The racers in this world had pitifully limited knowledge, ignorant of many techniques.
At least among the people Shane Summers had encountered—like Apex Club's boss Kyle Zane or the cocky racers under him—they didn't even know what a catapult start was. Carrie XC-99, as a machine girl, didn't know it either. This could only mean one of two things: either this world hadn't developed techniques like the catapult start, or there was a similar maneuver achieved through modules or the machine girl's inherent traits, but called something else.
"Zero to a hundred in under two seconds!" Shane Summers gasped, watching the scenery blur past. "Your acceleration is insane!"
Carrie XC-99's speed kept climbing, hitting 400 kilometers per hour with no sign of stopping.
She could clearly go faster, but Shane had to react.
He'd thought the 800-meter distance to the intersection would give him at least twenty seconds, but in reality, it was less than fifteen!
If he accelerated any further, they'd likely flip during the turn.
"Ahhh! We're done for!" Carrie XC-99's panicked voice echoed in his mind.
Shane's eyes narrowed, his mind reaching a state of absolute calm, as if the world around him slowed down.
His peripheral vision caught the traffic light at the crossroad. The street was empty, with only a slow-moving truck far to the left. The shadows cast by the streetlights blended into a distorted, oil-painting-like blur. With just two seconds left, Carrie XC-99 hit the optimal braking point. Most people would've panicked at her breakneck speed, but he was the Emperor of the Track, forged through countless trials.
Dancing on a knife's edge, the greater the danger, the calmer he became.
"Follow my commands!"
Shane issued the order, sharply turning the yoke toward the corner while commanding Carrie XC-99 to engage the handbrake.
This step should've been easy, but it felt like he wasn't gripping a steering yoke but the horns of an out-of-control bull. If he didn't hold on with all his strength, he'd be thrown off in the next second. Veins bulged on his forehead as he gripped tightly.
Carrie XC-99 was also struggling to control her body.
Thanks to Shane's judgment, despite her abysmal turning ability, the car body slid sideways just before hitting the intersection's barriers. The rear swung out sharply. In that instant, Shane floored the accelerator and counter-steered fully. With Carrie XC-99's ferocious drive and grip, the nearly out-of-control car snapped back into alignment, shooting forward with a *boom*.
It wasn't until they'd driven a good distance that Shane came to his senses and had Carrie XC-99 pull over.
"Honestly, that's the fastest car I've ever driven."
Shane stepped out, taking a deep breath by the roadside. From the scrapyard entrance to the intersection took about fifteen seconds, followed by the drift through the turn and straight-line driving for less than a minute. In that short time, his back was soaked with sweat.
Carrie XC-99 reverted to her human form.
Standing in front of Shane, her expression was dazed.
"I just… made it through a 90-degree turn, right?"
"Yup." Shane nodded.
"Without hitting any barriers?"
"Uh-huh."
Carrie XC-99 slapped her cheeks, tears welling up as she did.
"I didn't hit you," Shane said, stepping back. "You're the one slapping your own face."
"I did it…" the girl murmured, tears streaming down like rivers, her sniffles turning into wails. She threw herself into Shane's arms, sobbing like a wounded animal. "I did it, I really did it… I'm not a killer racecar… I can corner too…"
Shane initially held his hands up, letting Carrie XC-99 hug him.
But seeing her cry so miserably, he instinctively placed a hand on her head, gently stroking.
Carrie XC-99's hair was beautiful, silky and white as moonlight, but her skin was even paler. She looked young, barely over five feet tall. In his past life, such a perfect girl might only exist in a fantasy world, but in this one, she was born bearing immense pressure, labeled a "killer racecar," and driven to end her life through scrapping.
Though each world had its own rules, Shane still found Carrie XC-99 pitiable.
All this joy just from clearing a turn.
"Master, can I… can I race in the Nosk Rally?"
Carrie XC-99 looked up, tears in her eyes, a bubble of snot on her delicate face.
From her bright blue eyes, Shane saw deep longing.
"Of course you can." He didn't even notice her shift to calling him "Master."
"It's just the Nosk Rally. Back in the day… uh…"
Shane was about to boast about his achievements—the wall of trophies, the garage full of supercars—but stopped, realizing the two worlds' knowledge didn't align. Even if he told Carrie XC-99 about his races, she wouldn't understand.
"I won't let you down, Master!"
