Volume Two: Life and Death at the Northern Realm Rally - The Race Begins
"Look! The most popular candidates are already prepared!"
The announcer continued, but this time the topic shifted to the numerous contestants present. Hearing this, the audience became even more enthusiastic, with many people standing up from the stands, picking up binoculars of all sizes to search for the winning candidates—those teams were the true protagonists of the competition.
"The winning candidate..." Ally sighed with a bitter smile. Before her father passed away, whenever these car teams were introduced, Ferruggio Silver Wolves was always the first to be mentioned, but now...
"Number B-031, the three-time champion of the Darkar Rally, the Vino Lions Team!"
"H-067, the biggest winner of the last Heavenly Palace Cup, the Seven Nights Two Forms Team!"
"E-114, the enigmatic San Andreas Grand Prix gold medal team, scp_foundation team!"
"K-049, the oldest surviving motorcade, Beiyang Warlords Team!"
Every time the name of a popular racing team was announced, a huge cheer erupted from the crowd, so loud that the ground even trembled slightly!
"C-095, last year's Most Valuable Team, Abidal Beauties Team!"
Immediately, a deafening roar erupted from the audience—mainly young people and teenagers.
"Abidar is the best! The goddesses are the best!"
"I love you ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!"
"We're C-102, and they're so close to us..." Ailin muttered to herself. To be honest, I was startled too.
"They're over there!" Ally reacted the most enthusiastically, leaning out of the car window and pointing directly at the location of C-095. I looked in the direction she pointed and saw a red and yellow race car covered with a rubbery layer parked not far away. Emilia and three others waved to the car window, eliciting screams.
"Tch... a bunch of pretentious idiots, only you guys I will never lose to!" Ally gritted her teeth, saying "idiots, idiots" but her eyes couldn't hide her fighting spirit.
The presentation is still ongoing.
"And then there's A-018, the ever-victorious team in motorsports, the Noxar Team!"
"!?"
Ally had been glaring at Emilia, suddenly froze, gripping the steering wheel tightly with both hands. Ailin also looked bitter and silently lowered her head.
"... What's wrong with you guys?"
"It's them..."
"Huh?"
"They, Noxar Team, are my targets for revenge! Listen carefully, no matter the cost, we will defeat them!"
The world's media focused their cameras on the Port Turltukha, and the scene was broadcast around the world. Hundreds of millions of people were watching one place at the same time, which shows how popular the Northern Realm Rally was.
In a small country on the East Emperor Continent--
In a somewhat old house, several people dressed in black with purple hair and eyes were looking at a huge Spirit Light Projection Screen.
"Hey bro, is it true that Liu Ye said she's going to participate in the Northern Realm Rally?"
"It should be true, but there are just too many participating teams, so it would be difficult to find her from the complete list."
Sudden--
"She's there!!!"
A purple-haired girl named Si Nan Ying jumped up from her seat and excitedly pointed to a spot on the screen.
Where?
"I can't see it..."
"The camera has moved on, I saw it very clearly! It was in a car that was just visible in the lower right corner of the background! I saw it through the car window!"
"How did you even notice, little sister..."
Central Sea Islands, Central United Academy --
A girl with long purple hair, carrying a thick book, walked briskly towards a secluded corner of the dormitory area. Reaching an inconspicuous little house, she skillfully opened the door and went inside.
"You are... Sister Xiao? It's been so long!"
"Did Sister Xiao bring us any gifts? We really want to eat something delicious!"
"Sister Xiao, haven't you been studying really hard lately? What brings you here?"
"You guys are the ones who should be resting, why are you all gathered here... wait, what's this giant Spirit Light Screen?"
Si Nan Xiao looked at the expensive equipment in the corner with suspicion; she didn't think these children could get their hands on such things.
"It was Sister Sakura Dance who brought it!"
"Because we all wanted to see the opening ceremony of the Northern Realm Rally, we told Sister Sakura Dance, and although she was initially indifferent, she actually agreed!"
Xiao Wu... she's probably gotten herself into a lot of trouble again. Si Nan Xiao sighed.
"Sister Xiao, would you like to watch it together?"
"Watching together? That sounds good... I happen to have a friend who's also participating."
"Huh!? Really? Who is she?"
"You'll see when you take your time, what's the rush?"
You must do your best, Xiao Ye, Si Nan Xiao thought to herself.
Grey Starling Shopping Mall, the non-existent 101st floor --
"President, the competition is about to begin!" Ankri reported.
"It started smoothly? Great! Let's stay here and enjoy the match..." The young man looked relieved and stretched his shoulders.
"You sound quite relaxed, Yu He."
"Your mission is now complete. It's up to us now..."
Two voices rang out simultaneously: one cold and sharp, like Steel Knife; the other deep and resonant, like Giant Peak.
