Chapter 78: Unrivaled

"Days like these really make it hard to find any joy," Mo Shu said gloomily.

"Yeah..." Wang Yining didn't reply, only following beside him with a heavy sigh.

The second day of the ERC had drawn to a close, and this day—so full of turmoil—was finally ending as well.

News had come from the hospital: Black Mirror was out of immediate danger, but his legs could not be saved. He would be disabled for the rest of his life.

At the thought that her brother would no longer be able to care for himself, Wang Yining's eyes brimmed with tears once more.

"There, there. From now on, I'll help you take care of your brother," Mo Shu said gently, wrapping a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"Thank you... And what about Ruslaine? Will he go to prison?" Wang Yining leaned on Mo Shu, asking anxiously.

Now it was Mo Shu's turn to sigh. He stood in silence for a while, then shook his head. He couldn't say for sure.

In just a single day, two of the leading drivers from the Divinity Racing Team had visited the police station and the hospital, respectively. It really made one worry for the team's future.

"There's something I need to tell you, and you should brace yourself," Mo Shu said with another sigh.

"Go ahead..." Wang Yining was already numb to bad news—at this point, what more could hurt?

"I saw Ai Chixiang today. That guy has pledged allegiance to Black Gold Petroleum," Mo Shu said, unable to hide his anger at the mention of that name.

"I'm not surprised; I saw it coming." Wang Yining remembered him well—he was the annoying one who had once pulled Wang Qing's hair in the auto diner.

"Wait, there's something you won't expect," Mo Shu continued.

"What? Don't tell me he was the one who harmed my brother. He used to be one of his most loyal followers," Wang Yining asked, surprised.

"I can't say for sure if he's the culprit, but he's certainly a major suspect. But there's something else I can confirm with absolute certainty—he has transplanted your brother's system," Mo Shu said worriedly.

"What? The Vortex Kiss?"

"Exactly, the Vortex Kiss—your brother's signature move. But that's not all."

"How is it not all?" Apparently, Wang Yining had underestimated Ai Chixiang.

"Don't rush, let me explain," Mo Shu said.

Earlier that day, when Ai Chixiang took off his helmet, Mo Shu had used his "Eagle-Eye Analysis" skill to examine him.

To his surprise, the former defeated opponent now registered as having a "U-Level System."

And there it was—"Vortex Kiss" appeared directly on Ai Chixiang's skill list.

Even more shocking was the fact that Ai Chixiang possessed more than one skill; the other was something Mo Shu had never even heard of.

"Evil God Copy!"

Perhaps because of the difference in system levels, Mo Shu couldn't see the skill's description, but he could sense that Ai Chixiang's rapid progress during the first stage, and his relentless pursuit on Mo Shu's tail, were because of this "Evil God Copy." It seemed Ai Chixiang had managed to gradually duplicate Mo Shu's own system.

Mo Shu could hardly imagine what Ai Chixiang had gone through while the Divinity Racing Team was preparing for the ERC.

Judging by the chilling scars left on Ai Chixiang's face from repeated sutures, he must have been subjected to countless experiments.

"My god, how twisted can someone be?" Wang Yining shuddered; she always felt horrified when it came to human experiments.

"Twisted doesn't even begin to describe it. He's utterly deranged. You didn't see his face—let me tell you..." Mo Shu had almost forgotten what Ai Chixiang looked like, but after today, he knew he would never forget.

"Ugh... Please stop. Just hearing about it gives me nightmares," Wang Yining hastily covered her ears.

"Alright, I'll stop. No point in keeping you up all night," Mo Shu said as they reached the door to Wang Yining's hotel room.

"Yeah. I just hope I don't see his face tomorrow," Wang Yining said with lingering dread.

"It's fine, you'll get used to it. Go get some rest. We still have a tough battle tomorrow, so let's both do our best." Though he couldn't muster much cheer, Mo Shu forced a smile—for now, he was the pillar of the Divinity Racing Team, and he couldn't let anyone see him falter.

"Goodnight," Wang Yining said, reluctantly closing the door behind her.

"Goodnight..." As the door shut, the gloom settled once more on Mo Shu's face.

Perhaps Wang Yining was too distraught to notice, but Ai Chixiang's performance today had been outstanding.

Not only did he take first place in SS2, but he also closed the overall points gap with Mo Shu to less than three.

If Mo Shu didn't perform well in tomorrow's SS3, the Swiss opener—the championship he had been so determined to win—might slip from his grasp.

Mo Shu stood in the hotel corridor, lost in thought for a long time. He looked at the pale purple couple's ring he hadn't opened in ages and muttered to himself.

"System, Supreme Spirit Ring, please help me..."

But neither in his mind nor on his finger did he get any response from the Supreme Spirit Ring.

It seemed that both had truly hidden themselves to avoid enemy system tracking. Mo Shu shook his head in resignation.

Better get to sleep early—tomorrow would be up to fate.

He took out his keycard and swiped open the door. Unexpectedly, several ribbons of violet light seeped out from the crack.

"System? I knew you wouldn't abandon me!" Mo Shu nearly leapt for joy. After checking that the corridor was empty, he boldly pushed open the door.

A rhythmic humming of electric current filled the air as a dazzling orb of violet light burst from within, rendering Mo Shu temporarily blind—so bright he couldn't see a thing.

To avoid drawing attention, he squinted and groped his way into the room, swinging the door shut behind him with a thud. He still couldn't open his eyes; it was as if a purple searchlight had been shone straight into his face.

"System lady, that's enough. You're already impressive enough!" If the light got any brighter, Mo Shu feared he would truly go blind.

"Mind your manners. Pay your respects to the Exalted One," the system lady finally spoke.

"What? That light isn't you?" With her words, Mo Shu realized that the system's voice was still in his mind. Could it be that the dazzling violet light in the room belonged to someone—or something—else? He suddenly didn't know what to call it.

"Heh heh, Mo Shu, come here. I have something for you," the brilliant violet radiance spoke—a woman's voice.

"Could you... could you turn it down a bit? I'm going blind," Mo Shu pleaded.

"Heh heh, that only means you still lack ability." The violet light chuckled, but the brightness did fade significantly.

Slowly, Mo Shu's vision returned. Looking up, he could make out the vague silhouette of a person within the glowing light.

An immortal? A Buddha? God?

A great sage? A platinum sage? A violet-gold sage?

Mo Shu wracked his brain, at a loss for how to address her, when the violet glow spoke.

"Child, you may call me 'Peerless.'"

Peerless? Master Peerless? Ancestor Peerless? Emperor Peerless?

A jumble of legendary figures flashed through Mo Shu's mind.

Wait, the system lady had just called her 'Exalted One.' They're both from some alien space, so he couldn't use mythological titles from Earth.

After rolling his eyes and thinking for a while, Mo Shu finally bowed and said, "Greetings, Senior Peerless!"