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My speed and altitude kept rising, now reaching 1600 km/h. I flew higher, leaving the skyscrapers behind. Then I noticed two futuristic-looking jets pursuing us, firing blasts that resembled laser cannons. If they want to race, I'm ready. I summoned my strange fire to envelop the tank, boosting its speed. Suddenly, my body jolted as we crossed the supersonic mark. Now I was in a tank traveling at Mach 1. But that was just the beginning; the speed kept climbing—Mach 2, then Mach 4, and finally Mach 7. Our speed was consistently increasing. Luckily, Lu Xiaoran, Pushpa, and I were strong enough to handle it. Pushpa even seemed to enjoy the ride. We left those two fighter jets far behind. I thought about climbing even higher, maybe reaching low Earth orbit to see what this world looked like.
With that in mind, I pushed the tank's speed and aimed it straight up.
In a realm filled with high mountains and forests, a crowd gathered in a square in front of a stone platform. These beings weren't human; they appeared to be a mix of oxen and humans. On the platform stood a dark ox man with a white beard. He addressed the crowd, saying, "My people, we are here to invade the human world. With technology from our allies in the Abyss Clan, we will create a portal right above their cities. Their radar won't detect it until it's fully formed. Glory to the ox men." The crowd cheered in response. The leader continued, "Then we will invade and consume those humans."
With his approval, a complex device behind the stone platform activated. It hummed softly as a blue portal slowly began to form. This portal was different; it formed at a high altitude, avoiding detection by radar technology. Just as it completed, something crashed through it, colliding with the ox leader and destroying the portal.
I don't know when, but a portal suddenly opened in front of us. We entered it, and my tank collided with something, dragging it along. After some distance, I stopped on a nearby mountain to look around. I found an ox knocked out by my tank.
I quickly got out and laid him on the grass. I accidentally hit an ox, and I'd be in trouble if the farm owner found me. I didn't want to be charged with animal cruelty.
System: "Host, this is an ox man from another race. You don't need to worry about charges."
Vik: "Seriously, System? How can you be so insensitive? An old ox is hurt, and you think I shouldn't worry just because he's from a different race? What if it were a python instead? Would you say the same thing?"
I checked the vitals of the ox. They were stable. I figured he just passed out from the impact. Hearing him cough, I felt relieved; he was waking up. Happy, I pulled out some fruits I had collected from the forest. I held out a simple apple and fed it to him before he fully regained consciousness. As he crunched on the apple, his condition improved. I felt a bit of relief, then I patted his head, saying sorry for the accident. I left a few more fruits and drove my tank away.
Dominator Vrax, as he was known in the beast world, watched my tank speed away. Confused about what happened, he only knew that whoever had hit him had given him sweet apples. In front of him was a pile of fruits forming a small hill. He felt content and forgot about any invasion plans.
Soon, a dozen ox men arrived and bowed to him. "Chief Vrax, we're glad you're okay. We believe the unstable portal exploded, and we apologize for this."
They assumed he was thrown by the explosion, not realizing a tank had gone by at Mach 12. One of the ox men then asked, "What are your orders? Do we need another portal to invade the humans?"
Vrax replied, "No, we are not invading anyone. From now on, we are a peace-loving race."
Another ox man questioned, "But what about eating humans?"
Vrax: "You fool, have you ever seen an ox eat a human? We're herbivores. Now help me distribute these fruits to the tribe. After we eat, we should plant the seeds. We are going to focus on farming."
Vrax decided that life was too short for invasions and looting. He realized they needed to sustain their tribe differently. This change in mindset, perhaps sparked by the accident, would be remembered by future generations as a pivotal moment when the strong ox tribe embraced farming and development.
After ensuring the ox was fine, I left him some fruits before driving my tank away. I opened a new portal to return to our previous location. Back in the endless sky, I aimed my tank directly upward. Slowly, we passed through the clouds, and the sky darkened. It felt like we were on the other side of the world. I increased our speed again. From what I had experienced so far, I believed I could cross Earth's atmosphere four times.
Yet, I still didn't see signs of reaching the stratosphere. In this darker part of the world, I couldn't see the land clearly, but I could make out some landmarks, like a massive mountain range that looked like it could be the Himalayas. Among these mountains, I spotted a large shadow moving. If I could see it from this height, it must be enormous—comparable to Everest. This reminded me that this world was not simple.
I noticed various large creatures along the way, some partially submerged in oceans. The strangest sight was a man riding a bicycle straight towards the moon. I couldn't believe my eyes. He was slowly pedaling upward into this high altitude. It reminded me of a movie about a boy who befriends an alien separated from his mothership. But I ignored him and kept flying. I soon passed a man battling a blue eastern-style dragon. I zoomed past them at Mach 20, interrupting their fight.
I continued to increase my speed, reaching Mach 28. After half an hour, I arrived in this world's lower orbit. Like Earth, it had an oval shape with a moon, but I noticed other large satellites floating in orbit, possibly invisible from the surface. The view was stunning. Lu Xiaoran, Pushpa, and I enjoyed the scenery, and I even stopped my tank to take in the low-gravity experience. Suddenly, I heard a voice.
"In this whole heaven and earth, I alone am the honored one."
The voice was feminine and carried a hint of arrogance. I searched for the source and spotted a woman in a cape that looked like Superman's suit, except it was mostly purple instead of blue. She had a beautiful face with silver hair tipped in purple, a lean body with curves, and bright blue eyes. She seemed unaware of us, so without giving her a chance to react, I accelerated my tank towards the surface, surprising her.
This time, I used gravity to drive my tank. Our destination was the Lu Family estate.
At the grand Lu Family estate in the city, a conference was underway. The elders were discussing who should become the new head of the family since the current head, Lu Xiaoran's father, Lu Xia, had gone missing after his wife was arrested. This news wasn't public, but the elders knew he had disappeared while running an important errand outside the city.
Sitting in the hall, one elder said, "Brothers, we must choose a new leader for our clan until our previous leader returns." The other elders nodded in agreement. He then nominated Lu Liang, pointing at the man with sharp features and fox-like eyes. Beside him sat Lu Zhang, Lu Xiaoran's cousin and Lu Zhang's son. Most elders agreed with the nomination, while a few hesitated. In the end, Lu Liang stood in the center of the meeting, stating, "Dear elders and juniors, as you have chosen me as the new leader, I think we should also appoint a new young master for our family since Lu Xiaoran tragically died in an accident. Thus, I appoint Lu Zhang as the new young master of our family."