Ling Cage, pick up Lu Mingfei at the start.

Lu Mingfei stood in front of the electronic notice board on the street of Wanhuo Market, carrying the steamed buns in his hand. He was excited because he was going on a long trip today, so he got up very early. However, when he arrived at Bai Yuekui's house, which he knew well, it was quiet inside. There was only a note left on the table: I'm going to drive my car. You can buy your own breakfast at the market today.

This startled Lu Mingfei. Bai Yuekui was driving? He remembered that he had ridden in Bai Yuekui's car when he first came to this world. Bai Yuekui seemed to drive without any brakes. All he had to do was step on the gas pedal. In her words, "In martial arts, speed is the only way to win."

Lu Mingfei felt his stomach churning, as if he was about to vomit his stomach out. He thought that Bai Yuekui was just looking for a thrill. After all, after living for so many years, perhaps only speed and passion could stir her calm and composed heart, which was usually unmoved even if Mount Tai collapsed in front of her.

The electronic bulletin board was displaying a lot of information, which Lu Mingfei had seen before. It was nothing more than who was selling what, who was acquiring what. But today, a major announcement occupied most of the screen: the annual food festival will be held on the 10th of next month.

Lu Mingfei glanced at today's date, June 25th, which meant there were still half a month to prepare. He wondered how grand the event would be.

Lu Mingfei, who was about to leave, suddenly stopped. He rubbed his eyes uncertainly, somewhat incredulous. New information had appeared on the sales platform, and the reason he stopped was that Bai Yuekui's name was on the list: Buying 8K native screens, around 36 inches, the screen must not have any cracks or stains, and it must support manual scaling. If you have stock, please contact Boss Bai. You set the price.

Lu Mingfei was stunned. An 8K display screen! There were no displays with such high resolution in his time. What would it be like to play games with such a high resolution? The screen details were crystal clear, and the movements were as smooth as in the real world. Lu Mingfei was lost in his electronic fantasy.

"What are you looking at, Lu Mingfei? It's time to go."

A crisp sound, accompanied by a light slap on the back, instantly jolted him awake from his beautiful electronic reverie. Startled, Lu Mingfei turned around, slightly annoyed by the disturbance, only to see a magnificent little falcon hovering in front of him, its sharp eyes staring at him curiously. Behind the falcon, Ulan Maiduo stood smiling.

"Mai Duo?" Lu Mingfei's furrowed brows immediately relaxed. "What are you doing here?"

"Of course we'll meet at the village entrance." Maido stretched out her hand, and the little falcon named Chagai obediently landed back on her arm guard, affectionately rubbing against her fingers.

"For such a big festival, there's a lot of food to prepare. I need to help carry it too," she said, naturally reaching out to tug at Lu Mingfei's sleeve. "Let's hurry up, the convoy might already be waiting for us."

The two walked briskly through the gradually awakening market streets towards the village entrance. The morning air was cool and fresh with the scent of grass and trees. Along the way, villagers were already busy preparing for the upcoming festival, most of them wearing expectant smiles.

In the open space at the village entrance, several reinforced freight trucks with a distinctly old-world industrial style were already running, their engines emitting a deep roar. Xia Dou was tiptoeing to pass a toolbox into the back of one of the trucks, Shan Da was leaning against the front of the truck wiping the edge of his shield, Sui Xing was checking his composite bowstring, and Xu Tong was adjusting his magnetic skateboard on a smooth stone slab. The atmosphere was busy yet orderly.

Seeing this, Lu Mingfei subconsciously walked towards the passenger seat of the nearest truck—compared to the possible "White Moon Kui brand roller coaster," the sturdy truck obviously made him feel safer.

Just as he was about to put one foot on the pedal, a completely different, deep and rhythmic engine roar came from afar, instantly drowning out the noise of the trucks.

The sound wasn't as rough as a diesel engine, nor as quiet as an electric motor; it was more like the guttural sound of a beast poised to pounce. Everyone looked up.

On the winding mountain road outside the village, a red streak was speeding towards them at an astonishing speed, leaving a faint, shimmering trail behind it, as if generated by ionizing the air. In a few breaths, the streak had reached the open space at the village entrance, and with a precise and elegant drift, it came to a steady stop in front of the convoy.

