Starting with the Decade Driver, Messing with School Beauty

“Tian Mi, are we in Clock Up mode now?” Li Ling’er wasn’t entirely sure herself.

To be more precise, she couldn’t quite believe it.

Tian Mi attempted to jump a few times, then ran around the kitchen a few laps, then excitedly exclaimed:

“It should be, although we can’t feel it ourselves, Qing Mu and Si Mu’s movements have indeed slowed down. This is what it feels like after accelerating. Even though there’s no apparent change in ourselves, everything around us becomes so slow. It’s truly amazing, almost unbelievable! With this kind of ability, it’s no wonder they can easily defeat opponents who can’t accelerate! All their actions are crystal clear, with no secrets at all. How could they possibly lose?”

Only those who have personally experienced this acceleration ability can understand how shameless it is.

For opponents without acceleration abilities, it’s like they’re fighting in slow motion.

Experiencing Clock Up mode for the first time got Li Ling’er and Tian Mi extremely excited.

The two of them were running around the kitchen.

Fortunately, they knew they were outside and not at home, so they restrained themselves a bit, or they might have torn the kitchen apart.

After their excitement had finally settled down, they stopped moving and pressed the button on the ZECT Buckle.

“Clock! Over!”

The sound effect played.

Clock Up mode ended.

The two of them returned to normal.

“So, what do you think after experiencing Clock Up mode?” Qing Mu chuckled, looking at the two girls.

He had seen the two girls running around and making a fuss in the kitchen just now.

He knew that the two girls must be very excited and unable to restrain themselves since they had gained this power for the first time.

“It’s incredible! Absolutely amazing! This feeling is just too powerful! With this strength, we can beat those Worms to a pulp in the future and get our revenge! Hahaha!”

Tian Mi began to fantasize about herself defeating Worms, especially the Chrysiridia Worm that had nearly knocked her down with a single blow. She hadn’t forgotten that humiliation. With this new power, she was determined to wipe away that shame from her past encounters with other Worms.

“All right, now that you’ve grasped the purpose of these two belts, stop playing around and revert your transformation. This is a public place, and it’s not a good idea for others to see you like this.”

“We understand, we understand.”

Upon hearing Qing Mu’s words, the two girls reluctantly removed the Zecter from their ZECT Buckles and reverted their transformations.

“Snap!”

“Snap!”

The two Zecters hopped away from the kitchen and disappeared.

They would only reappear when the two girls needed them again.

“All right, now that we’ve got what we came for, let’s go. Si Mu, we’ll take our leave. Keep in touch, and if there’s any news, we’ll inform each other.”

Qing Mu, who had obtained the items, was ready to leave.

Mimicking Si Mu didn’t insist, but instead said, “Before we go, please settle the bill. Friends are friends, and even when we eat, we should pay our share. We shouldn’t freeload.”

“Heh,” Qing Mu chuckled, “You, my friend, are quite something. We’re friends, and you can’t even treat me to a meal. You’re really stingy.”

“No worries, I’ll take care of the bill,” the wealthy Li Ling’er insisted on paying.

Qing Mu couldn’t help but admire her combination of wealth and generosity. Having a wealthy friend had its perks.

After settling the bill, the three of them left Mokuya Restaurant.

They had already taken the day off, so there was no need to attend afternoon classes or evening self-study.

Taking advantage of this free time, Qing Mu decided to teach Li Ling’er and Tian Mi how to properly use the power of Agito.

They found a secluded place where no one was around and began their special training.

—

On the other side,

The Bai Tian team, after investigating the situation at the warehouse, returned to the Yancheng Defense Base to report to Lin Zhendong.

Upon seeing Bai Tian, Lin Zhendong was furious.

“Bai Tian! I didn’t assign this mission to you! Why did you rush in? Do you realize the trouble your recklessness could have caused us? Qing Mu is a powerful reinforcement I had to beg for a long time to bring here. His strength is incomprehensible. Why would you question that? Fortunately, he’s magnanimous and didn’t hold it against us. Otherwise, even a hundred of you wouldn’t make up for the loss caused by one of him!”

Initially, this mission was assigned to another team. Bai Tian, out of boredom and curiosity, happened to encounter the team that was preparing to go on the mission. When he heard that someone could eliminate dozens of Worms, including several adults, he couldn’t believe it. So, Bai Tian immediately seized the mission from the other team’s leader, wanting to see for himself what Qing Mu was up to. That’s when things took a turn for the worse.

If the leader of the other team had known what would happen later, he would never have let Bai Tian replace him on the field. It was just inviting trouble.

Faced with Lin Zhendong’s anger, Bai Tian didn’t dare to argue and admitted his mistake.

“I’m sorry, Minister Lin. This is entirely my fault. Due to my recklessness, I nearly caused significant damage to the Yancheng Defense Base. Regardless of the punishment you decide for me, I’ll accept it. But my team members are innocent. This whole situation occurred because of me personally, and I hope you won’t hold it against them.”

Lin Zhendong was not only Bai Tian’s superior but also a family friend for many years. He had a close relationship with Bai Tian’s father.

He might be arrogant and self-important in front of outsiders, acting like he’s above everyone else, but in front of Lin Zhendong, he dared not display such behavior. If he did, his father would be the first to reprimand him.

“Hmph, now you want to be the good guy? Remember your team members now? Why didn’t you think of them when you caused trouble? Do you know that if you really anger Qing Mu, he could single-handedly wipe out your entire team, and you wouldn’t even have a chance to escape? Do you understand?” Lin Zhendong was not only angry because Bai Tian had offended Qing Mu but also out of concern.

