Above the city at night, the stars on the sky were drowned out by the blinding neon lights.
But in a remote area elsewhere, they shone brilliantly, even outshining the moon, casting their light down onto the asphalt road winding around the mountain range.
Rrrrrrrrr—!
The roar of an engine echoed across the entire route. A blazing red headlight illuminated the road surface, along with it was a slender figure pierced through the veil of moon and stars, racing along the winding mountainside straight toward the peak of the pass.
***
5 hours ago....
"Munch munch... Mm, so good~!"
"Eat slowly, or you'll choke." Seeing the way Halley was wolfing down her food, Jawed smiled helplessly.
He had been told that Mecha Humans had their own type of food, more nutritious and tastier. But in the end, she still chose minced meat.
Well, if she liked it, then so be it. After all, Jawed had just been given a sum of money by the Union, enough to live on for the next month.
After that, he'd have to earn money himself.
Thinking of that, Jawed suddenly remembered something and took out his phone.
This phone had also been provided to him.
"What are you doing?" Seeing him fiddling with something, Halley shifted her attention away from the hot plate of minced meat—her fifth or sixth plate or something.
"Ah, I'm just looking for our next direction. You know, earning money and leveling up our profiles," Jawed replied.
After all, the Union staff had already told him. To participate in official races at the city level, his rider profile had to reach level 2, and Halley's level had to advance to B-rank.
And the only way for both rider and Mecha Human to level up was to achieve high rankings in unofficial races.
Through these races, riders would be evaluated based on performance, and from that, receive decisions on profile advancement. As for Mecha Humans, they would receive an item called Mecha gems, which help increase their level.
Overall, it was much like when Jawed entered underground races to gain experience in his early days in the racing scene.
So they had introduced him to a website that displayed information about races currently ongoing or about to take place within the city, allowing him to freely choose which to join.
To be honest, choosing a suitable race was harder than it sounded.
Of course, Jawed was confident he could handle any kind of track. But the difficulty lay in finding one suitable for Halley.
She was a Chaos-type Mecha Human, a type that excelled in speed and was best suited for short, flat tracks.
But that was definitely not Jawed's choice. Because races with that kind of terrain would naturally be the top choice for Chaos-type Mecha Humans.
Their speed advantage would be nullified, and not to mention, from what he had heard, Halley's speed stat was far below even some of the lowest-tier Chaos-type Mecha Humans.
If that were the case, achieving a high ranking would be nearly impossible.
Other types of terrain, on the other hand, would prevent her from fully utilizing her strength.
Another issue lay in the rewards.
Most of the races listed here were small-scale, with rewards consisting of a bit of money, or at most a few scattered Mecha gems, while Halley needed 40 to level up.
In short, the situation was quite complicated.
Haizzz.....
Suddenly, his finger stopped. A striking banner ad appeared at the top of the website.
[ULTRA DANGER—RENEWALS MOUNTAIN RANGE PASS RACE!]
Location: Renewals Mountain Pass summit, eastern edge of the city
Time: 10 PM tonight!
Current participants: 40 racers!
Rewards:
3rd place: 10 Mecha gems, cash reward
2nd place: 20 Mecha gems and 2 Level II runes, cash reward
1st place: 60 Mecha gems, 5 Level II runes, and a basic enchantment called 'Pressure'!!!, double cash reward
What are you waiting for? Sign up now!!! (Note: Recommended only for racers with sufficient skill and Mecha Humans with high stability. The organizers are not responsible if you ignore this warning!!!)
....
60 gems, that was more than enough to meet his requirement.
As for mountain passes? Well, they brought back quite a few memories. After all, it was one of the very first types of tracks Jawed had ever raced on.
Back then, he and his street brothers had thrown themselves onto those narrow, winding roads, just one mistake away from the abyss of death.
Maybe it had been fun. Jawed couldn't quite remember anymore.
"Have you found anything yet?" Halley asked, snapping him out of his nostalgia.
"Ah, I found a race. It's a mountain pass. The time is tonight, which might be a bit too soon for us. What do you think? If you're not ready, don't worry, I'll find another one," Jawed said.
