Volume Two: Life and Death in the Northern Realm-Chapter 164: Grand Champion

Hurry up--

The pedal was almost broken, and the dashboard needles were jumping wildly.

Faster--

The engine emitted a mournful cry, and the sound of breaking parts echoed continuously.

Hurry up—please hurry up—

The hood had peeled off, exposing the steel interior.

"Faster—faster!!!"

200 meters -- 100 meters -- 50 meters --

With only a few dozen meters to go, the short distance that could be crossed in an instant now felt so far. Sirius was on the verge of collapse, giving off its last bit of energy in a final burst of life.

Rumble rumble rumble!

Behind them was the ever-approaching Kilga, its golden body moving like lightning, closing in with astonishing momentum!

"You've done very well, Ally, so—just accept reality!!!"

"Dream on!"

Sirius roared as it made its final sprint, and Kilga finally caught up, the two cars almost level!

The last ten meters!

For a racing car traveling at high speed, it's just a split second.

But now it feels so far away.

Seriously, that's the limit.

Whether it's racing or Ally's body.

Excessive tension, nerves almost snapping, hands convulsing as they gripped the steering wheel.

Everything was a declaration of its defeat.

Time seemed to stand still.

Is it due to excessive adrenaline secretion?

The scenery rushing past the window turned into a blurry halo, frozen in time forever.

The track, teammates, Crystal Island, and even the vehicles all disappeared, giving Ally the illusion that she was the only person left in the world except herself and the finish line.

"Ah..."

Two familiar figures appeared on the other side of the finish line.

That was truly a figure I miss dearly.

"Ah... ah ah..."

She couldn't help but sob, tears welled up in her eyes, and her hands trembled uncontrollably.

"Have we finally arrived, Ally?"

Seeing them, winning or losing doesn't seem to matter anymore.

"Look how hard you've worked, and you're already done? You were only one step away from finishing."

Warm words seeped into my heart like the warm sunshine of spring; that was all it took to calm my restless mind.

"Dad... Uncle..."

The person she admires most and the person who cares about her most stand side by side, smiling and watching over her.

"Keep pushing, after all, life isn't about giving in to difficulties."

In the hazy glow, their figures grew thinner and thinner, receding into the distance towards the end of the light.

He left behind only one sentence.

"Don't give up... People live to win..."

The light became faint.

The still, private world shattered like glass.

In the fragmented view, only the finish line was clear.

Physical pain and mental exhaustion no longer matter.

All that's left is the thought, "Win, win, win!"

The most basic movements I've done countless times.

Release the clutch and press the pedal.

As long as you're ahead of the competition, that's fine.

Even one meter, one decimeter, one centimeter, or even one millimeter ahead is acceptable.

The long journey is coming to an end.

The journey of 11,820 kilometers is almost over, with only the last meter remaining.

The sixteen-year journey has come to an end in a single microsecond.

Looking back, all I see is that pitiful, gloomy version of myself who always tried to be strong.

Looking into the present, I see this mature, powerful, and radiant version of myself.

So what about the future?

Looking to the future, all we see is a thick fog.

Unknowable, unseen, unheard.

I also want to see what the future holds.

That must be the realization of one's dreams, a wonderful life filled with honor and glory.

Keep moving forward. Think of it this way.

Ally took a step forward.

The fog gradually dissipated.

The deafening cheers brought her back to reality.

"... Respectfully..."

What? What are they arguing about?

"Congratulations..."

"Elder sister!"

A delicate little hand reached out and touched her. Was it Ailin?

Ally stared blankly around, her shattered vision gradually returning, but she couldn't see the scenery outside the car window at all, because—

The car windows were all blocked off.

What happened?

Ally was still a little confused about the situation.

"Ailin, what exactly is going on...?"

"We won! We won, sister!!!"

... Did you win?

"Yes! Three centimeters, only a three-centimeter lead!"

Leading?

"I'm really impressed by you. You actually dared to run like that, risking your life."

"Kilga..."

A familiar blond man pushed through the crowd, approached the window, and smiled as he looked at her.

Congratulations, Ally!

"All the hardships along the way were worth it!"

Four soft, smooth arms embraced her; it was A Ye and Givinia.

The scene was so unreal, yet the sensation of my teammates' bodies felt so real.

Overhead, the sounds from all the airships' loudspeakers overlapped, and all the world's media outlets were reporting the same news repeatedly.

"Ladies and gentlemen--"

" --Gray Starling Cup North Realm Rally-- "

"--Rally race, successfully concluded--"

"--The champion that everyone has been waiting for--"

"--The champion has finally been crowned--"

"--That is--"

"--That is--"

"--The champion team is--"

Then, all the sounds merged together.

"--The Ferruggio Silver Wolf Team, led by Elton Cena's daughter, Ally Cena!!!!!"

"Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

A deafening roar of cheers echoed through the heavens and earth. Everyone outside the car shouted, jumped, and ran, rushing towards Sirius like madmen. Outside the track, all the media outlets did their utmost to spread the news to the world as quickly as possible. This was destined to be a day recorded in racing history. Ally's resolute act of risking her life and her unwavering perseverance until the very last moment were witnessed by the entire world.

At this very moment, a superstar is rising from the beautiful Crystal Island; her brilliance will surely illuminate the world!

And this superstar himself—

"Really... You won..."

