The bustling streets, the noisy crowds, the lively activities.
Among them was a couple attracting attention. The woman angrily tugged at the man’s ear, while the man pleaded for mercy. “Selena, stop! It hurts!”
This couple was Pica and Selena, with Lucia trailing about two meters behind them, making it clear to the onlookers that she was not associated with them.
“Alright, Selena, look around. Everyone is watching you two,” Lucia said as she approached them.
Selena released Pica’s ear. “I’ll let you off this time, but if this happens again, I will definitely punish you.”
Pica rubbed his reddened ear. “I understand. There won’t be a next time,” he promised, raising three fingers to swear it, hoping Selena would believe him.
Their attention was drawn to a noisy crowd ahead.
“Hurry, drift, yes… that’s it!”
“Boss, you did it again. You won!”
Four young men with hair dyed in red, yellow, blue, and green cheered excitedly around a man seated at a game console. The man stood up, boasting, “Who do you think I am? I’m the most promising candidate to become a Time Patrol member in the next selection.”
“Otoma, you’re our idol,” the yellow-haired youth said with admiration, making Otoma smirk and pose arrogantly.
Pica turned to Lucia, “What kind of game is this? It’s so popular!” He couldn’t see the scene due to the crowd.
“This is a racing game, a type of holographic simulation game. It can replicate about eighty percent of reality. Even if the car crashes, you won’t feel pain. Everything else is just like real life,” Lucia explained.
Selena, nearby, was visibly excited. She had three major interests: eating delicious food, shopping, and racing. She loved all types of racing games, especially holographic simulations like this.
Pica noticed Selena’s excitement. “Do you want to play? Let’s go then. I’m also quite interested in racing.”
Selena nodded eagerly like a pecking chicken. Pica chuckled and said to Lucia, “Let’s join them. Festivals are for having fun. Let’s go.”
As they moved toward the crowd, a man approached them. “Are you three interested in playing?” He looked like a typical hustler, wearing a sly smile and rubbing his hands together, eyes gleaming with greed.
“Yes,” Pica replied, nodding. “Are you the owner here? What’s the fee?”
“We’re running a promotion. The champion gets 300,000 PT and a year’s worth of barbecue vouchers. The runner-up gets 100,000 PT and six months of barbecue vouchers. The third place gets 30,000 PT and a power level detector, the latest model. How about it? Interested?”
“The rewards don’t matter. What’s the fee?”
“Not much, just 1,000 PT. We only need six more participants to start.”
“1,000 PT…” Pica thought, furrowing his brow. Although he was unaware of the standard rates in the Time City, he knew that a meal for three cost about 500 PT, making this game seem expensive. But seeing Selena’s hopeful eyes, he decided, “Alright, let’s play.”
“Great! Let me register you. Follow me,” the hustler said, his smile widening as if he had hooked a big fish. To many vendors, Pica indeed was an easy mark due to his lack of knowledge about local prices.
In no time, the hustler filled out three forms and handed them to Pica. “We have three more participants. You can start right now.”
Pica was stunned by the equipment. What he initially thought was expensive now seemed reasonable. Before him were six vehicles resembling Earth’s concept cars, their sleek designs thrilling car enthusiasts like Pica.
“Please choose your vehicle,” the hustler said with a grin. In typical game halls, this game would cost 200 PT. He had jacked up the price fivefold, knowing that the top three spots were reserved for his associates, whose cars had altered performance stats. He was confident they would win, ensuring hefty profits.
There were three rounds, with six participants each. The top three from each round advanced to the final, totaling twelve racers, including three of the hustler’s associates. Each race consisted of two laps and lasted three minutes. If no one reached the finish line in time, all six were disqualified, further boosting his confidence.
“Everyone, please get into your vehicles. The race is about to start.”
Pica nodded to the two girls and entered a black sports car. Inside, he found the windows pitch black, obscuring any view outside.
“The race is about to begin!” announced a voice. The windows lightened, revealing a racetrack surrounded by mountains. Wait, mountains? Pica realized it was a holographic simulation.
“3, 2, 1, GO!”
All the cars roared to life—except for one. Pica’s black car remained stationary as he fumbled with the controls.
Outside, the crowd began to buzz.
“Why isn’t that car moving? Does the driver not know how to start it?”
“I bet he’s a racing master, deliberately starting late to show off.”
“Yeah, that’s what I think too.”
“Agreed, the guy’s definitely a pro.”
Inside the black car, Pica was getting anxious. “Damn, how do I start this thing?” He pressed various buttons randomly until the car suddenly roared to life. The dashboard displayed a speedometer, and the car’s engine revved loudly.
The car shot forward like an arrow, the scenery outside changing rapidly. The hustler watched the screen, mouth agape, stunned by the black car’s sudden acceleration.
‘How did he know which button to press?’ he wondered. The six cars each had a hidden button that adjusted their performance, known only to his associates.
Unbeknownst to him, Pica had no idea about this. He simply didn’t know where the ignition was and ended up pressing the right button by chance.
The black car quickly overtook the fifth and fourth places…
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