Mu Jiang glared coldly at them and slammed the car door shut. "When I blow you out of the water in a minute, and you're crying so hard you can't see the road, he can crawl out on the hood and top off your windshield washer fluid!" *Beep—!* A sharp, shrill horn blared from directly ahead on the track. In an instant, every competing vehicle erupted into high-pitched engine roars, like the bellowing shouts of iron beasts. The rolling, unbroken wall of sound alone was enough to flush faces, quicken pulses, and make blood boil. The sultry wind of the long night rushed against them. "I'm counting on you this time, Brother Ji. If I lose today, I won't be able to show my face for the next six months." Having just gotten into the car, Chen Yubo lost all of his prior swagger, as if reverting to his true colors. He gripped Ji Jue's hand, refusing to let go. Ji Jue could only reassure him for the umpteenth time: "Don't worry, relax. A guaranteed win." *Beep—!* A second horn sounded straight ahead. The temporary traffic light rolled into place turned yellow. For a moment, in the dead silence, not a soul spoke. Everyone stared wide-eyed straight ahead, watching for the streak of green light that was about to illuminate. Holding their breath. Catalyzed by alcohol and high stakes, no one could contain their excitement, or rather, their frenzy for speed. "Here it comes." Ji Jue reached out, pressing a hand against the door, and murmured, "Get ready." "Huh?" Chen Yubo turned back, bewildered. "Ready for wha—" In that instant, the final shrill signal burst forth. The green light flared to life. Then, a violent gale rushed in through the windows. The race was on! [Run, run just as you've longed to!] Ji Jue smiled, caressing the dashboard. [Tonight, no one can stop you. I promise.] [Orders received!] Amid the reverberation of the engine, the Kunpeng seemed to be sobbing with joy! Like a rabid dog finally slipping its chain, the steel roared and snarled. A prisoner who had never tasted a shred of freedom since rolling off the assembly line surged forth at this very moment. Spark plugs flared with sparks, fuel surged, and the engine spun furiously. Zero-delay launch—speed maxed out in an instant! Before the astonished eyes of every onlooker, Chen Yubo, who was usually the slowest to react, was already charging in the lead, hurtling forward at an unimaginable velocity! Deus Ex Machina! Bolstered by the ability and Fluid Alchemy, the Kunpeng's acceleration leaped to an even higher tier, far more absurd than any official factory specs. Zero to a hundred kilometers per hour in 1.7 seconds! And it was still accelerating, pushing further. Over a stretch of merely a few hundred meters, the number on the speedometer had already leaped to 260! It was practically a rocket. Even the streetlights outside blurred, stretched into fleeting streaks of light. The scenery smeared, and when Chen Yubo finally snapped back to reality from the sudden acceleration, he shrieked uncontrollably. "Aaaah! Ahhh! Ah! Help meeeee!!!!!" He instinctively tried to thrash, only to find himself already bound fast by four or five seatbelts, virtually pinned to the driver's seat. "If you want to win, weld that foot of yours to the gas pedal! Don't let up even if the sky falls!" Ji Jue gripped his arm, forbidding him from shifting gears. "With me here, you won't die. As long as it doesn't kill you, drive it like you mean to die!" "Fast! It's too fast!" Chen Yubo screamed in terror, dizzy and overwhelmed as the scenery flashed past outside. "I've never driven this fast before!" "Well, now you have!" Ji Jue raised his voice: "Remember how you asked it to help you? It answered!" At that moment, he looked at Chen Yubo, questioning him alongside the Kunpeng: "Are you going to run away?" Chen Yubo froze, rendered speechless. Gritting his teeth, he forced a smile that looked uglier than weeping. Yet from start to finish, the foot pressed against the accelerator never loosened! "Good. Very good," Ji Jue nodded. The engine shuddered violently, and amid its roar, the Kunpeng howled in ecstasy. The speed climbed once more, taking the lead as it hurtled toward the first bend. Yet right behind them, two points of light clung tenaciously. The Mustang charged wildly, dogging them relentlessly. Through the first gentle bend, it didn't slow down in the slightest. Its lines entering and exiting the corner were flawless, its timing pinpoint perfection. Beyond the horrifying horsepower of its modifications, the handling was so immaculate that Ji Jue almost thought a championship driver was behind the wheel, out on a whim from some premier circuit! *Someone this good got kicked out of F2?!* Ji Jue's eyes widened in disbelief. Yet relying on cornering advantage and the Mustang's absurd, unrecognizably modified power, Mu Jiang had actually caught up, pulling side by side. On the narrow mountain road, both cars accelerated again, neither willing to yield an inch of speed. "Damn it, having a great car doesn't mean shit! It's the driver that counts!" Mu Jiang looked over, grinning toward the Kunpeng. He was just about to toss out a few taunts and flip a gesture, but before his hand could even lift, he froze in place, dumbstruck. *Fuck, what kind of expression is that?