He uttered an unexpectedly calm remark.

Ally gave a slightly tired smile and stretched, as if winning the grand prize was just a trivial matter to her.

Actually, that's not the case.

At that moment, countless different emotions rushed into Ally's heart: joy, amazement, ecstasy, excitement, sadness, emptiness, and relaxation—so many emotions mixed together, which ironically calmed Ally down.

As for happiness, sadness, emptiness, and other such feelings, we can experience them slowly later.

Now, all he has to do is step outside the car, bask in the cheers, and enjoy the fact that he's the champion.

"Make way—make way for the champion!"

Dozens of security personnel pushed through the surging reporters to clear a path for us, at the end of which stood the crystal palace. The palace wasn't very large, but it was entirely made of crystals and was extremely beautiful; it was likely a relic left by our ancestors.

The competition trophy was placed in the palace hall, and reporters and spectators were strictly prohibited from approaching the entrance. Only one person stood next to the entrance, smiling at us.

That was Garde, the chief executive officer of the Northern Realm Rally.

"What are your thoughts? --" "Could you sign an autograph?" "Please grant us an interview!" "I'm a reporter from XX TV --" As we walked, countless reporters, despite being stopped, persisted, desperately waving their microphones, hoping for the first scoop. I simply hid behind Givinia, unwilling to show my face. Givinia smiled maturely, Ailin followed timidly behind Ally, and Ally—

"Thank you all for your continued support!"

He waved to the reporters with a tired but bright smile. The crowd immediately erupted in excitement, and the human wall of security guards was almost crushed by the weight of his presence.

Just one sentence can have such an effect; that's the power of celebrities.

However... she used to be very talkative and boastful when interviewed, but now she just gives a simple greeting. It seems she has really grown a lot.

"Welcome, warriors! You are undoubtedly the best team!"

Finally arriving at the palace gates, the reporters, who had been eagerly waiting, were kept outside the cordon. Garde, who had been waiting for a long time, gently clapped as he greeted us.

"Thank you for the compliment, Mr. CEO."

Ally immediately reached out and grasped Garde's hand tightly.

"Don't be so formal, just call me Mr. Garde. You must be tired from the journey... I originally had a long speech planned, but let's save that for the closing ceremony when we get back. I believe what you want to see now is—this!"

Garde led us into the hall, where no fewer than a hundred cameras were positioned, capturing the actions of the CEO and the championship team, broadcasting this glorious moment live to the world. On a shimmering purple-blue crystal platform, a magnificent golden cup stood quietly, awaiting its owner.

Garde walked up to the platform, carefully took down the trophy, and slowly walked towards Ally.

It was as if they were holding the whole world in their hands.

"Take it, Ally Senna. This highest honor in the racing world is yours alone."

"This is... the trophy..."

Ally stared blankly at the beautiful golden cup, momentarily hesitant.

"Can... can I really take it?" she murmured to herself, still somewhat incredulous.

"Of course, you get to keep what you win." I patted her shoulder lightly.

"You deserve this honor. Although the goal of 'avenging your father' was never achieved, if you take it on, the goal of 'reviving the car convoy' will be accomplished." Givinia smiled and stroked Ally's hair.

"Sister, go ahead!" Ailin gave Ally a big hug.

"You..."

Ally closed her eyes, then opened them again, and walked forward under our gaze.

"... Um?"

A golden-pink halo emerged from my clothes.

"Little Butterfly? When did you hide there?"

But it completely ignored my questions and just kept flapping its wings frantically, circling around me like a madman.

I think I understand now.

Are you... warning me?

"That's amazing! Liu Sister Ye so amazing! They really won the championship!"

"Captain Ally is amazing! She's a true goddess!"

"It's clearly Givinia- sama who's the best!"

Am I the only one who likes Ailin- chan the most!?

The screen showed the Ferruggio Silver Wolf Team receiving the trophy, broadcast live from the cameras in the Crystal Hall to the world. The competition was finally over, and Si Nan Xiao finally breathed a sigh of relief, leaning back on the sofa and watching the still excited children, a relieved smile on her face.

"Finally over? That was quite a hassle..."

"Hey, Xiao Wu, you're here."

"Just got back from a mission."

"I see. What a pity, you missed the best part."

"It doesn't matter, I wasn't interested anyway."

"You really are something... huh?"

Rustling--rustling--

The live stream, which had been perfectly clear just moments before, suddenly became blurry, and after a few seconds it turned into nothingness, completely obscuring the view.

"That's strange, is the Spirit Light Screen broken?"

"No... it must be signal interference."

"Here we go!"

"President, could it be—"

"Ah, the World Crystal Tree has absorbed enough spiritual energy; the revival has begun."

"But this is much earlier than expected!"

"It's alright. The exact time is hard to predict anyway. Just proceed as planned."

"But with thousands of reporters, staff, and spectators present, there's no guarantee that the existence of the Crystal Realm Fruit won't be exposed!"

"You don't need to worry about that."

Yu He waved his hand and took out a small thing—a savings book.

"Don't forget, there's nothing your boss can't do if it can be solved with money. Although using 'forced bribery' on the World Crystal Tree Crystal Island region would suppress our abilities, it's just a matter of spending more money. Besides, because of the World Crystal Tree's interference, media signals can't get out from there, which saves us a lot of trouble."

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