Chapter 38: You Shall Witness

[You have experienced the event: Track Carnival]
[You have earned one opportunity to draw a temporary ability card for this game session]
[You have acquired the skill card: Copy Level 1, Effect: (Can copy one existing skill card)]

He was lost in thought.
Then, he copied an existing card.

Twenty minutes later.
The car race had entered the most dangerous section of the track.

"The Detroit Mountain Loop, the most perilous circuit track. Just this series of multi-layered bends has buried nearly a thousand elite racers in the past decade of competitions. Therefore, aside from the final 'Endless Acceleration' stretch, this is the most terrifying 'Death Whirl'!"

The host gestured to the split-screen behind her, speaking with great passion:
"In the lead is still the Carnival Team's 'Brass Bison.' Just like its name, this massive steel construct is barreling recklessly through potential rockfalls and blind hairpin turns! It is as if it completely ignores the horror of the 'Death Whirl'."

On the screen, the enormous yellow-and-black striped modified vehicle roared, looking truly like a bison charging at a matador in a Roman coliseum, fueled by bottomless rage.
It was a beast.
Without a doubt, violence and noise are the mechanical aesthetics belonging to the City of Chaos, Detroit.

Seeing this scene, in the viewing stands, countless spectators—who might be business owners or corporate white-collar workers by day—alongside the Carnival Team fans with paint smeared on their faces, chanted the driver’s name:
"Grace!"
"Grace!"
"Grace!"

The next second, just as the crowd was cheering for the name of the champion who had defended his underground racing title for three consecutive tiers, the roaring modified car hit a stray rock with its left wheel while taking an extreme turn, obscured by a blind spot in the track lighting.

In an instant, the high-speed vehicle lost balance and slammed into the cliffside, erupting into a massive fireball midway up the mountain.
Following that, more boulders tumbled down due to the explosion.
The winding mountain track became even more treacherous.
Some drivers stopped in their tracks, abandoning the race.

The host was likely accustomed to such scenes, but she probably never expected the defending champion, "Brass Bison," to meet its end in such a fashion:
"This is Detroit. You never know where you might end up. Even Grace Arnold, with his countless experiences on dangerous tracks... Well. He is a thing of the past. Let us turn our attention to the cars coming up behind."

Shortly after, two cars, locked in a tight duel, sped out from the smoke of the explosion. The visual was as gripping as any Hollywood blockbuster.

Meanwhile, a prompt appeared on the side of Su Wen’s interface:
[Confirm use of skill (Buffer Level 2)]
He clicked confirm.
The card depicting the "Elite Lawyer’s Persuader" vanished.

In an instant, a transparent film dampened the force of the explosion. Simultaneously, a pale golden barrier gradually dispersed.
[Buffer Level 2 (Energy Consumption 0-100%): According to the percentage of Psionic Energy spent, buffer and mitigate the next incoming attack]
[Current Energy Consumption 30%, explosion effect reduced by 60%]
[‘Judge Me First’ effect activated successfully]
[50% of the damage taken by target ‘Grace Arnold’ has been transferred; your HP is reduced by 37.6]

Looking at his extraordinarily long health bar, which had dropped by less than one-seventh, Su Wen remained unaffected.

At this moment, the track surveillance footage lit up.
"The two cars currently vying for the championship are: the blue 'Blue Margarita' driven by Racer 25, and the Scavenger Organization's 'Westley Harvester.' Wait. Racer 25’s speed has plummeted. What is he doing?!" the host exclaimed. "He actually used a buffer to catch Grace! Grace, he isn't dead yet."

That was correct. On the screen, Su Wen had utilized the "Schlot Heavy Industry Plugin" deceleration field while braking the car, successfully catching the bald, Black driver who had been declared critically injured in the explosion.

[Appraisal: Grace Arnold, former underground racing defending champion, never killed the innocent. Uses his winnings to fund three orphanages in Detroit. Suspects the Lais-Angton Group for child abductions. Risked everything in this race to raise funds. Tier 1 Transcendent, Transcendent Trait: 'Speed Control']

In fact, Su Wen had already reloaded his save twelve times just for this explosion event.
The first eight times, he had died alongside the Brass Bison.
But the last four times were solely because of this appraisal result: The enemy of an enemy is, without a doubt, if not a friend, at least someone worth recruiting.
Furthermore, his favorability with the Carnival Team was currently very low. He needed more cheers and roars from the City of Chaos, and he needed more buffs.
This was essential for becoming a legend.
Most importantly, Grace was perhaps one of the few consciences left in this chaotic city.
Su Wen could save him, so he did.

In the live broadcast, Su Wen opened his car door, reached out a hand to pull Grace in, and said calmly:
"Grace Arnold, you owe me your life."
Hearing the racer say this, the bald, muscular Black man nodded:
"I can't die yet. If I can save the kids taken by Lais-Angton, this rotten life of mine is yours."
"What a coincidence, that is my goal as well."

Although the surveillance video lacked audio and could not record their conversation, the footage faithfully captured the moment. A racer capable of securing a championship title had saved the former defending champion whose car had just exploded.
The crowd went wild.

If, in this city, the night is their carnival and chaos is their means of resisting law enforcement and giant corporations, then saving a former rival without hesitation during an underground race worth millions of dollars was incomprehensible. It was the ultimate rebellion against the rules.

"Blue Margarita!"
"Blue Margarita!"
"Blue Margarita!"

The cheering drowned out everything else. Compared to the orthodox American-style heroes who were unpopular here, Detroit now truly had a legend of its own!

[Due to your incomprehensible act of stopping to save someone, the entire Carnival Team holds you in high regard. They have prepared Grenada Rum with 73% alcohol content and are ready to open it all at the finish line for a celebratory feast. 'Carnival Team' faction favorability +70]
[Current player buff acquired: Fast and Furious]
[Buff Effect: 1. Your racing speed can be multiplied by (0-500%) (coefficient decided by you). 2. Your personal movement speed and neural reaction ability are increased by 120%]
[Note: Enjoy the carnival. Next, our fire will ignite the night.]

Su Wen instantly felt his modified car become lighter.
Operation.
The next second, another prompt popped up:
[Although such foolish stopping does not conform to the rules of the race, it perfectly fits the core of the city of Detroit. Besides, many people bet on you to lose.]
[Be proud, your actions have earned the respect of the entire audience!]
[Great Legend of the City of Chaos, S-rank hidden quest progress reached 40%]

Watching the distant "Westley Harvester" modified racer, Su Wen felt his car's speed buff and attributes surging.
It felt amazing!
He smiled and said:
"Grace, sit tight. I'm about to accelerate."
"Brother, are you underestimating me? The road ahead is piled with rubble; it probably needs an excellent co-pilot and observer."
The muscular Black man replied confidently.
But Su Wen only smiled.

[Modification Module - Isaiah Glider Extension Structure Activated]
[Wind-stabilizing Alloy Glider Wings Unfolding]
[Rear Thrusters Ready]
[Liquid Nitrogen Acceleration Initiated]

Under the massive thrust of an acceleration from zero to a hundred kilometers per hour in a single second, deep blue exhaust flames appeared at the rear of the "race car."
The next second, the rear jet thrusters opened fully.
The car launched off the cliffside, utilizing the steep rock face to take flight.
Everyone who saw this was left in shock.