Jungle Park consisted of a series of pathways laid down around the rain forest, with zoo cages scattered along the routes. The sudden rainstorm that day had caused the natural rivers to burst their banks, blocking off the roads with water that glowed a twinkling orange in the evening light.
“The rain’s stronger than I expected,” said Kaname. “I’m more worried about us in the coupe than Midori on her bike. If we veer off the road even once, the tree roots sticking out of the ground are going to gut the car’s underbelly.”
“Why don’t you just say what you’re thinking, My Lord?”
“I sure would kill for a high-riding vehicle with some heavy susp—”
“I won’t have my temple looking so lewd, waggling its thick thighs and fat bottom for all to see!! A vehicle ought to be elegant, unassuming, until you press down on the pedal and feel the lioness roar! You know, sleek on the streets, freak in the seats!!”
“I’d prefer a car that can handle anything I throw at it. Like, how about those amphibious models?”
“Oh my,” said Cindy. “Your taste in cars became a lot more macho while I was away, Kaname.”
If the terrain restricted your movement, it suddenly became a lot easier for your opponent to land a blow.
Just then, they heard the roar of an unfamiliar engine, and all of a sudden a medium-size truck burst out from the waterlogged rain forest. It would have been impossible for Kaname in the low-riding coupe to do the same. He quickly fired two shots into the driver’s seat window, but…
“There’s no driver?!”
Kaname pulled on the hand brake, allowing his rear wheels to skid across the rain-slicked pathway. The truck’s heavy-looking flatbed swerved around, narrowly missing the coupe. The enigmatic words “D.A.R.K.E.L.F. Shipping” were painted on the truck’s side, next to a drawing of a silver-haired, dark-skinned beauty in profile.
“Oh? Looks like I’m in demand, Kaname!”
“They’re trying to kill us, you long-eared pervert!” screamed Tselika from the passenger seat.
Just then, in the corner of his vision, Kaname spotted a humanoid figure. He ducked his head as the sound of a shotgun blast rang out, followed by the roar of another engine. This time, it was a curry wagon. The driver, however, had already opened the door and jumped out of the vehicle.
At first glance, at least, she looked like a trucker.
Her T-shirt was rolled up above her breasts, and beneath it was an eye-catching racing swimsuit. A pair of suspiciously thick thigh-highs covered her legs. It almost looked like she was dressed in coveralls, and the trucker look wouldn’t have been complete without the rope headband atop her head.
Her hair streaming behind her, the platinum-blond crashed into a puddle. It looked like she was grasping something in her hand—not her shotgun, but an automatic magnum pistol. She aimed it directly at the food truck she had just exited.
Kaname: Midori!!
Kaname swerved the coupe in front of Midori’s bike just as a .50-caliber bullet penetrated one of the many propane tanks contained in the woman’s specialized vehicle. There was a loud explosion, and a rain of glass shards and scrap metal slammed into the side of Kaname’s car, cracking the windows. If Midori had been on the receiving end, however, the damage would have been a lot worse.
Kaname was unable to regain control, and the mint-green coupe swerved off the boardwalk and into the swampy river to the side. Kaname stepped on the gas pedal, but the car would go no further. It only churned the muddy water, its wheels spinning impotently.
The assassin was already well out of sight. Off to pick up a new vehicle, no doubt. Kaname wouldn’t have been surprised if she had them stashed all over the place.
“Huh? It’s S.A.R.A.S.V.A.T.I. Kitchen this time! Talk about inconsistency!” said Cindy. “Does she think she can get away with anything vaguely fantasy-related? Besides, what’s the deal with using the dark elf as a decoy?!”
“Can we kick her out and use her as a decoy, My Lord? But that aside, how are we going to get out of this water?!”
It was hard to tell whether the truck belonged to the woman or if she had stolen it. In Money (Game) Master, the paint job on a vehicle could be changed as easily as a Magistellus could alter their clothing.
Kaname pressed a button to unlock the coupe’s trunk, before getting out and taking a small, collapsible motorcycle from inside.
“Sure glad I picked up one of these.”
“My Lord, you aren’t…”
“Tselika, Cindy. Take the Legacies and spread out. The car’s trashed. We’ll bring back a tow truck to pick it up later!!”
“Hey!!” the demon pit babe yelled. “Didn’t I say not to purchase other vehicles?! How many other cars have you been fooling around with behind my back?!”
There was no time to waste on Tselika’s tantrums. Though the assailant’s outfit had thrown him for a loop, Kaname had heard of a famous Dealer who stole and used vehicles as though they were disposable.
Poltergeist.
If Bloody Dancer was a monster gunslinger, then she was a monster driver—a woman who loved running her opponents down in anything from a tank to a foot-powered scooter.
He’s got another lunatic working for him!!
Kaname revved the motorcycle’s engine—as light as the one in a chainsaw—and took off through the shallow water. Opening a chat window on the windshield, still relatively unchanged from the factory settings, he fired off a message to Midori.
Kaname: We can’t beat that Dealer by going after her vehicles. We need to aim for the moment she switches cars.
Midori: Do you think we can?!
Poltergeist had already left without giving them the chance. She was deadly behind the wheel, but she was surprisingly nimble on foot, too.
Kaname: We don’t have a choice. We won’t be able to work down her vehicle’s defenses if she keeps switching to new ones. We’ll have to aim for the Dealer herself.
Just then, they heard the loud roar of another engine. It sounded larger this time, and Kaname found himself imagining a garbage truck. But when he turned to look, he saw something entirely different.
✦ ✦ ✦
A tank. A real, genuine battle tank, complete with metal treads, fell from the raised boardwalk and into the river.