Beatrice was currently slamming her foot on the gas pedal. Because Madam Fumizuki was driving so fast, she couldn't keep up without accelerating. Besides, Flandre was right beside her, shouting and cheering, eager to see the world burn.
The two vehicles, one after the other, sped out of Lungmen's urban area and reached the outer ring. Watching Madam Fumizuki skillfully navigate the back alleys out of Lungmen, Beatrice only wanted to ask one thing: "Exactly how many races have you participated in? Why are you so experienced!"
Under Madam Fumizuki's lead, the three of them soon arrived at the starting point of the race. A lot of people had already gathered here. For instance, that tall, green-haired Oni not far away was also there, sitting on a brand-new motorcycle. After spotting Flandre's group, she happily leaned over.
"Good afternoon, Madam! And Missy and Flandre, I didn't expect you all to come to this race too!"
Hearing her words, Beatrice's eyes widened. "You guys know each other?"
"Hehe, I've raced with Madam a few times. She's very good," Hoshiguma gave a simple, honest laugh.
"So the motorcycle you spent your life savings on yesterday was for today's race?" Beatrice spoke, somewhat speechless at Hoshiguma's appearance.
"Otherwise?" Hoshiguma blinked in confusion.
Beatrice took two deep breaths. "Hoshiguma, you are a Major Crimes Unit Inspector, and you just caught such a large criminal gang. Instead of staying at the police station, you ran out here to race?"
Hoshiguma waved her hand calmly. "Didn't you say it? They were just caught, so the matter is basically over. Old Ch'en is taking people to handle the statements, so I'm just taking a day off. Speaking of which, I thought I wouldn't make it to today's race. I guess I'm lucky." Hoshiguma was quite proud as she said this.
Beatrice thought about how everyone has their own hobbies—just as she was keen on shopping, others liked riding motorcycles. As long as it didn't interfere with work, there was no need to care too much. So, she sighed and drove the three-wheeler to the spectator area.
Once there, Beatrice and Flandre saw a familiar figure. It couldn't be helped; that red hair and the halo above her head were simply too eye-catching.
"Wow, a giant penguin!"
After arriving, Flandre saw Emperor, who was also sitting beside Exusiai. She even forgot to greet Exusiai and pounced straight toward the penguin. Feeling the "vicious wind" from behind, Emperor tried to dodge, but his reactions were clearly not fast enough. Flandre pounced right onto him.
"Whoa! Boss is under attack, lockdown... cough cough, it's Flandre!" Exusiai, who was nearby, was startled when Emperor was "ambushed." She breathed a sigh of relief when she looked up and saw it was Flandre, then she greeted Beatrice, who was walking up from behind.
Beatrice was prepared to apologize after catching up. After all, Flandre's behavior was a bit impolite toward someone she didn't know. But before she could speak, she saw Exusiai greeting her.
"Miss Exusiai!" Beatrice nodded, then looked at Flandre, who was happily hugging and shaking Emperor with all her might, feeling a bit helpless.
"Miss Beatrice, don't worry. This is my boss, and he usually likes children too," Exusiai spoke with a smile, completely ignoring the penguin's squawks as Emperor shouted, "My old waist! Little girl, shake slower!"
Beatrice watched Emperor—he tried to use his flippers to push Flandre off his back, but his arms were too short to reach. He could only call for help from the unscrupulous red-haired Sankta beside him, but the Sankta had no intention of rescuing him at all. In the end, it was Beatrice who reached out and plucked Flandre off Emperor's back.
Flandre indicated she hadn't played enough and wanted more, while Emperor hid behind his employee in fear. "You little brat, what are you trying to do?"
"I want to play with you!" Flandre's eyes were sparkling.
"Is that playing? You're treating me like a giant roly-poly!" Emperor looked helplessly at Flandre, who was trying to pounce again but was being held back firmly by Beatrice's hand, and spoke with lingering fear.
"I'm really not lying to you!" Flandre said, refusing to give up.
"If I could be fooled by a little brat like you, then I, Emperor, wouldn't be in this business!" the penguin man pointed at Flandre and complained.
"How disappointing!" Seeing this, Flandre stopped struggling, but her darting little eyes showed that the girl was definitely thinking of some bad idea.
Emperor wondered what sin he had committed. It was just his employee participating in a race; as the boss with nothing to do, he had come to join the fun, only to be targeted by this girl, Flandre.
"Emperor... You're that underground king of the rap scene, one of the investors in Monster Siren Records, Emperor!" At this moment, Beatrice spoke in surprise after carefully sizing up the penguin.
