MG - Chapter 363: [Panlong Mountain, Part 2] The Truth (Patreon)

Derek Su and Purple Lightning successfully reached the finish line and pulled into the vehicle recovery area.

They encountered no more missile attacks along the way, but the sound of numerous explosions continued to echo throughout Panlong Mountain. By now, it was almost certain that this was a terrorist attack specifically targeting the race.

"Who the hell would dare attack a provincial competition?"

Derek Su frowned.

In this world, racing was practically a national treasure. Logically speaking, an attack like this should have been unthinkable. It was like someone planting bombs on the field during the World Cup in his previous life, except the situation here was even more serious.

The more Derek Su understood how much importance this world placed on racing, the harder it was for him to make sense of what was happening.

The moment Derek Su and Purple Lightning stopped at the vehicle recovery area, a group of logistics Mecha Girls hurried over.

They quickly began cooling Purple Lightning's vehicle body while pouring repair fluid over her.

The logistics Mecha Girl in charge wore a grave expression.

"Mr. Derek Su, please evacuate with us along with Purple Lightning. The Panlong Mountain race has been attacked by terrorists, and all communications are currently down. For the safety of both you and your Mecha Girl, please don't wander around. Our armed units and logistics teams have already begun searching the entire mountain."

"Terrorists?!"

Derek Su's expression changed. He pulled off his gloves, tossed them aside, and asked sternly, "Are you saying they attacked not only the racetrack, but the summit too?"

Purple Lightning's face instantly went pale.

"Master, Stella... she's still at the summit!"

"That's what we know so far, but we've already begun evacuating everyone." The logistics Mecha Girl led Derek Su and Purple Lightning away as she continued, "The attack started ten minutes ago. We still don't know whether any terrorists are moving through Panlong Mountain, but please rest assured. Your result in this race will still stand, and you won't lose any of your rewards."

The spectator stands at the finish line were completely deserted.

One section had been blown apart.

Clearly, the finish line had also been within the terrorists' bombing range.

Derek Su didn't see any blood around the crater, though.

Maybe it had already been cleaned up, or perhaps some kind of protective measure had allowed the spectators to evacuate in advance.

"I don't care about winning the race." Derek Su stepped in front of the logistics Mecha Girl, his expression anxious. "I just want to know what's happening at the summit. And what about the spectator stands at the starting line?"

The logistics Mecha Girl looked troubled.

"The signal still hasn't been restored, so I don't know the exact situation. I also can't dispatch a helicopter to take you there. It's far too dangerous."

"When will communications be restored?"

"Our technicians are already working on it."

Derek Su's expression darkened.

A communications blackout covering all of Panlong Mountain couldn't possibly be caused by a few malfunctioning signal towers.

Would sending a handful of technicians really accomplish anything?

"No." Derek Su ran a hand through his hair. "I have to find some way to get to the summit and see what's going on."

"You can't go."

The logistics Mecha Girl hurriedly stepped in front of him.

Just then, a voice came from behind them.

"I'll take you."

Eden hurried in through a side entrance.

Her crimson-gold eyes paused briefly on Derek Su before shifting to the logistics Mecha Girls.

They immediately lowered their heads in salute.

"Governor!"

The moment they saw Eden, the panic in their eyes disappeared, and they visibly pulled themselves together.

"I already have a general understanding of what's happening at Panlong Mountain. Let's go."

Eden gave Derek Su a look, signaling for him and Purple Lightning to follow.

She walked to the vehicle recovery area, entered deployed mode, and transformed into a silver-white sports car.

Her color was similar to Stella's, but her design was far sharper and more aggressive, giving off an imposing, almost blade-like presence.

"Governor, Panlong Mountain is extremely dangerous right now. You..."

"Have you sent anyone to the psychic energy pulse device?"

Eden waved a hand, cutting the logistics Mecha Girl off.

"Yes."

"How long ago did they leave?"

"Five minutes ago."