Dust rose slightly, and the engine sound turned into a deep hum.

That was a motorcycle... Lu Mingfei couldn't find the right words to describe it.

It has sleek and aggressive sci-fi lines, and its red paint gleams with a cold, metallic sheen and some kind of composite material in the morning light.

The body shows no obvious welding marks, as if it were formed in one piece. Multiple hollow structures reveal the intricate mechanical components inside. The wide rear wheel and sharp front fork, with a shape that is somewhere between a motorcycle and a futuristic war machine, all exude a sense of power and speed. Above the front, a semi-transparent curved windshield reflects colorful light.

The rider, dressed in a sleek red and white cycling outfit that matched the color of her bike, stood with one foot on the ground, looking at the crowd.

The morning breeze ruffled the hair on her forehead. Her eyes were calm, yet they seemed to hold the same energy that could be unleashed at any moment, just like the car beneath her.

"Wow..." Xia Dou exclaimed in undisguised amazement.

Lu Mingfei's eyes widened in disbelief. Trucks, a sense of security—all those thoughts vanished instantly. This motorcycle looked like it had stepped straight out of some sci-fi anime he'd seen; every angle was perfectly to his liking, it was unbelievably cool!

He practically leaped off the truck's running board, rushing to Bai Yuekui in a few strides. His eyes gleamed as he stared at the motorcycle, his words stammering, "Boss Bai! Is this the car you said you were going to drive this morning? It's so cool! We...we're going to take this, right?"

Bai Yuekui glanced at him, quite satisfied with his reaction, and a slight smile appeared on his lips: "The convoy is loading goods; I'll go ahead and scout the way."

"Can I sit here?" Lu Mingfei pointed to the back seat of the motorcycle, his face full of longing. His previous fear of Bai Yuekui driving seemed to have been largely cured by the cool appearance of the motorcycle. "I promise I won't move! I... I can help you watch the road!"

Bai Yuekui looked at the stars almost overflowing in his eyes, then glanced at the convoy that was already fully prepared and waiting to depart, and pondered for a moment.

Mai Duo chuckled to herself and whispered, "Lu Mingfei, aren't you afraid of throwing up?"

"No, no, who throws up on a motorcycle?" Lu Mingfei looked around the motorcycle, his gaze never leaving it.

"...Get on." Bai Yuekui finally relented, tossing him a helmet. "Hold on tight, or I won't stop to pick you up if you fall."

"Yes, sir!" Lu Mingfei was overjoyed. He hurriedly put on his helmet and awkwardly climbed onto the back seat. The seat was more comfortable than he had expected, offering a certain degree of support.

"The rest of you proceed as planned, and keep communications open," Bai Yuekui briefly instructed Shan Da and the others before turning the throttle.

The deep, beast-like engine roar suddenly rose, transforming into a powerful howl. Before Lu Mingfei was even fully settled, he felt a strong gust of wind sweep over him, and the scenery on both sides of his vision instantly blurred and stretched!

"Ah—!" he cried out in surprise, his body instinctively lunging forward, his arms tightly wrapped around Bai Yuekui's waist.

Upon first touch, the cycling jersey felt resilient to the touch, revealing clear and powerful body lines beneath. The wind pressure suddenly increased, and even with a helmet and windshield, the howling wind still violently assaulted my ears.

The red and white motorcycles shot out of the village like arrows, leaving the convoy far behind, and sped off into the depths of the mountains along the rugged but clearly repaired mountain road.

After the initial panic subsided, Lu Mingfei's heartbeat gradually synchronized with the roar of the engine amidst the extreme speed. He carefully turned his head to look ahead over Bai Yuekui's shoulder.

The road receded rapidly beneath the wheels, transforming into blurred bands of color. Morning light pierced through the forest mist, forming slanted beams of light. The motorcycle skillfully evaded the gravel and potholes on the road, sometimes bending and tracing perfectly curved curves, sometimes slightly leaping over small hills. Each rise and fall made Lu Mingfei's heart jump and fall, incredibly thrilling. The scenery on both sides was no longer the slowly moving scroll he usually saw on foot or in a truck, but had transformed into a rapidly flowing river—lush forests, exposed cliffs, the occasional glimpse of ruins from an old era… everything was re-cut and pieced together by speed.

