Volume Two: The North's Race Against Death, Chapter 102: Ferruggio Silver Wolf Team (Part One)

The father's unexpected death shocked the racing world.

After that, many, many people came to visit.

There are peers, sponsors, and admirers from all over the world.

"Ally, don't be sad. Elton is definitely watching over you from heaven."

"Ally, even though he's gone, you must stay strong."

"Crying won't solve anything, be strong."

I hear these kinds of words every day.

But they were all wrong.

I have long since moved on from my grief.

What fills my heart now is not grief, but hatred.

It was him.

It was him who killed Dad.

Revenge.

I must take revenge.

Not by resorting to underhanded tactics like hiring someone to kill, but by defeating him fair and square on the field.

Therefore, I must practice harder and study more diligently to make the team even stronger than when my father was alive.

However--

"I'm sorry, Ally... there's a newly formed racing team that needs my help, um..."

The first person left.

"I'm sorry, but Elton, our pillar, is gone. We are no longer the strong team we used to be, so..."

Then came the second, the third, and the fourth person.

"Raise wages? Where would the fleet get that much money for pay raises right now? Don't talk such unrealistic things."

No matter how hard I tried to keep them, the number of people kept decreasing.

At last--

"Ally, I have to withdraw my investment. I know you're angry, but since Elton passed away, the team has been declining. I'm a businessman after all, and the team is... no longer worth my money. I'm sorry."

The team's biggest sponsor, who was always smiling, finally couldn't take it anymore and left.

The once globally renowned racing team is now reduced to just myself and my sister.

In the end, you can only rely on yourself.

"Wow, this must be the registration area."

Before us was an extremely vast open space, no less large than Tiananmen Square. In front of the open space was a large wooden building, with people constantly going in and out. On the wooden building was a huge sign that read "Registration Office".

Looking further in, the huge open space was filled with cars, many of them temporary hire teams. At first glance, there were no fewer than dozens of such teams, creating a bustling scene. Givinia had mentioned that only a small portion of the teams were hiring temporary hires, which initially made me quite pessimistic. But now that I think about it, with nearly 3,000 participating teams in total, even if it's only one percent, that's still thirty percent.

I swallowed hard and walked into the open space.

"Yuzu Team is hiring! We need a reliable navigator, experienced candidates preferred!"

"This is August Team! We are recruiting combatants! Salary negotiable!"

"The Caihua Tang Team is still short of a professional technician! Excellent salary!"

"The Yi Lu Shen Team' is recruiting technicians and navigators! Experienced candidates preferred! Benefits for those who join!"

Well, as a visual novel player, I always feel a strong sense of déjà vu with many of the car team names. Maybe it's just my imagination...

Regardless, my goal remains unchanged, so I'll just have to grit my teeth and go for it!

Calm myself down, and I stepped into this incredibly noisy alternate dimension.

"Excuse me, do you recruit combatants?"

I found a team that looked a bit more impressive and squeezed through the crowd to get to the front.

"Yes! You're here to apply? Do you have any competition experience?"

"Uh, no..."

"Was it recommended by someone?"

"No, not exactly..."

"Then what are you even doing here? Go away! Don't waste my time! There are plenty of other people who want to join!"

"..." I was rejected.

It's alright. So many people want a piece of the pie, so setbacks are to be expected. Just keep trying!

"Sorry, we just filled all our positions."

"No qualifications? Then what are you doing here?"

"We don't want to bring along an inexperienced burden!"

I didn't truly feel the crisis until the number of convoys refusing to accept my offer reached double digits.

It's past 10 o'clock now, and there are less than two hours left before the registration deadline. If I can't find a team willing to take me in within these two hours, I'm doomed.

"What should I do...?"

The sun rose higher and higher, the direct sunlight and the heat of the crowd making me dizzy. The noise from all directions was so loud it hurt my eardrums, and the anxiety of not being able to achieve my goal was simply...

"Hey, you! It's you!"

... Huh? Someone called me?

Could it be that one of the teams that rejected me before has changed their minds and recognized my value? Lucky me!

I immediately turned around with a beaming smile—though my face was hidden by my scarf—to look in the direction the sound came from, and there I saw—

"No mistake! It was this woman who ruined our plans!"

"Brother, please help us get justice!"

They were the cannon fodder group that harassed Givinia on the passenger ship.

What was it called again? Something like "Cannon Fodder Bento Team"? It's full of ridiculous things.

"What the hell?! You dare touch my brother? You don't want to live anymore?"

A tall, muscular man with a beard, led by several sleazy-looking men, was...

They're walking towards me menacingly... Wait, wait, wait, what's with this textbook example of a villain picking a fight?! I just want to be a quiet, beautiful girl!

