The city streets still echoed with the aftermath of the explosion.
By all logic, Diomas Nilo should have been nothing more than a scorched, twisted wreck. A blast of that magnitude would have flipped a tank, ripped apart its treads, and turned steel plating into debris. But instead, the legendary machine stood tall, rolling forward unscathed.
The only sign of impact? A slight deviation from its course.
The onlookers gaped in disbelief as the car's body rippled like elastic jelly, shockwaves spreading outward in shimmering rings. Each vibration was absorbed, redirected, then neutralized. Under the control of the car's advanced onboard systems, every ounce of destructive energy was dispersed harmlessly.
It was as if the car itself had chosen to become soft as water—only to harden again like steel once the danger had passed.
The flames, however, could not be dismissed.
From the outside, Diomas Nilo looked like a beast clawing its way out of hellfire. The body panels burned with roaring flames, and parts of the paint had melted into molten streams that glowed like volcanic magma. Its silhouette became a nightmare—half-demon, half-machine—glaring at the world with an aura of dominance and raw ferocity.
Even for a car already designed to overwhelm the senses, this state pushed its intimidation factor to another level entirely. Now it resembled a monster with half its face scorched into lava, something that could terrify a man into silence with a single glance.
Carvill's eyes bulged so hard they looked ready to pop.
"Impossible… That didn't kill it?!"
Even tanks, he thought, would lose their treads under such a hit. Yet this—this wasn't a tank. It was a car. And it had only lost some paint!
"This thing isn't a car anymore…" he muttered in awe, his voice trembling. "It's as tough as a battleship… no, tougher—like a mobile fortress or a damn super-dam on wheels!"
His jaw nearly hit the ground. Could anything break it? Missiles, maybe. That was all he could think of.
Inside Nilo, the contrast was surreal.
Dr. Dog—the so-called scientist who had joined them—was reduced to a shivering mess. His face was pale, his lips trembling. He hugged his head like a coward, eyes squeezed shut, more frightened than any of the women in the back seat.
The two women screamed and braced for death, their eyes tightly shut as the blast's shockwave swallowed them.
But instead of the end, there was only a flash of light, a deafening roar, and then… nothing.
Not even the cabin's temperature rose. Thanks to the still-running air conditioning, the interior was as calm and comfortable as if nothing had happened.
Hattie slowly lowered the arm she'd used to shield her face, her expression one of stunned disbelief. She glanced out the window—and her heart skipped a beat.
The shattered glass… was healing.
Cracks crawled backward, closing on themselves. Fragmented edges flowed together like liquid, smoothing over until there was no trace of damage left. The surface gleamed again, flawless.
It was like the car was alive, stitching its own wounds shut.
Her fingers trembled as she reached out, touching the once-shattered pane. Not even the faintest scar remained. The glass was whole again, as pristine as the day it had been forged.
"This… this is…" Hattie's voice shook. "Self-repairing glass?! That's impossible…"
Elena, startled by her exclamation, opened her eyes as well. She too was drawn to the sight, watching with wide eyes as the window completed its regeneration. It was the first time either of them had seen such technology.
High-tech? No—this was beyond that. This was futuristic.
Her thoughts spiraled. If police cruisers in America were equipped with such glass, the rate of fatalities would plummet overnight. Countless lives could be saved.
Her voice shook with excitement:
"This glass… it's your team's invention, isn't it?"
Leon smirked faintly at the wheel, as calm as ever.
"Yeah. We call it Super Glass. Infused with memory metal at the molecular level. If it's damaged, it remembers its original form and restores itself."
He said it casually, like it was no big deal. But everyone in the car knew the truth—this was world-shattering technology.
Memory alloys were rare enough, but memory glass? That didn't exist. Not until Leon invented it.
The only one of its kind in the entire world.
Andrek, sitting further back, felt his scientific foundation crumble. His eyes bulged, his thoughts ran wild. "Impossible! Even with memory metal… glass can't do that! This violates everything I know about material science!"
Leon shot him a cold glance.
"Facts don't care about your doubts. What, you want me to publish the formula and method for you too?"
Andrek had no answer. He had seen the repair with his own eyes. Yet his brain screamed that it shouldn't be possible. He clawed at his hair in frustration, desperate for an explanation that simply wasn't there.
Leon chuckled. "Each replacement set costs ten million. Limited production, only available to our team members."
The women's faces fell at first, disappointed. But then his words shifted.
"…Of course, for the sake of safety, I'll make sure your cars get the first supply."
Their disappointment flipped instantly to joy. To drive with such protection was a dream—it meant racing without fear of destruction.
With Nilo pulling out of the city, traffic thinned. Leon slammed the accelerator, and the car transformed.
It was like a jet engine strapped to a beast. Trees along the roadside bent as hurricane-force winds tore past.
The road curved sharply ahead. Leon tugged the handbrake, sliding into a perfect drift. The tires screeched, smoke and dust billowing, the car gliding in a flawless diagonal like a dancer in a deadly tango.
Every movement was natural, fluid, inevitable—turning speed itself into art.
Drivers nearby gawked from afar. The sight of a car sliding sideways at such velocity was burned into their memories forever. In seconds, Nilo vanished, leaving only swirling dust and a howl of wind.
Once on the highway, Leon pushed harder.
The engine roared like thunder. Each gear shift added fuel to the fire, his excitement palpable. The tachometer screamed, and the car lunged forward like a stallion injected with pure adrenaline.
With a deafening boom, the sound barrier shattered. White rings of compressed air rippled behind Nilo as it surged forward, pulling nearby cars into its wake.
On the highway, chaos erupted as drivers slammed brakes, terrified of the monstrous force sweeping past.
Above them, rotor blades chopped the sky.
A black helicopter closed in fast—Eteon's craft, fitted for one purpose: to hunt Leon down.
Carvill leaned forward inside the cockpit, his face twisted in rage. The helicopter wasn't standard—it had been upgraded with one terrifying weapon: a mounted laser cannon.
While the world's militaries still struggled to miniaturize laser weapons, Eteon had already succeeded.
It might not match missiles in raw explosive power, but against a car? It was perfect.
Carvill's teeth ground together. From the moment he'd encountered Diomas Nilo, the car had only brought him humiliation and awe. Every engagement ended in his failure.
But this time, he thought, would be different.
The targeting system beeped—lock-on.
"Fire!!" Carvill roared.
~~----------------------
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