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Early the next morning, as agreed, Arden arrived at the venue for the Tour de Inferno.
The Tour de Inferno was the most important day in the Outer Ring. At least ninety-nine percent of the Motor League would come to witness this grand spectacle. So, by the time Arden reached the site, it was already packed shoulder to shoulder with people.
Spectators crowded the stands on both sides. In the middle stretched a straight highway, and at the far end of the road lay the Hollow.
"You're here. Later than I expected."
Hearing footsteps approach, Pompey glanced at Arden while tuning his motorcycle, then refocused on the adjustments. Today was critical—there could be no mistakes.
"Went out to walk the bird after getting up," Arden said casually, teasing the Qingming Bird perched on his shoulder.
Chirp chirp…
The Qingming Bird responded.
"You cultivators… are you usually this… this laid-back?" Pompey asked.
In his impression, he'd heard of people walking dogs and strolling with birds before.
"More or less. Anyway… how do you feel?" Arden didn't want to linger on the topic and instead asked about the effects of the antidote.
"…"
Pompey didn't answer verbally—he responded with action.
He raised his arm and flexed his bicep in a show of strength.
"That's good, then." Arden nodded, then looked toward Lucius, who seemed to be eavesdropping but clearly didn't fully understand their conversation.
"Lucius, good morning!"
Arden raised his hand and greeted him.
After just a few days, Lucius felt even more gloomy to Arden—like a venomous snake lurking in the grass, ready to bare its fangs and strike at any moment.
"I don't know what kind of bewitching potion you fed Boss Pompey to make him replace my man at the last minute and put you in instead, but you'd better be careful. This road isn't safe."
Lucius walked up to Arden and threatened him in a low voice.
He had only found out that morning that his trusted subordinate had been swapped out. Originally, it was supposed to be the trio of himself, Mors, and Pompey in the Tour de Inferno. Now Mors's spot had been taken by Arden. It made Lucius uncomfortable—and uneasy.
"Maybe it's because I'm better at fighting," Arden replied with a smile.
"…"
Lucius stared at him deeply. "Is that so."
A flash of sharpness passed through his eyes, and then he turned away to continue tuning his motorcycle.
Lucius knew very well that Arden wasn't wrong—he was strong. If he wanted to deal with him, it could only be done through "strategy," not brute force.
...
When it was time for the Tour de Inferno to officially begin—
The Vanquishers and the Sons of Calydon split into two teams, six riders total.
Six motorcycles of different styles were lined up before the white starting line. The Sons of Calydon were represented by Caesar, Lucy, and Lighter; on the Vanquishers' side were Pompey, Lucius, and Arden.
As an aside, to better fit the style of the Tour de Inferno, Arden had removed the halberd mount from his combat bike and replaced the paint job with a blazing red finish.
It's actually real!? That guy really worked his way up to being the Vanquishers' third-in-command!
Lighter glanced at Arden in the distance and felt an overwhelming urge to curse.
When Arden had escorted Belle and Yiji back to Blazewood the day before, they had discussed their plan for the Tour de Inferno. At the time, Arden said he would compete on behalf of the Vanquishers, but Lighter hadn't believed him. Now, seeing it with his own eyes, he had no choice but to accept it.
"If he keeps going undercover like this, the Vanquishers might end up being his altogether."
He'd only ever seen stories about undercover agents becoming the boss in novels or movies. He never imagined such a bizarre plot would play out right in front of him.
"Lighter!" Lucy quickly warned him to stop talking.
"..."
Lighter immediately shut his mouth.
"Well hello there, Caesar, Lucy, Lighter!"
Arden didn't bother hiding anything and cheerfully waved at the three from the Sons of Calydon.
"..." ×2
"Hey!"
Lucy and Lighter both chose silence. Only Caesar—who tended to be a bit simple-minded—responded.
The two of them couldn't help but wonder: if they won like this, would the Sons of Calydon be accused of winning unfairly?
But the plan had already been set, and the race was about to begin. There was no time to change anything.
"Ready—"
Bang!
With the crack of a gunshot, the race officially began.
Vroooom—!
Amid the roar of engines, all six motorcycles went full throttle, disappearing in the blink of an eye down the highway.
...
Inside the Hollow.
On Caesar's side, following the planned route guided by Belle and Yiji, the three headed straight for the path that cut across the wasteland.
With no paved road, this route put heavy strain on the tires, but it avoided many turns and significantly shortened the distance. Meanwhile, the Vanquishers chose the faster highway route.
One side relied on speed; the other relied on distance. Which would claim final victory remained to be seen.
Soon, Caesar's trio entered a canyon.
Steep cliffs rose on both sides, leaving only a narrow gap in between. For safety reasons, this path could only be traversed by one motorcycle at a time. In some sections, the height was less than one meter, requiring riders to tilt sideways along with their bikes to pass through.
Few people used this route normally, but Caesar wasn't afraid. The Sons of Calydon had practiced this path many times before the race to ensure nothing could go wrong.
However, as the three sped through, none of them noticed that atop one side of the canyon cliffs, a black silhouette stood suspended in place.
It was Mors—one of Lucius's trusted subordinates.
In his hand was a detonator, waiting for the moment when Caesar's trio reached the narrowest point, ready to press the dangerous red button.
If the explosion succeeded, even if it didn't bury them alive, it would drastically slow them down—or even force them to withdraw from the race.
"Hehehe…"
Watching the Sons of Calydon draw closer, Mors revealed a cruel grin. He stuck out his crimson tongue and licked the tip of his nose.
A wolf's nose is a vulnerable organ—it must stay moist to maintain sensitivity.
Click—!
With smug confidence, Mors pressed the red button on the detonator.
Then, his cruel grin instantly turned into the blank, enlightened stare of a husky.
Click—!
Click—!
He tried pressing it again, but the Ether explosives still didn't detonate.
"Military-grade Ether explosives… my ass!"
Enraged, Mors slammed the detonator hard against the ground. He'd specifically bought high-end goods from the Rebels for safety, only for them to fail at the critical moment.
If Lucius found out he'd screwed this up, there would be hell to pay.
And just behind him, the Qingming Bird silently flew over and gently set down the Ether explosives it had just dismantled.
A moment later—
BOOOOM—!
As Caesar's trio exited the canyon, they heard a thunderous explosion from behind them.
Caesar looked up at the sky, puzzled.
"It's so dark—where'd that thunder come from? Meh~ whatever. Doesn't have anything to do with us."
Meanwhile, on Arden's side, he watched the Qingming Bird fly back and caught it, tossing it lightly once or twice.
Chirp chirp…
The Qingming Bird rubbed against Arden's palm in a gesture of pride, basking in his touch.
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