"Little Ancestor, I have a question..."
Sitting in the speeding Wuling Hongguang, Cioara gripped the handrail, ignoring the blur of objects flying past outside, and asked the question on everyone's mind.
"When will we reach our destination... No, wait, when are you going to shake off the Arc City traffic police behind us? They've already switched to a sports car, you know..."
"Not a problem."
Imhotep patted the dashboard, clicked a few buttons on it with a series of kaka sounds, then pulled down another instrument panel from above her head and flicked several switches on it as well.
-
"What are all these things?"
The group, feeling increasingly uneasy, stared at the various buttons and gauges that had been revealed one after another, getting a strong sense of familiarity...
Imhotep didn't answer their confused questions. Instead, under their terrified gazes, she calmly detached the gearshift lever and tossed it out the window.
Then, she pulled a peculiar grip from the car's storage compartment and attached it to...
"Hmm... this thing looks a bit familiar."
Owl examined the newly attached grip, thinking quickly and briefly...
The more he looked at the strange grip, the more familiar the buttons on it seemed... especially that red missile launch button...
Missile launch button...
Launch button...
Button...
As if finally remembering what this thing was, Owl tremblingly turned his head to look out the window...
Slender, though not massive, wings extended from the bottom of the car's body, and from the trunk—separated from the passenger cabin by a metal plate—came a certain, massive... roar originating from a space shuttle engine...
"Little Boss, let's talk this over calmly..."
Owl's back was instantly drenched in cold sweat. He began silently setting up death flags for himself, hoping they would have the opposite effect...
Anna, I might never see you again...
"Talk? What's there to talk about? If you have time for nonsense, I suggest you check if your seatbelts are fastened properly. This flight is about to take off!"
Imhotep slammed the accelerator, a look of pure joy on her face, and gently pulled back on the control stick.
"Snap out of it! This is a van, not a fighter jet!"
"What's there to be afraid of? I don't even have a car license, yet you dared to ride with me. So this is perfect, since I don't have a pilot's license either."
Amidst the screams of the three passengers and the deafening roar of the space shuttle engine, Imhotep nonchalantly launched the Wuling Hongguang from a slope in a classic ski-jump takeoff.
[Ultimate Flying Car Technique*1]
Leaving behind a group of bewildered pursuers on the elevated highway...
"Damn it! Speeding, reckless driving, forged license plates, and severe illegal modifications! And most importantly, they've been causing chaos from nine in the morning until past four in the afternoon!"
"My tea time! Don't let me catch that bastard in the driver's seat!"
Watching the van take to the sky in such an absurd manner, the pursuing traffic police and the active Schicksal Valkyries who had arrived on the scene stopped their vehicles, their faces contorted with frustration.
"How the hell did that thing even get airborne? That's a van, for crying out loud! Is this even possible?"
"Brute force makes bricks fly, I guess... But that driving style... It couldn't be the same person we chased across eighteen streets a few days ago, could it?"
"A repeat offender, here to provoke us?"
-
Regardless of how Arc City's guards were grumbling amongst themselves, a certain flying brick was currently hurtling toward the Heliopolis Life Sciences industrial district...
"Clang—"
Accompanied by the sound of a heavy object hitting the ground and the creaking groans of the vehicle's frame finally giving way, the group arrived at their destination...
"Dusty Review Taxi Service, fare's 15 credits. I'll deduct it from your salaries, okay~"
Watching the two in the passenger and back seats, who, after a long stupor, suddenly realized they were still alive and broke into expressions of ecstatic relief, Imhotep flashed a tax-evading grin.
"Uh, wait a minute! Little Ancestor, what's up with this White Blazing Cat?! Don't tell me she's been knocked unconscious—???"
Raven suddenly noticed something was wrong. Unlike herself and Owl, who were breathing sighs of relief, Kiana, slumped against the back seat, was motionless with her head bowed, showing no reaction at all...
"Oh, that... Isn't it obvious?"
"She's gone numb. Retreated into her Core—after all... if I can't see it, it's like it never happened."
"Perfect timing. You guys look absolutely wretched right now... Then you can haul this seemingly unconscious White Blazing Cat over to Jackal and report in."
"Makes perfect sense, perfectly logical."
Imhotep nodded gravely.
"Alright... The vehicle landed successfully, and the crew is unharmed. I guess we can call this a successful landing."
Raven and Owl, trembling, carried the oblivious Kiana into the Heliopolis Life Sciences underground lab. Meanwhile, Imhotep glanced at the battered van, pondered for a moment, and gave it a light kick.
Just as she suspected, the vehicle, having undergone a series of bizarre modifications and abuses, promptly fell apart before her eyes...
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Perfect for destroying the evidence. Hey, you lot. Take this pile of scrap to the recycling area and dismantle it completely."
After summoning a group of mechanical guards and instructing them to dispose of the wreckage, Imhotep strode quickly into the Heliopolis Life Sciences building. In just a little while, she'd get to watch a live broadcast of a certain husky potentially tearing the place apart...
Anticipating the entertainment, Imhotep disappeared into the building's elevator.
-
"A little kitty like you is born to be eaten... Hehehe!"
Jackal drooled as she circled the White Blazing Cat, now sealed inside a cultivation pod, her face contorted in ecstatic glee.
"A Herrscher, a living Herrscher, the most exquisite research material... Perhaps this will bring the Stigmata Project one step closer!"
"Good work, Raven, and you too, Owl. You're dismissed now. Leave the rest to me..."
Jackal eagerly rubbed her hands, ready to begin the various experiments she had long prepared.
She would be very busy next. At least, that's what she thought. After shooing away Owl and Raven, Jackal buried her head in operating the various instruments on the control panel.
"But... first, I need to execute this city's most important plan..."
"..."
After a moment of silence, Jackal issued a command to a certain type of mechanical guard on standby throughout the city.
The horn of destruction began its countdown, unheard by all...