Volume Two: The Northland's Race Against Life and Death - Chapter 120: The Past (Part One)

The competition rules stipulate that everyone who reaches the finish line of a stage must rest for at least 24 hours before continuing to the next stage. Of course, this 24-hour period is calculated from the moment of arrival to prevent those who arrive later from leaving first. After two or three days of travel, the participants will make full use of this whole day to recover their energy, replenish their supplies, and handle various miscellaneous matters in preparation for the next stage.

"Hello! I'm a reporter from CCTV! As the biggest dark horse of Line 1, what are your thoughts now?"

"I'm from Zhongyuan TV! In the end, you still fell short of Noxar by just one step. Do you regret it?"

"According to our survey, your number of supporters is rising rapidly! As another super girl group following Abidar, can you reveal more information about the members?"

"This is Hunan TV! What are your plans for the next stage of the competition?"

"Please grant us an interview..."

"The players all need rest! Please move aside! We can talk about the interview later!"

Several burly race staff members pushed through the crowd of reporters to make way for us, and we, exhausted, immediately escaped the cameras. As the second-place finisher in the first stage (although tied with Emilia and the others), the staff arranged a private garage for us, complete with a rather luxurious large room for rest.

"Oh, right, well... I have a request..." After leading us to the rest area, the staff member said to us awkwardly, "Hey, you're a big guy, this behavior is disgusting."

"What's wrong?"

"Could I... sign my autograph? My wife and kids really admire you guys, and actually... I'm a supporter of yours too."

"Oh, of course you can, but don't show it off to others or reveal our location, otherwise a lot of people will come begging us for autographs."

Givinia answered immediately, as expected of her; her words were flawless, satisfying the staff while eliminating any potential problems.

"Thank you so much!!! Uh... actually, I have another request."

"Go ahead and say it."

"Um..." He glanced at me furtively, "Actually, this Miss Ye ... is very mysterious because she always covers her face. Everyone is wondering what your real face looks like... If you don't mind, could I... catch a glimpse of her?"

"... Do you know what 'taking an inch and wanting a mile' means?"

"Eek~~~~~ I'm sorry, I was wrong! Well, I'll be going now. Feel free to contact me if you need anything, bye!"

After seeing the staff off, we started packing our things and made a list of supplies we needed to replenish.

"I mean... are we celebrities now?" I asked cautiously. This was the first time in my life I'd ever signed an autograph, and it all felt a little unreal.

"Nonsense, they're both a dark horse and a cute girl group, and the audience is a bunch of people who are easily swept up in the atmosphere. It's no wonder they have so many supporters," Ally said, sitting up in bed with a hint of smugness.

Huh, Ally?

"Ally, you've recovered?"

"According to typical plot developments, the character should enter a severe low point at this time."

"What do you take me for... I'm a captain, you know, you can't just get depressed like that and say whatever you want." Ally looked at me and Givinia with a 'Are you guys 9?' expression.

"Really? It's good that you're alright..." Givinia stood up and walked towards Ally.

"... Then, shouldn't you tell us about your feud with the Noxar Team —or more accurately, that technician named Alba?"

"!!!"

Not only Ally and Ailin, but I was also taken aback.

What a powerful straight ball! Givinia is truly formidable!

"... well."

Ally hesitated for a moment, then sighed in resignation and sat up cross-legged on the bed.

"Okay, it's not good to keep avoiding the topic. We're a team, and teams should be honest with each other..."

Ally squinted, seemingly lost in memories. After a long while, a slightly deep voice finally broke through.

"That was eight years ago, when Ailin and I were just kids..."

Eight years ago, when Ferruggio Silver Wolf Team were a world-renowned powerhouse, somewhere in the Central Sea Islands—

At night, on a wide-open field, the spotless, huge circular running track is illuminated by nightlights. Next to the track are luxuriously decorated garages and staff dormitories, all of which are painted with images of galloping wolves, which is the logo of the Ferruggio Silver Wolf Team.

At this moment, a heated argument is taking place in the largest building—the motorcade canteen.

"So Alba, you're being too impatient! The team is at its peak right now; it's better not to take this kind of risk!"

"Risk? This is clearly an opportunity! If we can seize this opportunity, we can definitely go even further!"

"Stop messing around! You're not even listening to your brother anymore? Idiot!"

"You... you're saying I'm an idiot!?"

The cafeteria was decorated with colorful ribbons, and a banner that read "St. Andreas Cup Cheerleading Party" was pasted on the wall. What should have been a joyful gathering to cheer everyone on before the match had somehow turned into an argument between two people.

