Beyond Mountain Ghost Gorge lay Flying Dragon Cliff.
It was the only jump section in the second section of Panlong Mountain.
Flying Dragon Cliff demanded extremely high speed. The airborne gap stretched as far as five hundred meters, while the difference in elevation between the takeoff and landing points was relatively small.
It lived up to its name. Only a "dragon" could fly across a place like this.
And on the track approaching Flying Dragon Cliff, the standings had already undergone a massive shake-up.
Richard Cheng and Ghost held first place with an overwhelming speed advantage and had already escaped the range of Black Fortress's special skill.
Behind them were Meister and Black Fortress.
Snowpeak and Dawnbreak followed behind Black Fortress, with racers from the other clubs trailing farther back.
The field had been split apart.
Black Fortress stood like an insurmountable wall, blocking the path of every racer except Ghost.
And that was exactly what was happening.
Both Dawnbreak and Snowpeak were faster than Black Fortress, but her special skill was simply too overbearing. They had failed to break out of its range quickly enough earlier, and now Black Fortress had them trapped behind her.
Meister glanced at the line of racers in his rearview mirror with a smug expression.
Holding back the other clubs on the second section was part of the ISC (Immortal Sword) Club's strategy.
Although Eternity and Stella, those two monsters, had created enormous time gaps in the first section, the ISC Club's racers had also performed well and remained firmly within the top ten.
As long as Meister and Black Fortress successfully held back these competitors and suppressed their speed on the second section, ISC could secure a top-ten finish, perhaps even something better.
As for Richard Cheng and Ghost, there was no point trying to stop them now.
Black Fortress couldn't catch Ghost anyway.
The ESW Club had performed well in the first section. At worst, ISC could simply concede the top three to ESW.
The most important thing was stopping the racers from DKC, the world's number one club.
Meisel and Thunder-01 had delivered an average performance in the first section.
As long as DKC failed to win this provincial-level race, ISC would consider the strategic battle won.
As for targeting Derek Su and Chloe Qin, that was Meister's personal decision. It had nothing to do with ISC's strategy.
"Black Fortress, Flying Dragon Cliff is just ahead. Get ready to eliminate everyone behind us there. I'm going all in!"
Excitement and killing intent flashed deep in Black Fortress's eyes.
"Yes, Master! Flying Dragon Cliff will be where they fall!"
So far, she had used her special skill six times.
Before this provincial-level race, she had never used it more than six times in any competition, whether a training race or an advancement race.
Even if holding back meant losing the championship, she had always refused to use it a seventh time.
The entire purpose was to make anyone studying their records believe her skill could only be used six times.
But the truth was different.
Her special skill could be used eight times in total.
And after the eighth activation, it would unleash one final massive shockwave over an enormous area.
Only then would the skill fully enter its cooldown cycle.
Using those shockwaves before Flying Dragon Cliff would deal a devastating blow to the racers behind them.
They would either be forced to slow down and abandon the jump, or fail it because they lacked enough speed.
No one would gamble with their own life.
Once they entered the Panlong Mountain Circuit, aside from unforeseen incidents on the track, the lives of the racer and Mecha Girl were in their own hands.
In other words, if someone was injured or killed through normal competition, they had no one else to blame.
...
While Meister was planning to wipe out the entire group behind him, Leon Li and Snowpeak were discussing countermeasures inside Snowpeak's cockpit.
"Black Fortress has already used her skill six times. Logically, she shouldn't be able to activate it again." Leon Li narrowed his eyes. "But we can't rule out the possibility that they've been hiding something. If Black Fortress still has another activation left, the best place to use it would be Flying Dragon Cliff."
"Master, what are you thinking?"
Snowpeak tilted her head slightly toward Leon Li.
Up to this point, Leon Li still hadn't allowed her to use her special skill.
"I was planning to save Spatial Leap for Dragon Stone Road, but with that unreasonable thing blocking us, we'll have to use it early."
