Chapter 2: Turbulent Trajectory

"Huh—" I exhaled through my throat, emptying the air from my lungs.

I pressed the car remote once more. The amber lights flickered and a sharp beep echoed. The source was unmistakably this vehicle.

"Where did you get that?" The woman’s jaw tightened, her brows knitting together. The muscles in her neck strained, indicating high physical tension.

"Oi. Get in," I said to Vely.

Vely immediately headed for the front passenger seat. As I reached for the door handle, the woman grabbed my hand and shoved it away. Her palm felt hot.

"How do you have those keys? This is clearly my car." The woman gripped the handles of her bag until her knuckles turned white.

"Because I took them from the reception desk," I replied.

I pulled the door open, sat down, and slammed it shut. The solid thud of the door sealed off all access from the outside. I ignited the engine. I gripped the synthetic leather steering wheel, eased off the clutch, and floored the gas pedal.

I watched the woman through the rearview mirror. She was clutching her phone to her ear. Her gaze remained locked onto the car until the hair on my arms stood up; an inefficient biological reaction of this human vessel. Gradually, her figure faded as the car reached the automatically lifting exit gate.

"Can you move any faster? You're so slow." Vely turned her sour face toward me. "Mission time is being wasted because of you."

I activated the car’s monitor. The text `Good Afternoon` appeared. While waiting for the data to process, I jerked the wheel toward a narrow alley only wide enough for a single vehicle. It was cluttered with plastic bins, stacked wooden crates, tarpaulin tents, and people occupied with transactions. Their mouths hung open, some dropping their belongings as they saw the nose of the car bolt inside.

The screen flickered to life. I typed 'Lenshin Dioper' into the search bar. An office name appeared Lêvytec Dê Pregitô.

I fixed my gaze straight ahead. "Destination, Lêvytec Dê Pregitô."

`Location coordinates acquired. Sending traversable route.` The screen displayed a jagged red line cutting through building blocks toward the office.

I slammed the gas. My body vibrated violently from the impact of the tires against the uneven alley floor and the deafening roar of the engine. My chest thudded, making my ribs quiver; I could not immediately synchronize the frequency of this heart rate with the vehicle's tremors.

"You're absolutely insane!" I glanced at Vely with my left eye while my right eye remained locked on the narrow gap ahead. Vely’s forehead creased deeply, her eyelids clamped shut until they trembled.

I rolled down the window on my side.

The end of the alley came into view. The doors of the buildings beside the windows seemed to vanish backward into blurred lines. It was a sharp left turn. I shifted to a lower gear, slammed the brakes until the calipers screamed, and whipped the steering wheel. We entered the turn. The rear of the car felt weightless, sliding wildly to the right before the tires regained traction.

I floored the gas again. At that exact moment, a man carrying his child emerged from a doorway directly in front of the car's path.

"Do it," I muttered, while rolling the window back up.

The car leaped like a frog. The hydraulic suspension discharged a massive burst of energy, launching the vehicle into the air. Our bodies lifted until my back left the seat. Vely instinctively gripped the inner door handle until her fingernails turned white.

The car landed with a heavy impact that vibrated from the chassis to my tailbone. Vely’s head jerked toward the dashboard, nearly striking the hard surface. From bracing against the sudden shock, my neck muscles felt heavy and my glutes turned stiff due to the gravitational hit.

`Detected. We apologize for any inconvenience. You are using a limit, minus one. Seven limits remain.`

I resumed driving without breaking rhythm. In the rearview mirror, I saw the man standing frozen, pointing a trembling finger in this direction. His mouth was wide open, likely shouting, but the cabin's sound insulation neutralized all external noise.

As I focused my optics on the remaining path, a ceramic flower vase fell from the upper floor of a building. It struck the windshield dead-on, creating a spider-web pattern of cracks that obscured the view.

"Clear it. And increase speed," I gripped the wheel tight, feeling the texture sink into my palms.

The cracks and debris from the pot shifted bit by bit. The windshield split into two sections, sliding sideways like automatic windows. Every obstruction was hurled left and right by centrifugal force.

A fierce blast of wind hit my face, forcing my eyelids to narrow and making my hair stand straight. Then, the two glass panes disappeared into the edges of the hood. Due to the relentless air pressure, my visual focus distorted; I could not clearly see the objects blocking the path. Suddenly, a metallic explosion echoed. New glass emerged from the center of the hood, sliding shut symmetrically from the center to the sides with a precise_clack.

I lowered the side window again.

The car suddenly tilted, throwing my body and Vely’s violently to the left. My side of the vehicle sank lower, nearly touching the asphalt. The scent of burning rubber and the aroma of grinding metal against concrete began to permeate the cabin.

I leaned my head out to look down. The wheel rim was sparking as it scraped against the road.

"Ah... These tires are truly weak," i scratched my head, feeling sweat at the hairline. "Replace."

`Replacing.`

The sound of screws being loosened by a mechanical driver echoed behind the wheel well. My seat gradually rose back up. The smell of scorching metal was distinct, filling my nostrils. The chassis finally returned to its normal position after the new tire was automatically fitted while the car remained in motion.

Finally, I could see the path clearly. This human body began secreting fluid from its pores, wetting my palms until they felt slick against the steering wheel. This fluid is truly hindering my functionality.

I checked on Vely. Her hair was a mess, sticking out in all directions like wild grass after a storm. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, the sound of her heavy breathing loud in my ears, overpowering the engine. Her face was pale, coated in a thin layer of cold sweat that reflected the monitor's light.

Suddenly, her hand struck my shoulder repeatedly. Her other hand covered her mouth tightly. My motor coordination was disrupted by the jarring force of her hits. I did not understand what stimulus she was trying to convey.

Vely reached for my ear and pinched it hard. The tug forced my head to turn toward her. She pointed out the window with a trembling left hand while her right hand kept her mouth sealed.

I pressed the button to lower the window on her side. As soon as the glass went down, Vely thrust her head out. Ahead, I saw a wooden building door suddenly swing wide, directly in the path of her head. I jerked the wheel to the right, avoiding the door before it could strike her skull. Vely was snapped back into her seat by the G-force of the sudden swerve.

"Damn you," Vely’s voice sounded hoarse. She grabbed several tissues from the dashboard box and wiped her lips with a rough motion.

`Limit minus three. Remaining usable limits four.`

I drew a deep breath, letting oxygen cool my heated lungs, then increased pressure on the gas pedal. Based on the digital map visualization, I would soon pass through an area with a higher level of obstruction. A new problem has emerged.