The team members stood by, bewildered—and it wasn't their fault; the two blond men engaged in a heated argument were Elton Senna, the team's founder, captain, and driver, the absolute driving force; and Alba Senna, the team's personnel director and Chief mechanic, and also Elton's brother.

"You've always had this attitude! Always doing things your own way, always wanting to be the boss! And what about me? What do you take me for!?"

"What do you take me for? Who do you think you are? If it weren't for me, would you have gotten to where you are today? Get this straight, Alba!"

"W-what!? What do you mean I owe it to you—"

"You dare say no? You've always been like this since you were little, always worse than me at everything, and you always get stuck on trivial details! If it weren't for your skills as a technician, do you think I would have let you join us?"

"You--!?"

Alba's face was filled with shock and anger, his eyes flashing with ferocity, and his mouth opened and closed for a long time before he could utter a sound.

"I've been working hard and honing my skills to catch up with you... Oh... so this is all I'm capable of..."

It was a chilling voice that seemed to come from the depths of hell. Everyone present felt a chill run down their spines, and even Elton, who was in a fit of anger, calmed down a little in shock.

"...Hey, Alba, I might have gone a bit too far, but you—"

"Shut up!!!"

Alba whirled around and strode toward the door. Just before leaving, he paused briefly, turned his head, and looked at Elton with icy eyes.

"I should have done this a long time ago. This lousy place is no good for me... As for you, Elton, you can just wait to die!"

After uttering a harsh remark, Alba slammed the door and stormed out.

It's late at night--

"Sister, there's a very important match tomorrow, right? Why did Uncle suddenly leave?" Ailin, still a young girl, asked tearfully, huddled under the covers.

"Because... Uncle and Dad had a big fight, and Uncle probably... stormed off in a huff."

"But I really like Uncle. He's just leaving like this. Won't the convoy be in a difficult position?"

"Who knows... maybe in the short term, but someone will definitely replace him in the long run." Ally sighed, stating the fact with a sullen expression. Alba was indeed an excellent technician, but if you really wanted to find someone, there were replacements.

Time passed by, and Ailin, unable to resist the drowsiness, had long since fallen into a deep sleep. Only Ally was still tossing and turning in bed, her mind in turmoil.

"Hateful..."

A nameless unease lingered in her heart, preventing her from falling asleep. After hesitating for a while, Ally carefully climbed out of bed and left the bedroom without waking Ailin.

Walking on the racetrack late at night, a cool evening breeze blew in her face, but the anxiety in her heart still hadn't subsided. What was wrong with her? Why was her heart so troubled? Was it just because her uncle and father had a fight? Ally couldn't figure it out, and she didn't want to think about it anymore. She stopped thinking and walked aimlessly.

Before they knew it, they had arrived at the garage, a luxurious building as large as a stadium, a symbol of the team's status. Inside were more than a dozen high-performance sports cars, the most important of which was the Iron Wolf, the car that was serving Elton.

The Iron Wolf was the most beautiful and powerful racing car Ally had ever seen. The new car currently in the planning stages, Sirius, was modeled after the Iron Wolf. For some reason, Ally always felt incredibly safe and secure whenever she stood next to the Iron Wolf.

Even now, if I went to see the Iron Wolf, I think I could calm down...

Thinking this, Ally walked toward the garage--

"Huh? It's not locked?"

This was strange. Ally became more alert, and quietly opened the garage door a crack before slipping inside.

The garage wasn't pitch black as she had expected. In the deepest part, where the Iron Wolf was stored, a dim light was on. In the dim light, Ally saw a figure.

"... uncle?"

The figure immediately turned around, and the dim light slightly illuminated his face, revealing him to be none other than the former Chief technician, Alba Sena, who should have already left.

"Uncle, didn't you leave? Why are you still here—"

"Shut up! Get out of my way!"

Alba seemed quite panicked. He shoved Ally aside and practically stormed out the door, leaving Ally standing alone in the garage, completely bewildered.

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It's April 2nd... I'm eagerly awaiting the second season of Oregairu!

The shows I'm currently watching in April include Oregairu, Nagato, UBW, Nisekoi, Nanoha, Grisaia, DXD, Digimon, Dungeon Fighter Online, Kyoto Animation, Inspiration, Blood Blockade, Seraph of the Angels, Guan Gong's Story, Plastic Memories... Ahh, so many!

By the way, I'm asking for a Monthly Votes.