Carrie XC-99 looked at Shane with fierce determination, enunciating each word.
From the moment he guided her through that turn, she swore to protect Shane's safety at all costs, no matter what happened. She'd follow him unwaveringly unless he sent her to be scrapped.
"I believe you won't let me down."
Shane patted her head. The night wind was chilly, and he sneezed.
This world's temperature swung wildly—40°C during the day, dropping to 5°C at night. He'd left in a hurry without a jacket.
"Master, get in the car quick! Don't catch a cold!"
Carrie XC-99 grabbed Shane's hand with her warm one, pressing close and transforming. Shane found himself seated inside her.
"Let's head back and try that turn again. Starting tomorrow, we train for real."
Shane leaned back comfortably, though his mind wasn't as relaxed as he seemed.
He'd lied to Carrie XC-99. When she asked if she could race in Nosk, the truth was she couldn't—not yet. Her turning ability was too poor. It had taken every ounce of his skill to manage that 90-degree turn. The Nosk Rally had fourteen turns, each sharper and narrower than the intersection's, with the final one being consecutive hairpin turns less than 200 meters apart. In his past life, such turns were child's play, but driving Carrie XC-99 had shattered his arrogance.
In his past life, racecars were inanimate, their stats fixed.
But in this world, machine girls were alive. Driving Carrie XC-99, especially through turns, felt like wrestling an untamed beast.
That was just a street intersection. On the Nosk track, even if he calculated braking points perfectly and executed every technique flawlessly, a crash was likely inevitable. The only alternative was to sacrifice ranking by slowing down, but what would be the point for him or Carrie XC-99?
"With five days left, I need to enter some regular training races suited for Carrie XC-99 to earn MP points and modify her. Otherwise, I'll die on the Nosk track." Shane mulled it over while driving, this time braking earlier and navigating the intersection's sharp turn more skillfully and safely. Carrie XC-99's excited cheers rang out, accompanied by the engine's roar.
…
"Who the hell is street racing this late?"
Kyle Zane, leaving the club with Jade-786, passed Honest Scrapyard just in time to see Carrie XC-99 flash by like a ghost, drifting through the turn and speeding off, leaving only a long tire mark on the ground.
"What… what kind of car was that?" Kyle Zane gaped.
The car seemed familiar, but it was too fast to make out.
"And what was that technique? Could it be a Cyber Master??"
Kyle Zane stared at the tire marks in the street, the screeching screech echoing in his mind, his soul trembling.
He'd never seen anything like it—not in the Nosk Rallies he'd competed in over the past few years.
Jade-786's face was pale, staring dumbfounded in the direction Carrie XC-99 had gone, unable to even see her taillights.
"It's not a Cyber Master. No psionic fluctuations…" she said dazedly. "But, Master, if we face a car and driver like that in the race, I have no chance of winning."
Though reluctant, she admitted her shortcomings.
Forget the flashy cornering—the machine girl's straight-line speed alone was leagues ahead of her.
"Since when did Jiang City get a big shot like that?" Kyle Zane had no recollection. As a club boss, he knew most of the racers and machine girls from nearby clubs, strong or weak, and there was no one like this, nor a silver machine girl like a phantom.
"Don't worry, Jade-786. Your performance is already top-notch among these clubs. With my skills, we'll definitely make the top ten," Kyle Zane said, grabbing her hand to comfort her as her expression fell. "That machine girl and driver are clearly beyond Nosk's level. They might just be passing through, not here for the race. Even if they are, we'll let them take first and aim for the next nine spots!"
Jade-786's expression softened slightly.
She suddenly thought of the man who had modified her so well.
"I wonder if Shane Summers will actually show up to race…"
"Him?" Kyle Zane scoffed, wrapping an arm around Jade's waist. "Let me tell you, Shane Summers is broke and has no driving skills. No machine girl would follow him. Even if he somehow gets one, it'd be from the scrapyard—cheap rejects, a bunch of junk. No matter how he modifies them, junk plus junk equals junk. Even if he enters the race, what's the point?"
"You're right, Master. I was overthinking." Jade-786 nodded, pursing her lips.
Kyle Zane eyed Jade-786's alluring figure and gave a lecherous grin. "Come to my place tonight. My house is big, with plenty of beds. We can roll around however you like~"
"You're the Master. Of course I'll listen to you."