"Don't say that, Sick Spider, Stone Strike. I'm a senior, at least show some respect." The young man, Yu He, turned around and said with a wry smile.
"Respect? In terms of fighting ability, I don't think you're stronger than me!"
"All you've done is organize the competition; the crucial execution is still up to us..."
"No, you're wrong," Yu He refuted them decisively. "The one who deserves the most credit is neither me, who was in charge of planning, nor you, who were in charge of sabotage, but—"
He paused, then gave a mysterious smile.
"--Those more than 12,000 contestants who risked their lives to work for us."
Somewhere tens of thousands of kilometers away --
The girl, radiating a pure white light, stood quietly, gazing northward, and smiled gently.
"Don't let me down, Xiao Ye."
"Now, please welcome the Chief Executive Officer of this competition, Garde Merklai, to give his opening remarks!"
Thank you.
A deep, resonant voice rang out, and at the same time, millions of spectators gasped in unison—centered on the City Hall High-rise, a gigantic phantom appeared in the sky above the city. It was a half-body statue hundreds of meters tall, and its appearance and demeanor were exactly the same as Garde's! This was clearly some kind of specially made Spirit Artifact that could magnify a person's image a million times!
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the illusory figure spoke.
How fast can a person run on the road to pursuing their dreams?
His powerful voice resounded through the sky, deafeningly loud.
How many trials and tribulations must a person endure on their journey to the end?
Every word he spoke was deeply etched into everyone's heart, igniting their primal instincts—the fighting spirit deep within human consciousness, the purest form of passion.
"At the end of that distant dream, what awaits you?"
Everyone—whether athletes, spectators, reporters, or ordinary citizens—was filled with excitement, their eyes burning with passion, as if flames were burning within them.
"It's a trophy, a prize, and unparalleled glory!!!"
The moment those words were uttered, the pent-up enthusiasm exploded instantly. Millions of people stood up, raised their arms, and shouted, as if to embrace that supreme glory! At the same time, three thousand and twelve steel beasts roared deafeningly, the roar of their engines proclaiming the drivers' boundless passion!
"Warriors, do you see this?"
Another phantom appeared in the sky—a gigantic crystal goblet containing a completely golden trophy, studded with diamonds and jewels, topped with an exquisitely sculpted gold racing car. Its mere appearance drew all eyes to the world!
"This is the symbol of championship glory! Awaiting you on the other side of victory! Made of the finest Berkeley Gold! Inlaid with 143 Moriel Pearls and 87 Mysterious Cold Diamonds! The gold sculpture at the top is of the Mark III, the progenitor of all racing cars in the world! Of course—what this trophy symbolizes far exceeds its intrinsic value!"
"Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Everyone cheered with joy, and the contestants were especially excited! Unparalleled glory, unlimited wealth, the title of world number one—this trophy was the culmination of their struggle, a vessel that held all the desires and dreams of the world!
"Rejoice, warriors! The 18,200-kilometer challenge from Port Turltukha to Crystal Island in the center of the Northern Boundary is about to begin!!!!"
"Turtuka, Crystal Island!!! Turtuka, Crystal Island!!! Turtuka, Crystal Island!!! Turtuka, Crystal Island!!!"
"One minute! One minute left! Warriors, the legend begins when the cannons fire! All personnel, take your positions immediately!!!"
One minute left.
The cheers that had just filled the air came to an abrupt halt, and the entire Port Turltukha was silent except for the roar of engines.
This too is a kind of deathly silence.
"Are you all ready?"
Ally gripped the steering wheel tightly in the driver's seat and turned to ask.
"Ready!"
Our three answered without the slightest hesitation.
"Thirty seconds left!"
I opened my hands, then clenched them again, feeling the blood rushing through my veins.
"Ten seconds left!"
Are my old friends from the capital also watching me?
"Five!"
Don't embarrass yourself.
"Four!"
Because this is the starting point of a new journey for me.
"Three!" Crystal Realm Fruit--
"Two!" Here I come!
"One!!!"
Call out--------
Ding!!!!!!!!!!
Dazzling fireworks exploded in the sky, and then--
"The match begins!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Charge----------Ah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
The roar of 3,012 engines turned into a deafening explosion at the same time. The steel beasts roared and swept away the dust, accelerating wildly with the force of tearing the earth apart! The dust they raised shot up to a height of 100 meters, and a colorful wave of steel surged out from the dust curtain, with countless arrows vying to be the first to fly!
How magnificent, how exhilarating! Travelers, avengers, guilty, adventurers, ambitious—countless hearts, with different beliefs, experiences, and ideals, beat together at this moment for the same destination!
The most intense off-road rally ever held in history has officially begun!
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It has finally officially begun! Congratulations!