Gamers Are Fierce-Chapter 646 - 644: Tires

Learned to drive in Hawaii? Could he be the Grim Reaper Junior?

Li Ang and Wanli Fengdao exchanged peculiar glances. The corners of the Witch's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly, but she remained silent.

She actually knew the Dusk Knight. They had been temporary teammates before, in a script with a zombie background. After leaving that script, she had even commissioned other members of the Syndicate Organization to gather personal information about him. To her surprise, she discovered that the Dusk Knight was also in Great Britain and was even a member of an official British institution—the Royal National Church Knight Group.

The Royal National Church Knight Group, a secret society with a long history, was established by a member of the Tudor dynasty. Its purpose was to protect the newly formed Anglican Church (i.e., the Church of England) from the interference of other powers. Over time, it gradually became the place where the Royal Family housed its Transcendents.

The Royal National Church Knight Group operated discreetly, loyal only to the Royal Family, and paid no heed even to its nominal superior, the Anglican Church. Among some secret societies, its members earned the half-joking nickname "the Queen's loyal hounds."

As these thoughts ran through her mind, the Witch snapped back to reality.

Anyway, in the last script, the combat strength and reliability the Dusk Knight demonstrated made him a trustworthy temporary companion. If he says he can drive, then he probably really can.

"Very well, then you'll take on the task of driving," Li Ang snapped his fingers and rubbed his palms together. "The three of us will handle observation, lookout, and offensive and defensive weapon use."

The four players quickly discussed their strategy for the upcoming competition.

Currently, they only understood the rules but still didn't know how to win.

"For the first two stages, let's try not to fall too far behind," Li Ang mused. "Observe the other teams' operational patterns, then imitate and learn from them. By the way, what was in the box we snatched from the GTA5 trio?"

He looked towards Sunset Gold Smelter, who slapped his forehead, then squatted down to inspect the metal box.

On the outside of the box was a six-digit combination lock, which they hadn't had a chance to crack on the plane earlier.

Sunset Gold Smelter furrowed his brow, his fingers gently rubbing the surface of the combination lock. Suddenly, his fingers turned into a phantom, passing through the lock's surface to directly manipulate its core with his fingertips.

CLICK.

The combination lock opened. Sunset Gold Smelter breathed a sigh of relief, ended his phasing ability, and lifted the box's lid.

Inside the box were two tires?

[Name: MKⅢ Bomb Tires]

[Type: Modification Part/Consumable]

[Quality: Excellent]

[Can be taken out of the script: No]

[Special Effect: Detonation. The tires detach from the vehicle and roll forward a certain distance, creating a massive explosion upon colliding with any target.]

[Remark: MKⅢ Bomb Tires were once widely used in the 7th through 31st Death Race competitions. However, due to their excessive blast radius and lethality, their supply was discontinued in subsequent races. But, if you can acquire them, they can still be used as official organizer-provided materials and do not violate the rules.]

[Remark: The bomb tires are rolling!]

Hmm?

The four players looked at each other and immediately understood.

The protagonists from GTA5 had likely robbed a bank vault for these two tires, intending to use them as an ace up their sleeve to increase their chances of winning.

Now that the tires had fallen into their hands, there was no reason not to use them.

Li Ang and Sunset Gold Smelter placed the two tires inside their vehicle, preparing to open the compartment doors and activate the bomb tires' Special Effect when the time was right.

While they were stowing the tires, the race's preparation phase seemed to be concluding. Most teams had stopped modifying their vehicles and were standing by, waiting for the official start. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Four massive shadows slowly drifted over the stadium as four giant airships descended from the sky, each with a colossal screen suspended beneath it.

The screens first played a promotional clip for the Death Race, igniting a deafening roar of shouts and cheers from the audience. This was followed by the appearance of a girl in a white blouse and black skirt, holding a microphone. She appeared to be a reporter broadcasting live from the scene.

"Hello, friends in the audience! I'm your old friend, Shou Margot, a reporter from Central City TV," the girl said to the camera with a smile. "Today, we're back at the annual Death Race! More than six hundred racers and over a hundred teams will compete on a 370-mile track to ultimately decide the limited slots for the Ascension Ceremony. Now, let's interview Mr. Kratos, the runner-up of last year's Death Race!"

The camera panned to a pale-skinned, hollow-eyed, ferocious-looking, bald, and bearded hulk of a man.

"Ahem, Mr. Kratos, in last year's competition, your team, Chaos Twin Blades, narrowly lost by 0.01 seconds to the Hell Roar Team, led by Mephisto, the King of Hate." Shou Margot looked quite nervous, the microphone trembling in her hand as she extended it towards Kratos. "What are your thoughts on this year's competition?"

Kratos stood before the camera, his intimidating and stern face expressionless. His bulky frame was as motionless as a statue.

The production team had to display "Not a Still Image" on the screen to assure the audience there was no lag.

Finally, after a long pause, Kratos opened his mouth and said in a deep, hoarse voice, "Friendship first, competition second..."

Huh?! Those lines don't match his persona at all!

Shou Margot was stunned for a second but quickly responded, "That's absolutely right! While the Death Race is primarily competitive, the aim is still to maintain a peaceful and friendly atmosphere..."

"Chaos Twin Blades will take third," Kratos interrupted, ignoring Shou Margot. "Everyone else can compete for fourth." He slowly delivered the rest of his statement: "Anyone who gets near my vehicle, I'll tear them to shreds and stuff their thigh bones into their eye sockets."

"OOH, that's scary, so scary." Shou Margot shivered and forced a smile for the camera. "Okay, that was the participation oath from competitor Kratos! Let's hear what other racers have to say."

"Kratos is overhyped," a yellow, turtle-like creature with a green shell on its back—Bowser from Super Mario Brothers—spoke indifferently to the camera, arms crossed over his chest. "He's not really that tough; he just got lucky winning three runner-up titles. This is my first year in this race. I hope the others can give me a bit of a challenge."

"I don't have any particular thoughts about the race," a handsome young man with a green cap, sword, and shield said with a smile. "As long as I give it my all and can do so with a clear conscience, that's enough. Also, my name is Link, not Zelda. Anyone calls me Zelda again, and I swear I'll hack them to death."

The Undead from Dark Souls 3 offered no comment, simply giving a silent thumbs-up.

Shou Margot interviewed a few more representative racers, quickly using up the time allocated for vehicle adjustments. As soon as the referees blew the whistle, she concluded the interviews, announcing, "The race is about to begin! Let's listen to the addresses from Yuri Commander and Gandalf Chief Advisor!"