MIGHT AS WELL BE OP

Chapter 708: Mountain-top

Vrrrmm!

The sound of engines tearing through the air erupted like thunder as car after car emerged through the shimmering portal, twenty racers bursting into existence all at once.

”Second scenario initiated: mountain-top. Calculating optimal route to next portal,” Anthony’s car AI intoned in its calm, metallic voice.

The moment his tires made contact with the rocky ground, Anthony’s eyes darted forward. He immediately saw it, the jagged spine of a mountain rising into the sky, its narrow roadways spiraling upward toward the clouds. Without a moment’s hesitation, he pressed the accelerator, his car leaping ahead like a beast unleashed, dirt and gravel spraying violently behind him as his tires skidded against the treacherous terrain.

Ahead of him, Alicia was already cutting a path upward. Anthony locked onto her as his first target.

A quick glance at his side mirror confirmed what he already suspected: the other racers were hot on his tail. Engines howled, and headlights flared behind him as the remaining nineteen surged forward. But overtaking on this course was suicide. The mountain road was narrow, serpentine, and fragile. One wrong move, one poorly timed missile, and a racer would be sent tumbling into the abyss below.

The air itself seemed to scream as all twenty vehicles tore forward, the combined roar echoing like war drums across the mountainside.

Suddenly, a grinding rumble thundered above. Anthony’s instincts flared, he twisted his neck, eyes snapping upward. From the cliffs overhead, massive boulders dislodged, tumbling down the mountainside with bone-crushing force.

There was no time to hesitate. He shifted gears, his engine screaming as he rammed into the back of Alicia’s car, jolting her vehicle forward in a burst of sparks and metal. Alicia cursed aloud, her knuckles tightening on the wheel as she fought to maintain control.

”Has this man gone insane?!” she spat, teeth gritted.

A thunderous boom followed as one of the boulders slammed directly into Anthony’s car. The impact shattered the rock into fragments that scattered like shrapnel, stones pelting across his windshield. His tires ground fiercely against the rubble, the force almost enough to throw him off the narrow track. The only thing that saved him was the glowing shimmer of his car’s body-shaped barrier.

”Warning: barrier strength down to 80%,” the AI announced, its voice unwavering.

Anthony blinked in shock, momentarily stunned. A single boulder had shaved away twenty percent of his shield’s durability.

He scoffed in disbelief. ’What kind of pathetic excuse for a barrier is this? At this rate, can it even be called protection at all?’

But the frustration melted as an idea sparked in his mind. His lips curled into a smile.

”Activate missile. Target the car ahead,” he ordered calmly.

”Affirmative.”

With a faint mechanical hiss, a panel on his hood slid open. From within, a sleek missile launcher rose, the weapon locking into place with a click. A second later, the missile fired, streaking forward with a piercing whistle as smoke and fire trailed in its wake.

Alicia’s eyes widened in horror as her rear-view mirror reflected the streak of death.

”Has he completely lost it?!” she screamed, slamming a hand on her controls. Even with her barrier intact, the blast radius would be enough to knock her off the road entirely.

She didn’t waste another heartbeat. Her own missile pod deployed with a metallic snap, and in less than a second, she fired back from behind. The two projectiles tore through the air, aimed directly at one another.

Anthony’s grin widened. He wasn’t afraid. He was exhilarated.

”Activate spike tires. Engage explosive mana tank, two-minute burst.”

”Affirmative,” the AI replied, its tone sharp, almost urgent.

Metallic claws erupted from his tires, digging into the rocky terrain like talons. At the same time, his eight exhaust pipes ignited in unison, each spewing brilliant blue flames as the explosive mana tank roared to life.

But instead of racing forward, Anthony veered off the road entirely.

He swerved sharply, his spiked tires clawing into the sheer mountainside. Dirt and stone exploded beneath him as he drove vertically along the slope, his car gripping the impossible angle as though gravity had surrendered. His speedometer screamed, 1100... 1200... the needle trembling as his vehicle surged beyond all reason.

Behind him, every racer’s jaw dropped in disbelief.

”He left the track?! What the hell is he doing?!”

It was madness. Unheard of. None of them had ever dared abandon the narrow mountain road. Everyone knew missiles were almost never used in this scenario for that very reason, the path was too narrow, too dangerous. But Anthony had changed the rules entirely.

And then the impossible became reality.

Alicia’s missile collided with Anthony’s mid-air. The detonation split the air, the explosion ripping through the mountainside in a blinding flash. Fire and shockwaves cascaded outward, white smoke boiling across the track. Barriers flared desperately as the racers struggled to stay on course.

No one wasted time. One after another, they mimicked Anthony, swerving off the narrow road and onto the mountainside itself, spiked tires bursting out as they dug into the rock.

”HAHAHAHA!” Anthony’s laughter thundered through the roar of engines. ”This... THIS is the thrill I’ve been waiting for!”

His heart pounded violently, adrenaline flooding his veins as his car blurred upward, tearing through stone and dust as though he was carving his own road into the heavens. His speedometer peaked at 1300 kilometers per hour, trails of dust storms erupting in his wake.

Boulders continued to rain from above, but Anthony dodged each one with effortless ease. He swerved left, then right, his movements fluid and fearless, as though the chaos itself bent to his will.

Then the AI’s voice cut through the chaos:

”Target locked on racer. Incoming ballistic fire.”

A beat later, the sharp metallic shriek of bullets filled the air.

Ratatatatatatata!

Sparks erupted as rounds peppered his vehicle, ricocheting off his shield with relentless force.

”Barrier strength down to 78%... dropping,” the AI reported, unshaken.

But Anthony only laughed again, a wicked gleam in his eyes.

”How many missiles are left?” he asked.

”You have four remaining,” the AI replied.

His grin deepened. ”Prepare another.”

Despite there being no racer ahead, the launcher rose once again, armed and ready. The AI didn’t question him, it obeyed.

The moment the warhead was primed, Anthony’s hand yanked the handbrake. His car screeched violently as he spun into a perfect drift, his gearshift snapping into reverse. In an instant, his car’s nose faced the nineteen racers charging up behind him.

He smirked. ”Fire.”

The missile launched instantly, streaking straight toward the oncoming pack.

Every racer’s heart sank.

”This maniac!” they all cursed in unison.

The missile exploded against the cliffside, the resulting detonation obliterating the mountainside. Stone, dust, and fire rained down in chaos.

But Anthony? He didn’t care.

The portal was already within reach. His tires skidded, dirt spraying high into the air as he drifted with flawless swiftness. His gear snapped back into drive, his car realigning effortlessly.

With one final roar of his engine, Anthony shot forward in a blinding blur, flames spewing from his exhausts. In the blink of an eye, his car pierced the glowing portal, disappearing into the light as his laughter echoed behind him.