* In the driver's seat, Chen Yubo was slowly turning his head toward him. With tears and snot streaming down his face, he was clearly screaming and bawling in sheer terror, yet the corners of his mouth were pulled into an exaggerated, gaping grin. Half crying, half smiling, flickering in and out under the flashing streetlights. Illuminated by the sickly green glow of the dashboard. Eerily bizarre. In an instant, Mu Jiang felt a chill shoot from his heels straight up to the back of his skull. *Fuck, there's a ghost!!!* Did this bastard Chen Yubo hire someone to summon the ghost of some racing legend dead for decades into his body?! In that split second of distraction, the Kunpeng pulled ahead, putting distance between them as it slowed slightly to prepare for the next turn... No matter how Mu Jiang changed angles, the car ahead skillfully blocked every overtaking line. The fluid shifts, the pinpoint cornering—it was like a nightmare he had witnessed on the professional tracks of his past. He couldn't catch up at all! A sudden chill gripped Mu Jiang's heart. Could he really end up blown away by the club's infamous "Tortoise Racing God"? "What the hell are you just sitting there for?" In his frantic rush, he glared at Cheng Shuang in the passenger seat. "Do something!" The woman, who had been focused intently on maintaining her ability, had a slight change in expression. Ultimately, she said nothing, merely increasing the input of spiritus to steer this overpowered monster cobbled together from excessive parts into another surge of speed. At the same time, she raised her other hand, extending it from afar toward the speeding Kunpeng ahead. Yet right after, her expression shifted once more. Her manipulation and control were actually shoved aside?! Before her ability could take effect, that car had already been blanketed by another ability—thoroughly, leaving zero blind spots, enveloping everything from the inside out. From wheel hubs to chassis to engine, the entire vehicle was a cohesive whole, comprehensively reinforced through Embers material property interference. It felt seamless, completely flawless... The entire car had been turned into an alchemical item! Cheng Shuang's eyes widened in utter shock. Unbelievable. Either the person sitting in that car was a master artisan she had never heard of, or the terror of their ability far surpassed her imagination! When it came to manipulating external objects, no followers of Sovereign Virtue could match Embers. What was more, the other party's ability seemed to be of a similar type to her own. Cheng Shuang didn't have Ji Jue's good fortune to study under a master without paying a single cent of tuition, nor was she a Celestial Chosen of Embers. She was of the Tianyuan lineage. After undergoing a Higher Calling by chance, she had discovered that she could use her spiritus to interfere with and influence complex machinery. Unfortunately, its strength, efficiency, and scope could not compare to a Celestial Conscription in the slightest. Moreover, the high-end matrices of the Tianyuan lineage were kept in an iron grip by the Empire and the Federation. All she could purchase in the Wild Gathering were incomplete or mediocre goods. For manipulation-type abilities, the initiative was of paramount importance. If the other party established control first, attempting to seize command meant waging a tug-of-war under an extreme disadvantage. What was worse, Ji Jue had already overhauled the entire Kunpeng with Fluid Alchemy, turning it completely into an alchemical item that barred her entry like an impenetrable fortress. Things might turn very ugly this time. The instant that thought surfaced in her mind, she shivered involuntarily. Not daring to hesitate any longer, she gritted her teeth and pulled an antique-looking square iron box from her shoulder bag. The palm-sized iron box, once unfolded, revealed intricate internal mirrors and mechanisms. When snapped into place, it transformed into a compact contraption resembling a telescope. Peering inward through its opening, one could see various hues of light refracting between lenses, morphing into vibrant, kaleidoscopic splendor. It was indeed a kaleidoscope. Yet at the front of this kaleidoscope was an eerie aperture. It aimed from a distance toward the speeding Kunpeng ahead. In the midst of the violent high-speed driving, however, it repeatedly lost its lock. After several failed attempts, she finally couldn't hold back her fury: "Useless trash, drive steadier!" "Then you fucking drive! You think this is your personal taxi?!" Mu Jiang roared. "Do your job or get lost! If I lose big today, don't you dare think you'll have an easy time either!" A chill flashed through Cheng Shuang's eyes for a fraction of a second, but she offered no rebuttal. And in that very instant, with Mu Jiang's strained cooperation, the kaleidoscope's aperture finally enveloped the speeding Kunpeng within its sight, locking on. Then, Cheng Shuang's face instantly drained of all color. She felt her spiritus being swallowed in endless gulps by this creation, drained almost dry in an instant. A faint, magnificent radiance flickered within the kaleidoscope for a heartbeat. And flew silently toward its mark.