Racing to the Void
Episode 6 – Clans of the Void
Chapter 1 – The Uninvited Guests
The garage was quiet except for the slow tick-tick of cooling metal. KiiiD was in the middle of reviewing telemetry from the Iron Fang Gauntlet when the AI interrupted.
"Alert. Five unauthorized vehicles approaching."
Outside, five cars rolled to a stop. Each bore the same insignia on their hoods — a jagged crown wrapped in chains.
The driver of the lead car stepped out, his helmet a dull bronze with a cracked visor. "KiiiD," he called, voice dripping with false confidence, "you've made the wrong people notice you."
KiiiD wiped his hands on a rag and stepped outside. "And you are?"
"We're the Chain Fang Clan. Sent by a legend who thinks you're too cocky for your level." The driver smirked. "We're here to give you a… reality check."
Chapter 2 – The Clan System
The AI fed KiiiD the data in his ear.
"Chain Fang Clan — Level 4. Total Clan Level Cap: 10,000,000,000. Clans are collectives of racers. They gain experience as a unit in addition to individual racer levels. High-level clans unlock god-tier parts and permanent driving enhancements."
KiiiD frowned. "And anyone can just make a clan?"
"Negative," the AI replied. "Only selected racers with god-class licenses can found clans. Selection is… unknown. Less than one in every hundred million racers qualifies."
He looked back at the Chain Fang leader. "So your 'legend' sent you to run his errands? Cute."
The man's smirk turned into a snarl. "We'll see if you're still laughing after five runs. Clan rules — you take us all in sequence. Win all five, we walk. Lose one, we own your car."
Chapter 3 – Race One: The Warm-Up
The first car was nothing fancy — a tuned Level 150 street racer with basic aero mods. But its driver launched hard, trying to box KiiiD in from the first turn.
KiiiD's Dynamic Threat Detection lit up in his HUD, predicting every feint and block. He threaded through gaps that shouldn't exist, the AI barely keeping up.
Halfway through the run, his KERS system overloaded, dumping a wall of boost into the Vortex Turbines. He blasted past the finish line two seconds ahead.
LEVEL UP – 92 → 93
New Upgrade: Auto-Torque Adaptive Transmission — instant gear ratio shifts for maximum acceleration.
Chapter 4 – Race Two: The Grinder
The second racer was smarter. Level 480, with reinforced body armor and ramming spikes. He tried to pin KiiiD against a cliff wall in the Serpent's Spine track.
The Reactive Impact Shielding flared bright, dispersing the blow while KiiiD countered with a drift so tight it scraped paint from both cars.
Zero-G Clamps engaged on the next corner, letting him run the inside line like it was glued to the road. Another win.
LEVEL UP – 93 → 94
New Upgrade: Flux-Flow Cooling System — boosts last 30% longer before overheating.
Chapter 5 – Race Three: The Trap
The third Chain Fang was a trickster — laying micro mines in the track's blind spots. One hit would shred his rear axle.
The AI ran countermeasures, projecting safe lines in real time. KiiiD's hands moved faster than his thoughts, steering as if the car anticipated the path itself.
Half the crowd watching whispered the same thing: No one reacts like that.
LEVEL UP – 94 → 95
New Upgrade: Enhanced Gyro-Stability — perfect control in uneven gravity zones.
Chapter 6 – Race Four: The Pressure
Now it got serious. The fourth racer, Level 1,200, brought out a clan-only part — the Godspeed Overdrive Module. It was said to be capable of breaking the sound barrier in atmosphere.
"You can't outrun god-parts, kid," the racer sneered.
KiiiD didn't try. Instead, he studied every corner, every braking point, every weakness in the Overdrive's acceleration curve. On the second-to-last turn, he baited the guy into overusing it. The god-part overheated, cutting his speed in half.
KiiiD shot past without a word.
LEVEL UP – 95 → 96
New Upgrade: SmartBoost AI — automatic boost timing for maximum gap closing.
Chapter 7 – Race Five: The Warning
The final racer was the clan leader himself, Level 1,750. His car was an obsidian beast, bristling with at least four visible god-tier parts — things KiiiD couldn't even identify.
From the start, it was clear this wasn't just about winning. The man tested him — cutting off his lines, forcing impossible drifts, pushing him into danger just to see how he'd respond.
And every time, KiiiD responded perfectly. Not just perfectly — unnaturally.
The AI noted something in his telemetry: reaction times 0.05 seconds faster than human limits. Steering corrections so precise they could be measured in fractions of a millimeter.
As they crossed the line — KiiiD ahead by a breath — the leader said nothing. He simply stared through his visor, as if trying to figure out what exactly he had just raced against.
LEVEL UP – 96 → 97
New Upgrade: Neural Drift Sync — boosts handling to match thought speed exactly.
Chapter 8 – Aftermath
The Chain Fang cars left without another word. The AI broke the silence.
"KiiiD… your neural response data is inconsistent with baseline human drivers. Either you've had unauthorized cybernetic enhancement… or…"
"Or?"
"…Or you're something else entirely."
KiiiD didn't answer. He just opened the race registry and queued for another run.
The grind wasn't over. Not even close.