Mysterious Plague Doctor, Ignore!

Soon, the police snapped back to reality and looked up at the sky, where a pink-painted sports car drifted like a falling leaf between the buildings and streets.

The moment the car righted itself, Frank was flung into the passenger seat.

In the driver's seat sat a mysterious figure in a black robe, wearing a beaked plague doctor mask from the last century and a black hood.

"Remember to buckle up. If you get thrown out, I'm not coming back for you." Merlin felt the howling wind and the buildings whipping past, his eyes brimming with excitement.

He'd only ever done this in games before; this was his first time in real life.

Frank recalled how the car had just flipped over and quickly grabbed the seatbelt beside him to strap himself in.

"What's with the getup?" Once he'd steadied himself, he stared at Merlin's outfit in confusion.

"New skin, cosplaying as a Plague Doctor. How is it? Mysterious enough?"

Frank said nothing. Now he was sure—this guy was a real otaku.

The car's paint job was a pink nude anime design, their earlier conversation reeked of chuunibyou, and now he was even doing cosplay.

Looked like he'd been in the military too long and couldn't keep up with the outside world anymore...

The car in midair began to descend under gravity, and just as it was about to hit the ground, the Atomic Engine finished recharging.

"Boom!" The Superburn's rear suddenly erupted with blue-purple energy. Under the immense recoil, the car that had been drifting like a leaf instantly turned into an arrow loosed from a bow, leaving a pink phantom streak above the traffic flow.

Frank, in the passenger seat, felt a powerful surge of G-force.

"Hold tight!" The grin beneath Merlin's mask widened as he abruptly spun the steering wheel. The aerodynamic systems shifted, and the Superburn, which had been gliding above the traffic, began to spin like a top.

Frank: "!!!"

Up above, the Superburn tumbling like a pink top caught the attention of pedestrians and people in cars alike.

"Oh my God, buddy, that's definitely a Superburn!"

"Damn! I must be too obsessed with Grand Theft Auto lately—I'm hallucinating!"

"Pink—it's gotta be my favorite Princess Bubblegum paint job."

"You're just plain color."

"What is that? Holy crap, is that a car flying in the sky?"

"When did they invent flying cars? I'm stuck here dying in traffic!"

"Daddy, Daddy, look, a flying car!"

The firefighters, who had just been about to clean up the wreckage, stared blankly at the pink phantom streaking overhead.

In the traffic jam, many people got out of their cars, pulling out their phones to film the vehicle soaring above them.

Those who'd played Grand Theft Auto instantly recognized the Superburn flying over the traffic, while those who hadn't thought it was some futuristic concept car, gasping in awe and envy.

And for the ones stuck in gridlock, only one word remained in their eyes: jealousy.

"Buzz buzz..." Colin, snapping out of it, immediately ordered the helicopter pilot to follow. The bird in hand was trying to fly away!

"Fuck, he's got an accomplice! Go after them now!"

"Bam!" Merlin landed the Superburn on an empty street, then floored the gas and sped off.

"How's it feel?" he whooped, turning to Frank.

Frank: "..."

He didn't want to talk right now. He felt like he'd just been tossed in a washing machine; his head was still spinning.

His stomach was churning too.

"Buzz buzz..." The sound of helicopter rotors grew louder, and a massive beam of light enveloped them.

The wail of police sirens echoed in the distance, growing closer.

They'd only escaped the encirclement; shaking the police pursuit was still a long way off.

Frank fought through the dizziness, squinting up at the helicopter circling above.

"This won't work. We have to take out that chopper," he said grimly.

Air superiority was too unfair.

Merlin knew that too. After turning right at a three-way intersection, he scanned the surroundings.

If Manhattan was the most bustling district, then Brooklyn was the most populous and diverse borough, but aside from the Brooklyn Bridge, it lacked iconic skyscrapers or towers.

Still, there were plenty of commercial buildings in the central area.

As they drove, Merlin's gaze soon landed on a World Trade Center ahead.

Looking at the smooth glass exterior of the building, his eyes lit up.

"Hold tight!" With a plan in mind, Merlin accelerated.

Frank's heart skipped a beat at his words. From the moment he'd been rescued by car until now, he'd figured it out—this guy wasn't just an otaku, he was a lunatic.

"What are you going to do?" He swept his gaze around, but there was nothing to grab onto in the convertible.

In the end, he gripped the door's edge, feeling slightly more at ease.

Merlin said nothing, steering the Superburn straight toward the World Trade Center ahead.

As the distance to the World Trade Center shrank, the car showed no sign of slowing down, carrying an utterly death-defying air.

Even Frank, who trusted Merlin, felt a twinge of unease—this scene was pure suicide!

He gritted his teeth, eyes wide, staring at the ever-closer building. Beneath the towering colossus, the shadow of death grew thicker overhead.

At this distance and speed, even braking wouldn't save them from doom.

"Psssh!" Just as Frank braced for death, a pneumatic hiss sounded from beneath the car.

Then, a familiar weightlessness hit him as the surroundings dropped away.

The car suddenly launched into the air.

"Here it comes!" Merlin focused entirely on the approaching tower, controlling the forward Pneumatic Jet to tilt the car's nose up, aligning the chassis with the building's Glass Barrier.

Under his manipulation, the Superburn drifted like a leaf in the wind, gently pressing against the skyscraper's glass wall.

The moment the tires touched a sturdier steel frame, he didn't hesitate to press the steering wheel's ejection button.

"Boom!" The light car transformed into a pink arrow, perpendicular to the ground, racing up the Trade Center's Glass Barrier as if driving on a road, straight into the sky.

As the speed steadied, Merlin's tense expression relaxed. Watching the glass path ahead and the night sky at its end—success!

Realizing this, he cheered in excitement.

"Woo-hoo!!!"

"Hahaha, did you see that? We made it!"

Beside him, Frank, who'd been wound tight, let out a sudden sigh of relief.

Turning to look at the wild young man in the driver's seat, he decided this would be their last collaboration.

"Apple City's smog is too thick. If we could see the starry sky, it'd be perfect." Coming down from his excitement, Merlin grumbled in regret.

"You want to go to space too..."