"Hurry, hurry! Nicole and the others are in danger, meow~"
In the video store's official company car, Nekomiya was frantically urging Mo Wang to go faster.
"Don't worry, little cat. The more urgent the situation, the calmer you need to be," Mo Wang said nonchalantly. "Give me ten minutes, and I'll get you to the Hollow."
Under the puzzled gazes of Nekomiya and Anby, he pulled out a black mask, a baseball cap, and a pair of sunglasses, then took off his jacket.
"P-Proxy, what are you doing?" Nekomiya's cat-like intuition was screaming, and the fur on her body stood on end.
"Just getting ready. Can't have people seeing us on the road, after all."
Anby and Nekomiya wanted to ask him why he was dressing like a bank robber just to go to a Hollow.
Then, he removed the steering wheel and replaced it with a racing-style one. He pressed a few buttons, and the car began to shake violently.
"Meow?! W-what's happening?!" Nekomiya's fur stood on end. Streamlined armor plates extended from the sides of the car, a glowing blue turbine device popped out of the roof, and the tires were replaced with honeycomb-patterned explosion-proof ones.
"Don't be nervous. I just made a few modifications," he said, and the car transformed into a sleek, armored vehicle.
"This isn't a modification! This is a completely different car, meow!"
"And this," he said, pressing another button. A mini-drone shot up into the sky, and the in-car monitor switched to a bird's-eye view of the area around the Hollow.
"Is this... really a company car?" Nekomiya asked, her jaw on the floor.
"Please fasten your seatbelts. We're about to depart," Mo Wang said, and with a light tap on the gas, the car shot forward.
...
"Baby, see this? The latest 'Night Devil' sports car. Zero to a hundred in 2.9 seconds!" a blond man boasted to the hot girl in the passenger seat, hitting the nitrous button.
The car shot forward, leaving a red blur on the cross-sea bridge. Suddenly, a shadow loomed over them. A massive, armored vehicle flew past them, literally flew, with two-thirds of its body hanging over the bridge railing. The man in the driver's seat, wearing sunglasses, even had time to give them a thumbs-up.
"What the hell was that?!"
The sports car's dashboard went crazy, the nitrous system shutting down automatically. Before they could react, the monster vehicle had made an impossible turn and jumped from the bridge into the tunnel below.
"What... was that?" the man stammered, looking at his speedometer, which read 200.
"I think... it was a car?" the hot girl said, her voice trembling.
...
"Um, maybe we don't need to go so fast? I think Nicole and Billy can hold on a little longer," Anby and Nekomiya pleaded.
"Don't worry, this is just the regular road. Once we get on the highway, we can shift into second gear. Then we'll really be moving."
Second gear?! This thing can go faster?!
"Illegal modified vehicle ahead, pull over immediately!" a police siren blared.
"Uh, that's a police car, right?" Nekomiya asked, looking behind them.
"Oh, I think so," Mo Wang said calmly.
"Shouldn't we pull over? We'll go to jail for this!"
"Don't worry. Zhu Yuan and Qingyi are on duty today. They're old friends. It's fine," he said with a smile. "It's not the first time."
Not the first time?!
"Oh? Looks like the police have a new car today. An officially modified vehicle? They're pulling out the big guns."
In the police car, Zhu Yuan was frantically urging her partner on. "Can't we go any faster, Qingyi?!"
"This is the fastest it can go. Any faster, and it'll fall apart," Qingyi said with a sigh. "It's the legendary 'Phantom,' after all. This speed is to be expected."
"Hang on tight. We're getting on the highway," Mo Wang said, and pulled a red lever.
KA-BOOM!
Four vector thrusters extended from the back of the car, and the scenery outside blurred into colored lines. The speedometer jumped to 500 km/h.
"Myaaaaa—" Nekomiya's scream was distorted by the G-force.
In the police car, Zhu Yuan watched in horror as the speedometer went off the charts. "That's impossible! That's faster than a high-speed train! Is that guy insane?!"
Mo Wang casually popped a piece of gum into his mouth. "Mind if I put on some music?"
He didn't wait for an answer. The BGM from Taxi, "Pump It," started blasting, and the car went even faster.
"Good night, Officer~" he said, and then...
BOOM!!!
A burst of blue plasma flame shot from the thrusters, and the car disappeared over the horizon.
...
The car screeched to a halt at the edge of the Hollow. "Nine minutes and thirty-two seconds. Not bad. We're here," he said, and two plastic bags popped out in front of Anby and Nekomiya.
"Blegh~!"
"I can't move, meow~"
"Proxy, have you always driven like this?" Anby asked, her brain still rattling.
High-speed fighter jet? Please. I used to pilot a Gundam.
"Alright, that's enough rest. Look, Eous is perfectly fine. Are you two really weaker than a Bangboo?"
How can he compare us to a robot?!
"Oh, it's been fifteen minutes. I hope Nicole and Billy are still alive," he said, and then grabbed the two girls and ran towards the entrance of the Hollow.
...
Meanwhile, Nicole and Billy were surrounded.
"Run? Why aren't you running anymore?" the Raiders sneered.
"Boss~! What do we do? I'm out of ammo," Billy cried.
"Me... too."
"Nekomiya! Anby~! Proxy! Hurry up and get here!"