Leon Li sighed helplessly.
Plans never survived contact with reality.
If they could have saved Spatial Leap for the absurdly difficult Dragon Stone Road, the skill would have given them an enormous lead over the other competitors.
"Black Fortress's skill disturbs space too, doesn't it? Wouldn't that interrupt our Spatial Leap?" Snowpeak asked worriedly.
"It shouldn't be a problem." Leon Li smiled slightly. "Just follow my instructions when the time comes."
...
Inside Dawnbreak's cockpit, Laiya An wore a serious expression.
She was already preparing to have Dawnbreak activate her special skill.
Once they entered Flying Dragon Cliff, there would be a long acceleration stretch designed to let the racers build enough speed for the jump.
That stretch was perfect for Dawnbreak's special skill.
Laiya An had already expected a roadblock like Black Fortress to appear during the second section.
That was why she had equipped Dawnbreak with an Impact Resistance Module before the race.
If she had Derek Su's ability, she would have seen that Dawnbreak's Impact Resistance and Stability had already reached 85 and 88 respectively.
Once her special skill [Extreme Stance] activated, Dawnbreak's Acceleration would instantly increase by 98%, gradually dropping to 33% over time. Her steering would be locked, her cockpit reinforced, and both her Impact Resistance and Stability would increase by 20.
Laiya An couldn't see those exact numbers.
But Dawnbreak was her Mecha Girl. She knew what she was capable of.
In any case, once Dawnbreak activated her skill, it wouldn't matter what stood in front of her.
She could smash straight through it.
Ahead, a road sign marked [Flying Dragon Cliff] flashed past.
They had entered the Flying Dragon Cliff sprint section.
Laiya An's eyes sharpened.
"Dawnbreak!"
"Yes!"
A crimson glow enveloped Dawnbreak's entire body.
Her engine released a bizarre howl resembling the cries of countless birds. Flames streamed from her rear wing as her speed suddenly skyrocketed!
...
The moment Dawnbreak activated her skill, she shot past Snowpeak and charged straight toward Black Fortress.
Far behind Snowpeak and the other competitors, a cerulean off-road Mecha Girl followed quietly.
She was the racer sent by the Demon King Club for the second section.
Her name was Ice Soul.
There was no information available on her.
Her pilot was Trien, a rookie from the Demon King Club.
Trien's racing record wasn't nearly as impressive as Meisel's.
Ice Soul was also a Mecha Girl he had only recently contracted.
This was her first official competition. Before today, she had participated in only two training races and had never activated her special skill during either one.
Compared to Mecha Girls like Snowpeak, Dawnbreak, and Black Fortress, all of whom already had impressive results to their names, Ice Soul seemed almost invisible.
Watching Dawnbreak activate her skill and surge ahead, Ice Soul grew restless.
Her pilot, however, was a calm middle-aged man with a harmless face. Even his voice was gentle.
"Ice Soul, it's not your turn yet."
"Then when will it be?"
The beauty with long aqua-blue hair frowned, her words carrying such a chill that the temperature inside the cockpit dropped noticeably.
A layer of frost spread across the windows.
Trien silently turned the heater up by one degree.
"Don't worry. I'll make full use of your skill. Even if you don't trust me, at least trust the club's decision."
Ice Soul gave a cold snort and said nothing.
Trien silently calculated the distance.
He figured he and Ice Soul must be in last place now.
But the thought had barely crossed his mind when...
VROOOOM—!!
The sound of an approaching engine came from behind.
Someone was catching up?
Trien froze and glanced at the rearview mirror.
A purple phantom swept through the apex in a bizarre posture.
Its chassis flicked once.
Then it shot out of the turn.
At the same time, it entered the Flying Dragon Cliff sprint section.
...
If you'd like to support my work and unlock advanced chapters, you can follow me on p-@-treon.
p-@-treon/GhostParser (40 Chapters Ahead)
You can also follow as a free member to read a few advanced chapters.