"That's right, it's me!" Seeing that his identity had been recognized, Emperor raised his head proudly. Then his eyes met Flandre's gaze. He immediately shrunk back in cowardice. Although as a Beast Lord he wouldn't die, he couldn't stand being tossed around and played with by a little girl like this.
But seeing Flandre's look of "I won't stop until I reach my goal," Emperor wondered if he should find someone to help divert this girl's attention. So, whom should he find? Those wolf cubs from Siracusa? Forget it; with the personalities of those wolf cubs, he was worried Flandre would treat them like balls to play with. That dead duck who runs around calling himself a merchant? He'd probably slip away faster than himself.
Got it—Dolly, that sheep who likes lava surfing. Pink, soft, and cute—he'd definitely be loved by a girl like this. However, that guy hides in volcanoes all day, and there aren't many volcanoes here in Yan. Finding him wouldn't be easy.
While Emperor was thinking about how to find Dolly to help share the pressure Flandre was putting on him, Beatrice and Exusiai, hearing that the race was about to start, turned their attention to the track and relaxed their guard. Flandre quietly went around the two of them and pounced onto Emperor's back again.
"Ouch, you little girl. Fine, shake if you want, but be gentle!" Emperor had no way to deal with this girl clinging to his back like an octopus. He could only point at the track and say, "The race is about to start. Aren't you going to cheer for the people you know?"
Hearing his words, Flandre looked up at the nearby track. There were indeed people she knew, such as Madam Fumizuki, Hoshiguma, and Texas. Although she didn't know the others, seeing those professional riding suits and cool motorcycles made them look very impressive. She couldn't help but curiously scan the track.
Seeing Flandre's attention drawn to the race, Emperor breathed a sigh of relief. "Phew, this little girl finally stopped shaking me!"
Before he could be happy, the starting gun below went off. Then the motorcycles shot out like arrows from a bow string. For a moment, the track was filled with cheers. After the racers left the starting point, everyone looked up at the nearby screens. Although the winter race hadn't passed official review, the equipment used was still the original, so the entire race could be seen through the cameras on the road. Moreover, these cameras were skillfully divided into several sections, perfectly capturing every participant.
On a nearby podium, a commentator was using a microphone to give a play-by-play. Every time someone was overtaken, it drew a wave of cheers. Flandre's attention was also drawn in. Every time she saw someone she knew overtake others, she would raise her hands and shout loudly.
And every time she moved, it was the death of Emperor. She sat on Emperor's neck performing a seaweed dance, twisting so much that Emperor could only sway left and right. Fortunately, Flandre also cheered for Texas, which gave Emperor a bit of comfort. This pair, who looked like father and daughter but were completely unrelated, sat at the very front making occasional noises, making Exusiai and Beatrice behind them look like they were just there for the ride.
Although the race was in winter and many roads along the way were icy, it still couldn't dampen everyone's enthusiasm. Flandre remained excited until the lead group circled the city and returned to the starting point. At this point, the people she knew were basically all in the lead group.
The fastest among them was Hoshiguma. She was in third place. Next was Madam Fumizuki; although her technique was slightly inferior, she followed closely behind Hoshiguma thanks to the powerful performance of her bike. Two positions behind them, currently in seventh place, was Texas. Her skill was not inferior to Hoshiguma's, but unfortunately, the bike she was driving was worse, so she couldn't catch up to the few in front. But she still bit down hard on their heels.
At the final curve, a sharp light flashed in Texas's eyes, and she overtook the two in front with an exaggerated and extreme gutter run, moving into fifth place. At this point, the finish line was less than a hundred meters away. Even if those two had slightly better bikes, they were helpless at such a short distance.
"WO~~~"
Everyone cheered at the moment they crossed the line. Flandre noticed that as they were about to cross the line, Hoshiguma and Fumizuki both slowed down, turning their intended third and fourth place finishes into fourth and fifth. As a result, Texas actually became the third-place finisher.
After the two finished the race, she curiously asked for the reason. Hoshiguma stated that her and Madam Fumizuki's identities were sensitive, making it unsuitable for them to take the stage to receive an award. Flandre thought about it and realized it made sense. Madam Fumizuki was the second-in-command of Lungmen. If she participated in this race and won an award, there would be no way to keep the news hidden. And her actions would be interpreted by others, whether it was appropriate for the wife of the Chief Executive of Lungmen to participate in such a high-risk activity, or whether her public support for such a dangerous race would have some negative impacts.