Halley fell silent for a moment. Then, as if gathering her resolve, she spoke:
"Um, I'm a little nervous, but.... I want to move forward." She lowered her head, clenching her hands tightly.
"A mountain pass, I don't know anything about it, but what if my past self has been to a place like that before? Going there might help me recover my memories. I don't know, but I don't want to regret missing this chance."
Hearing that, Jawed smiled faintly, using a napkin to wipe the sauce from the corner of her lips.
"Alright, it's decided. We'll join this race."
"Mm."
***
9 PM.
At the summit of a mountain pass in the Renewals range, the atmosphere was far livelier than usual.
The massive electronic screen mounted high on a pillar, long abandoned and covered in dust, now lit up brilliantly once again.
The sound and lighting systems were running at full capacity.
At the starting point of the route, a 3D barrier had been erected, separating the racers from the battlefield of speed, where a clash of drifters was about to unfold.
Blinding lights from cameras, spotlights, and screens poured down onto the rugged road, scattered with gravel and dust.
On both sides of the starting line were makeshift stands, where tattoo-covered street punks chatted noisily. There was the crunch of people chewing, shouts, arguments, and even the chatter of bets on who would win the race.
"Good evening, everyone! It's me, the famous MC of the underground motor scene, your Larry!"
A hoarse, slightly drowsy voice echoed through the broadcast system.
On the giant screen, MC Larry appeared, still wearing his office uniform, dark circles heavy under his eyes, gripping a mic as he shouted himself hoarse on a stage by the finish line.
"Tonight, I'll be your companion here, at the Renewals Mountain Range Pass Race! Oh, and I'll also be with you at the eastern city race tomorrow morning, then the central city race tomorrow night, and a bunch more the days after that. So yeah, looks like I'm not getting any sleep again. And on top of that, my boss still owes me this month's salary, rent and taxes just went up, creditors are knocking, debtors have vanished, and I just broke a finger too. But screw all that messed-up crap! Tonight, we're going all out!!! Awooooooo—!"
Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep—!
"Ahem, since most of the racers have arrived and are getting ready, let me go over today's rules.
Our track is 76 kilometers long, stretching across three mountain peaks. The finish line is at the foot of the mountain where I'm standing. The first to the finish wins, no time limit. Intentional collisions are prohibited, and any form of cheating is strictly forbidden!"
With that, Larry snapped his fingers, signaling a transition.
"Next, before the race officially begins, let's take a moment to thank [Sky Electrolyte Drink], the sponsor of today's race. If you're racing, you can't go without electrolytes. Everyone, please support our sponsor by buying their products. Seriously, do it! I need to earn my steak money!!!"
***
"Puff—"
The young man exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, a half-burnt cigarette held between his fingers.
He leaned his tall frame against a motorcycle in a yellow-and-black color scheme, its aggressive design reminiscent of the BMW S1000RR.
His golden hair stood upright, fierce like a tiger's mane. A single strand fell to one side, partially covering his arrogant gaze.
"Hey bro, aren't you going to adjust my parameters before the race? Remember, this terrain isn't suitable for a Chaos-type Mecha Human like me, so this will be quite a challenge,"
Suddenly, a voice of reminder came from the dashboard.
"Oh come on, what are you worrying about, brother? Even if we cut our speed in half, we'd still win,"
In response to that cautious remark, the blond merely shrugged it off.
His gaze shifted toward the crowd. The riders and spectators alike were all looking at him with admiration.
"Oh my god, he's looking at me! Dante's looking at me!"
"What are you talking about? He's obviously looking at me!"
"Oh, just look at the majestic presence of his Mecha Human, Stak. That's what a true Mecha Human of an underground star looks like!"
Hearing those worshipful murmurs, the corner of Dante's lips curled into a smug smile.
"After all, at this point, who could possibly beat us? Haha, probably no one."
Suddenly, just as he was indulging in his arrogance, the light before him was abruptly blocked by a shadow.
By the time Dante realized it, a young man with silver-white hair and indifferent eyes was already standing right in front of him.
"What the....?!" Dante froze in shock.
And then, a sharp finger pointed straight at his face without hesitation.
"You'll come in second, right behind me."
...