Tracking

Tracking

The doors of the Gladstone Type III Car opened automatically. David settled into the soft seat, and the car's power system had already activated when it detected his Identity Bracelet.

The Gladstone Type III Car lifted slightly off the ground, holding at a height of 0.3 meters. Then the garage door opened.

The car drove itself out of the garage, and a map of Peilan City appeared before David.

David was still underage, and his clearance was too low for him to drive alone. He could only switch on autopilot, with the City Traffic System controlling the entire journey.

Sitting in the comfortable seat, feeling the car's smooth, quiet ride, he watched it pull onto the main road.

It was worth saying a little about transportation in Peilan City—or, for that matter, across Panshi Planet and the entire Interstellar Federation.

With the Interstellar Federation's technological capabilities, flight had long since become easy to achieve. After more than ten thousand years of development, the technology had become remarkably advanced.

But whether in systems near a War Star or in peaceful systems, the same principle applied: only citizens with the proper clearance were allowed to fly.

Ordinary citizens could only drive cars like David's, which hovered 0.3 meters above the ground. They were not permitted to rise higher than one meter.

Air traffic was divided into several levels, and the higher you went, the greater the clearance you needed.

As David left the garage in the Gladstone Type III Car and entered the main road, he sensed someone watching him.

Of course, it wasn't his own perception. The invisible Shadow Servant beside him had sensed it.

His heart tightened. The follow-up he'd been worried about had finally come. He couldn't understand what anyone could want from a high school senior like him.

But the fact was, he suspected Trainer Jeremy had tried to kill him through the Sacrificial Manual.

And Trainer Jeremy had indeed succeeded: David's predecessor had been killed by the sacrifice.

The watcher was very likely Trainer Jeremy, checking whether he was dead. Perhaps, once he discovered David had survived, he would come after him again.

For now, though, David wasn't worried. Patrol cars kept passing overhead, and he knew that, in the current atmosphere, no one would dare attack him openly today.

The Gladstone Type III Car drove itself, so David didn't need to steer. He relaxed and directed the Shadow Servant beside him.

The Shadow Servant rose into the air, passed through the car's body, and went outside.

Through the Shadow Servant's eyes, David saw a burly, middle-aged man sitting in an inconspicuous ordinary car.

The man wasn't Trainer Jeremy, as David had expected. David was certain he didn't know him, but the look the man gave him made it clear that the man knew who he was.

The Shadow Servant could only move ten meters away from David. It managed to make out the man's face, then had no choice but to follow the Gladstone Type III Car as it drove away.

After David's Gladstone Type III Car passed, the ordinary car started up and followed. David's heart tightened.

As he tensed, he realized the other car was simply keeping its distance and didn't seem intent on catching up. Only then did he relax.

Once he was sure the middle-aged man following him posed no danger, David stopped paying attention to him.

He felt the speed of the Gladstone Type III Car quickly settle at seventy kilometers per hour. That was nowhere near its top speed.

In fact, the Gladstone Type III Car could reach five hundred kilometers per hour at full speed, but there was no need for that in the city, and David didn't have the clearance to drive that fast anyway.

The power that gave the Gladstone Type III Car such speed was also related to the Krypton Crystal Mine. Though the car was quite good, it couldn't afford to use Krypton Crystal as its power source.

The Interstellar Federation had studied Krypton Crystal for twenty thousand years. Other forms of energy had emerged during that time, but none had managed to displace it.

The biggest reason was that once a Krypton Crystal had been used up, the remaining crystal could absorb a star's light and store it, as long as a conversion device was added.

The energy stored in the crystal was nowhere near as abundant as the original Krypton Crystal's, but it was far more convenient, safe, and economical than other forms of energy.

What surprised David most was that this world had never developed nuclear energy.

Perhaps Krypton Crystal had made the world's scientists less desperate for energy. Or perhaps this world's technological path was simply the right one.

Of course, that didn't mean this world had no weapons as powerful as nuclear arms. The Antimatter Main Cannon on a large warship could destroy a small planet once it was charged and fired.

For someone like David, who only used the car around the city, its Energy Block would last a whole year without needing replacement.

David's thoughts wandered as he marveled at the world's advanced technology. He couldn't help thinking, too, about how terrifying the Zerg must be, given that they had fought against them for ten thousand years.

After all, the Zerg had fought the Interstellar Federation and God's Great World on their own. Their strength was unimaginable.

As he thought, the Shadow Servant, sitting invisibly in the back of the car, kept an eye on the vehicle following them. It maintained a great distance, as if it didn't want David to notice it.

Just then, the Gladstone Type III Car stopped, and David saw the entrance to the Police Station.

He got out, and the Gladstone Type III Car drove itself toward a parking lot nearby.

The Shadow Servant followed behind him. The pursuer seemed surprised that David had come to the Police Station, but didn't stop; it drove away.

After David scanned his Identity Bracelet at the entrance, an arrow appeared on it. It showed his route through the Police Station, and he wasn't allowed to stray from it.

Although this function maintained order, David disliked it very much.

Of course, changing that wasn't impossible. As long as you had sufficient Interstellar Federation clearance, you could go wherever you wanted without anyone questioning you.

For now, he could only follow the arrow to the designated location.

His destination was the Police Station's conference room, a space of three hundred square meters—quite a large room.

The huge room was noisy, and there were people crying as well.

"My child already received a special admission offer from Yako University, and you're explaining it away with 'an accident'! That was a wanted criminal! I've looked into it. Four Interceptors were sent after him, and that's what caused this tragedy!" an angry middle-aged man shouted.

Yako University wasn't as prestigious as Na'an University, but it was still one of Panshi Planet's top universities. Its mathematics department, in particular, had produced many notable figures.

Receiving a special admission offer from Yako University meant the child was exceptionally talented. No wonder the middle-aged man was so furious.

The man's words inflamed everyone around him. Since that morning, the victims' families had been coming here to demand an investigation and punishment for those responsible.

"My child had a chance to become an Armored Warrior! Who ordered the Interceptor drones to attack? I demand a full investigation!" another furious man shouted, pointing at the officer in front of him.

His accusation further riled the crowd, and the scene began to descend into chaos.

David's thoughts stirred. He remembered the red Mathematics (99% Beginner) Knowledge Light Orb. Could it have come from the middle-aged man's child?

As for the man who said his child had a chance to become an Armored Warrior, perhaps he was the owner of the Body Technique (70% Beginner) Knowledge Light Orb or the Heavy Axe Mastery (33% Beginner) Knowledge Light Orb.

He looked at the two men apologetically. At the same time, he felt guilty toward everyone there. He felt like a thief who had stolen the belongings of people who had already lost their loved ones.