"Boss Bai!" The wind was so loud he had to raise his voice, "What's the deal with this car? It's amazing!"

"Jiuchuan Technology, the new car my company developed right when the Earth Vine first appeared." Bai Yuekui's voice came through the built-in communication in the headset, clear and steady, seemingly unaffected by the strong winds. "The speed is alright."

"What? The company! Boss Bai, so you're a wicked capitalist after all." Lu Mingfei felt the gust of wind that almost blew him away. "And this speed is what you call 'okay'? Even a Devouring Beast couldn't catch up!"

"Theoretically, most pan-generative and metamorphic terrestrial Devouring Beasts cannot reach this level of burst speed." Bai Yuekui's tone remained calm, as if explaining common sense. "Hurry up, we're entering the old highway section ahead."

Lu Mingfei was confused. Shouldn't the highway section be easy to drive on? Why do they need to rush?

However, before he could think it through, Bai Yuekui's voice suddenly revealed a clear, mischievous chuckle:

"What I mean is, I need to speed up!"

Her words came to an abrupt halt.

Instead, she suddenly twisted her right wrist downwards completely!

"Buzz—Boom!!!"

In a fraction of a second, the engine's roar transformed from a beast's growl into a deafening roar of a primordial dragon! The blue light of the energy loop at the rear suddenly intensified, as if spewing out an invisible, blazing tail flame!

That's not just a simple acceleration.

That was an explosion! That was a catapult! That was a violent outpouring of steel and energy!

The intense wind pressure made Lu Mingfei feel like he was about to be torn off the bike. He could only hold Bai Yuekui tightly, burying his face in her back, feeling the rock-solid core strength and warmth transmitted through his cycling clothes.

At that moment, Lu Mingfei's mind went blank. His fear evaporated at the extreme speed, leaving only the most primal shock and a strange sense of freedom, as if soaring above the apocalypse.

He felt as if he wasn't sitting on a motorcycle, but being carried by a tamed, fiery mechanical unicorn, speeding across the ravaged wasteland.

It was unclear how much time had passed—perhaps only a few dozen seconds, perhaps centuries—before the earth-shattering acceleration began to subside slightly. Lu Mingfei trembled, raising his head slightly to look over Bai Yuekui's shoulder.

"Um... Boss Bai," his voice was a little weak, but curiosity got the better of him, and he asked the question that had been bothering him since morning, "I saw on the notice board that you're buying 8K displays? Such high-quality screens, what will you use them for?"

A huge pothole appeared ahead. Bai Yuekui maneuvered his motorcycle in a daring arc to avoid it before replying, "Playing games? You're interested in that too?"

"Of course! 8K! Never seen that before!" Lu Mingfei honestly admitted. "But it must be very expensive and hard to find, right?"

"Well-preserved, high-end hardware from the old era is indeed rare, and hard to come by," Bai Yuekui said, "but it's worth the wait."

Lu Mingfei kept those words in mind.

The locomotive continued speeding along, gradually leaving the mountainous area and entering a relatively open plain.

"We're almost there," Bai Yuekui suddenly said.

Lu Mingfei's spirits lifted, and he gazed into the distance. In the plains ahead, he saw a scene completely different from the forest before him. The land was divided into neat blocks, planted with various crops that were relatively normal in shape, even lush. He could vaguely see the outlines of some breeding facilities, and several simple buildings with a distinctly utilitarian style sat on the edge. Further away, there seemed to be facilities resembling hydroponic towers and solar energy collection arrays.

Although it cannot compare in size to the agricultural bases of the old era, in this world eroded by mana ecology, this orderly and vibrant area is like an oasis in the desert, a miraculous existence.

"That's the second ecological base." Bai Yuekui slowed down a bit, his voice coming through the communication device, still steady. "One of our pillars of survival."

The red and white motorcycle glided along the last stretch of the road and came to a steady stop at the entrance of the base. As Lu Mingfei looked at the man-made greenery in front of him, he gained a deeper and more concrete understanding of the unity and perseverance represented by Longgu Village.