"That's still too slow." Eden said, "I'll head to the nearest psychic energy pulse device and activate it first. Derek Su and Purple Lightning will come with me. You handle things here. Get the spectators and the other racers out of Panlong Mountain and don't let anyone come back in. I've already ordered the Armed Forces Department to surround the mountain. Once you've evacuated, stay outside."

The logistics Mecha Girl answered with a dazed, "Oh."

By the time she fully processed what had happened, the roar of two Mecha Girl engines was already fading into the distance.

Eden had returned to the racetrack with Derek Su and Purple Lightning.

...

"This attack isn't just an ordinary terrorist attack, is it?"

Two Mecha Girls moved steadily along the second section of the Panlong Mountain Circuit.

Eden was incredibly fast.

Purple Lightning had to push her Acceleration above 95 just to barely keep up.

Derek Su had also taken a look at Eden's stats.

The numbers alone were enough to make his scalp tingle.

He had never seen anything so absurd.

He spoke to Eden through the onboard radio.

Derek Su didn't know much about her.

He only knew that she was the Governor of Mecha Island and held tremendous authority.

She had also played a decisive role in successfully rescuing Crimson earlier.

So overall, he had a good impression of Eden.

Eden remained silent for a moment.

She stared at the racetrack ahead. For an instant, countless emotions passed through her crimson-gold eyes. Anger, grief, fear, and more.

Whatever she was thinking about, those emotions gradually faded until her expression returned to calm.

"Derek Su, normally, I shouldn't be telling you any of this.

"But now that you're the provincial champion, you'll learn the truth about this world sooner or later."

She let out a quiet breath.

"So there's no harm in telling you now."

"The creatures that attacked Panlong Mountain today belong to a group called the Void. You can think of them as aliens. The ultimate mission of Mecha Island, the Human Federation, and even the Techmasters' Alliance is to fight the Void and protect this world from them."

Eden paused.

"But as you've already seen, no defense is flawless. We can't guarantee that mistakes will never happen."

Inside Purple Lightning's cockpit, Derek Su stared blankly at the track ahead for a long time.

Many questions he had once struggled with suddenly seemed to have answers.

Why did Mecha Girls possess such overwhelming combat power, yet use it only for racing?

Why did Techmasters wield authority that ordinary people could barely imagine?

Why was racing so developed in this world that every other entertainment industry had practically been crushed into irrelevance?

"Racing is a selection process, isn't it?"

Derek Su licked his dry lips as he stared at Eden's taillights.

"That's right."

Eden glanced into her rearview mirror.

As expected of the man she had chosen as the [New King].

His ability to notice details and connect information really was exceptional.

"The ultimate purpose of racing is to select warriors. Becoming a Techmaster is the first step toward becoming a qualified warrior, and exceptional driving skill is essential when fighting the Void."

"You mean... we're going to race in space too?"

Derek Su looked completely baffled.

Void aliens, outer space, and racing.

Those three concepts were almost impossible to connect.

"You can think of it that way. But when the time comes, you and your Mecha Girl won't be driving a race car."

Eden paused.

"You'll be piloting... a mech."

Derek Su's mind went blank.

A m-mech?!

Just how deep did this world's secrets go?

And they had managed to keep all of this completely hidden.

After thinking it over carefully, Derek Su more or less understood why.

If people knew that the ultimate purpose of becoming a pilot, and the final destination for those who reached the world-class level, was to go to the front lines and risk their lives...

There would certainly be people driven by duty and a sense of mission.

But those people would always be a minority.

Most would probably be terrified.

That was likely why the truth had been suppressed, to prevent panic from spreading across the world.

For now, Derek Su accepted that this world was under threat from the Void.

He also accepted that someday, he would pilot a mech alongside a Mecha Girl.

He was about to ask for more information when he suddenly heard a faint cry for help.

That voice sounded like...

Leon Li?

Eden reacted even faster.

She had already changed direction and charged off the racetrack into the mountainous terrain beside it.