"Watch me— Love Love Charge!"

The bearded, muscular man roared to the sky, his entire body emitting a mysterious pink glow – what a dedicated lighting technician! He struck a pose remarkably like Usagi Tsukino and charged at me, plowing a crack in the solid ground!

"Hahaha! My Love Love Charge is invincible! My superpower is to unleash the love in my heart as power. In heaven and earth, only love reigns supreme. With love, I am the most powerful being. No one can stop me, no one can defeat me. One punch opens the heavens, two punches shatter the earth, three punches startle the Arhats of the Western Paradise, four punches allow the Heavenly Venerables of the Ten Realms to transcend reincarnation. You absolutely cannot defeat me~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

With a slight sidestep, the muscular idiot missed his target and crashed hard into a lamppost.

"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! How could this be? You actually dodged it!?"

Nonsense, it's a straight-line attack, no wonder you can't dodge it.

"Looks like you're getting interesting... Prepare for another round! Loveness Baptism!!!!"

Flash again.

"Ahhh, how did you dodge again? Are you too strong or am I too weak? You're too strong, right? Right! Hey, hey, hey, why did you run away? Come at me again!"

"Nonsense! I (or I?) have a lot of things to do! I don't have time for a lunatic like you!"

"Huff... huff... huff... I think I've shaken him off."

Damn it, I didn't expect that muscleman to be so persistent! If I didn't want to make a scene right before the game started, I would have already... first... then... then... then...

Anyway, where did I end up?

Looking around, I was still in the square. There were quite a few temporary car teams around, but these teams seemed more like amateurs than professional drivers. They were clearly inferior in both appearance and vehicles, which was probably why they were squeezed to the back.

There are far fewer people here than before, making it more comfortable to stay. Plus, the hiring standards for these car teams are much lower than outside. If I were here, I might be able to find a team that would accept me.

Which one should I choose? Let me think about it~

"Yin Ke La Team is recruiting! We need one navigator! Hardworking and resilient individuals will be given priority!"

"This is the King's Guard Disaster Team! We are looking for highly skilled technicians!"

Oh, no one mentioned qualifications or anything. It seems the recruitment teams here are desperate for people. Even so, there were still some people gathered in front of each team. There were quite a few people who wanted to join in the fun and curry favor. In the end, the selection process will definitely involve an assessment of qualifications.

In that case, I need to find the one with the fewest people.

Let me see... the Swaying Chrysanthemum Team, the Taipu Mu'en Team, the Eastern Jin Ye Shi Team, the Fire's Joy Team... The further in we go, the fewer people are gathered around those caravans, but that's not enough. Ideally, there would be no one at all...

"The Ferruggio Silver Wolf Team is still short of combatants and navigators! Are you interested in joining?"

At the end of the square, a clear and melodious voice reached my ears.

Looking in the direction from which the sound came, I saw an unexpected sight.

She was a girl slightly younger than me.

She looked to be about sixteen or seventeen years old. Her slightly wavy blonde hair was styled into a neat single ponytail, and her apricot-colored skin radiated a healthy glow. Her features were delicate and beautiful, and her light blue eyes were as clear as water. In addition to the unique innocence and cuteness of a young girl, she also subtly revealed a maturity beyond her years. She wore a beautiful silver-blue racing suit, the close-fitting cut of which perfectly showcased her exquisite figure. A running wolf was printed on the chest of the racing suit, lifelike in its detail.

She is now holding a form and stopping a passing man.

"Hey... is this really a convoy? Why are you all alone?"

The man asked, puzzled.

"Ah, my younger sister is pulling people over on the other side, please—"

"No, I'm not interested!"

"Ah-- um, um, we offer very generous benefits, wait--"

Before he could finish speaking, the passerby turned and walked away without looking back.

The girl who had pulled the man stared blankly at his back, then let out a "Wah--" and squatted down on the ground, covering her head.

"Ughhhhhhh! What's going on?! So many days have passed, the registration deadline is almost here, and we still haven't recruited enough people!!!"

So pitiful...

I've seen plenty of sparsely populated car convoys along the way, but this is the first time I've seen team members actively handing out flyers to stop people.

A thought struck me.

If it's this "Ferruggio Silver Wolf Team" team, maybe...

Having made up my mind, I walked towards the girl who was slumped over in despair.

"... Huh? Who are you?"

Sensing my approach, the girl listlessly raised her head, her eyes vacant.

"Excuse me, um... your team is short-handed, right?"

"Yes, we're short one combatant and one navigator," she replied listlessly, then suddenly jumped up as if realizing something, her eyes widening.

"Wait, you wouldn't happen to be—"

"Ah, I'd like to be a combatant in your team. What do you think?"