Leon's modified glider car caught everyone completely off guard.
No matter who you were, seeing a car with wings soaring across the sky was enough to make your jaw drop.
He had achieved what mankind had only dreamed of—
a car that could fly.
But unlike airplanes, cars didn't have sustained propulsion systems.
The Diomas Nilo's engines could only boost for a short while before it shifted into glide mode, coasting through the air like a great eagle spreading its wings—
a metallic predator ruling the skies.
"Approaching the coastline. Prepare for landing,"
the onboard AI calmly announced.
"So soon?" Leon blinked in disbelief.
If he'd driven the normal route, it would've taken at least forty-five minutes.
Yet through the air, it had taken barely three minutes.
"It's not speed—power output is dropping. Initiating descent,"
the system explained.
Without thrust, the car had to glide and land like a plane—
if lucky, it would splash down safely in the water;
if unlucky, it could crash and explode;
and if truly cursed, it'd nosedive straight into the earth like a missile.
Leon tightened his grip on the controls.
This wasn't a plane—he had no margin for error.
But under the AI's precision control, the Diomas Nilo maintained a perfect level angle, gliding smoothly downward.
WHRRRRR!
Before the car even touched ground, Leon hit the throttle, spinning the tires in midair—
and the instant they kissed asphalt, smoke billowed from the friction.
The car rocketed forward like a silver bullet.
Its wings folded back, landing gear compressed,
and with a heavy THUD, it bounced twice before stabilizing.
The system chimed:
"Welcome to Ohio state boundary."
Leon blinked again.
"Already? That should've taken forty-five minutes!"
Even he couldn't believe it.
From the support vehicle, Monarch checked the live GPS feed.
He squinted, recalculated, and then shouted—his voice cracking with awe:
"Leon's in first place—a full hundred kilometers ahead!"
The pit crews and fans erupted.
A hundred kilometers.
That wasn't a lead—it was a massacre.
Unless Leon's car exploded, no one could even dream of catching up.
It was the largest lead in the history of the Leon Cup.
Before, a few seconds between racers was already legendary.
Now, Leon was a hundred kilometers ahead.
Unprecedented.
Record-shattering.
"Our West Coast God is invincible!"
"Anyone who doubted Leon—consider yourself slapped!"
"He's our pride!"
Fans across the West Coast went wild.
Leon's victory wasn't unexpected—but the way he won blew everyone's minds.
In the viewing booth, Gisele, Hattie, and Elena exhaled in relief.
When Leon's car had taken off into the sky, their hearts had nearly stopped.
Now, seeing him land safely, the weight finally lifted.
"That was insane…" Hattie muttered, wiping sweat from her forehead.
"I didn't think he'd actually fly his car!"
"You act like this is new," Elena sighed, patting her chest. "Good thing I wasn't in that seat. I'd have died of fright. It's like jumping off a cliff with a wingsuit!"
Gisele chuckled, still shaken.
"I've driven that car, but I never figured out how he pushed it past nine hundred kilometers per hour. I almost fainted at four hundred."
She recalled driving the Diomas back from Detroit—
even then, the car had felt like a beast she couldn't fully control.
Leon wasn't just a skilled driver.
His body and reflexes were superhuman.
Her mind flashed back to his calm expression behind the wheel—
and she couldn't help blushing slightly.
After landing, Leon smoothly rejoined the highway, downshifting as the Diomas' speed climbed again—
100… 200… 300…
each gear shift a thunderclap of acceleration.
Elsewhere, Major General Tallin was losing his mind.
He slammed the phone on his desk.
"Deploy the drones! I want that car blown to pieces!"
He was furious.
A single man—just one driver—had humiliated his entire operation.
He had sworn to Braga that the mission would be done…
and now, Leon had literally flown away from their ambush.
"Use the Global Hawk if you have to!" Tallin roared.
The RQ-4 Global Hawk—a titan among drones.
Massive wingspan, high-altitude range, and radar systems that could map entire cities.
Six tons of fuel.
Range of 22,000 kilometers.
Basically a flying battleship.
And Tallin wanted to use it to destroy one car.
He slammed his cigarette down, grinning bitterly.
"By the time this burns out, the target will be gone.
And I'll be forty-five million dollars richer."
But before he could finish his gloating, the office door burst open.
Soldiers stormed in.
"General Tallin—you're under arrest!"
"What the hell—who dares?!" he bellowed.
"By presidential order," one soldier read.
"Unauthorized deployment of military force. Treason. You're coming with us."
Tallin froze.
Cold sweat dripped down his neck.
His phone rang again.
Hands trembling, he answered.
"Sir—the drone strike failed. Our missile was intercepted… the Global Hawk's been destroyed!"
Tallin's eyes rolled back.
He coughed blood and collapsed.
Leon's Diomas had not only crushed the race—he had survived a military strike.
His legend was now untouchable.
The man, the machine, the myth—
the Road Tyrant reigned supreme.
~~----------------------
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