Lin Zhendong had never personally witnessed Qing Mu’s terrifying strength, but he could sense its depth and invincibility from Lin Qianqian’s accounts.

Bai Tian was the son of his old friend, entrusted to him for care. If something happened to Bai Tian under his watch, he would feel guilty towards his old friend. If Bai Tian died bravely fighting against monsters, that would be one thing, at least he would be remembered as a hero. But if he were killed just because of provocation, Lin Zhendong didn’t know how he would explain it to his old friend. His friend might drop dead on the spot out of anger.

Bai Tian kept his head down and didn’t dare to speak. He had just experienced firsthand how terrifying Qing Mu’s power could be, and he had no intention of repeating that experience until he had made a significant leap in strength. Even then, he would think twice before challenging Qing Mu.

Facing Lin Zhendong’s scolding, Bai Tian had no confidence to argue or defend himself. He could only take the scolding obediently.

Sighing deeply as he looked at Bai Tian’s sincere admission of fault, Lin Zhendong, considering their long-standing friendship and the fact that nothing catastrophic had happened due to Bai Tian’s actions, decided not to severely punish him.

However, Bai Tian couldn’t stay at the Yancheng Defense Base any longer.

“Bai Tian, I will call your father tonight and have him transfer you back to the Tiancheng Defense Base. From now on, you will work there,” Lin Zhendong declared.

Bai Tian’s father, Bai Hongwei, was the head of the Tiancheng Defense Base. Tiancheng was another important city in the Dragon Country, with a higher economic and cultural status compared to Yancheng. Therefore, the Tiancheng Defense Base was much more powerful than the Yancheng Defense Base.

Bai Hongwei was concerned that directly bringing Bai Tian into the Tiancheng Defense Base would be seen as favoritism and giving special treatment to his son. That’s why he entrusted Bai Tian to Lin Zhendong at the Yancheng Defense Base, hoping that Bai Tian would achieve some accomplishments there first.

Then he would be transferred back to the Tiancheng Defense Base, making it harder for others to criticize the decision.

The Mach Driver that Bai Tian used was a Rider Drive secretly developed by the Tiancheng Defense Base, something that the Yancheng Defense Base didn’t possess. It was a device specifically sent by Bai Hongwei, Bai Tian’s father, to keep his son safe. Having the Mach Driver and its formidable combat capabilities, along with the Heavy Acceleration bug-level ability, Bai Tian had grown increasingly arrogant and stubborn, often not listening to others. However, the Mach Driver’s combat prowess did help him achieve significant feats, which led others to overlook his behavior and further fueled his pride.

If Bai Tian hadn’t stirred up this incident, Lin Zhendong wouldn’t have paid much attention to him. But now things were different. Bai Tian had provoked Qing Mu, and although Qing Mu had graciously said it was no big deal and that he wouldn’t seek trouble, one could never be certain in such matters. To err on the side of caution, it was better to send Bai Tian back to Tiancheng. This way, even if something happened to Bai Tian, it wouldn’t be Lin Zhendong’s responsibility.

“Minister Lin, are you kicking me out of the Yancheng Defense Base?” Although Lin Zhendong said he was transferring him back to the Tiancheng Defense Base, it was evident to anyone with a discerning eye that this was more like exile. Bai Tian felt a sense of defeat in his heart. Getting beaten by Qing Mu was one thing, but now being sent back to his hometown because of Qing Mu made it even more difficult for the proud Bai Tian to accept.

However, considering Qing Mu’s terrifying strength, staying at the Yancheng Defense Base didn’t seem very appealing either.

“Bai Tian, you need to understand that I’m doing this for your safety. Returning to Tiancheng, away from Yancheng, is the only way to ensure your true safety. Do you understand?” Lin Zhendong tried to persuade Bai Tian earnestly.

If Bai Tian stubbornly refused, Lin Zhendong wouldn’t want to force him to leave. After all, both parties had their pride.

“I understand, Uncle Lin. I accept all the arrangements. I’ll pack my things and head back to Tiancheng tomorrow. I won’t continue to trouble you here. Thank you for taking care of me all these years,” Bai Tian bowed deeply to Lin Zhendong and then turned and walked away.

The events of today had dealt a severe blow to his pride.

He needed to find a place to digest everything that had happened. Otherwise, he felt like he would break down. Bai Tian had the audacity to leave just like that because he had connections and going back to his hometown, Tiancheng, meant he could continue living carefree. However, it wasn’t as easy for the other team members who remained behind.

Several of them stood there, waiting for Lin Zhendong’s instructions.

“You guys can go for now. I’ll find a new leader for you and assign tasks later. This matter doesn’t concern you, so don’t worry about it,” Lin Zhendong waved his hand, signaling them to leave.

Relieved, the team members quickly bid farewell to Lin Zhendong. They were spared from any punishment and were finally free of Bai Tian’s erratic leadership. Bai Tian’s arrogant and overbearing personality had become increasingly difficult to tolerate, even for those who followed him.

Although Bai Tian’s team members couldn’t stand his behavior, they had to put up with it because of his formidable strength. He could easily suppress them individually, so they chose not to confront him directly.

With Bai Tian’s matter settled, Lin Zhendong could finally relax. Sending Bai Tian away was a positive development for him. Bai Tian’s presence in Yancheng was like a thorn in his side. Any minor issue or disturbance would quickly be known to the Tiancheng Defense Base, and Lin Zhendong found this situation rather uncomfortable.

However, out of respect for their long-standing friendship and to avoid further ridicule from Bai Hongwei, who had called him several times to mock his mistakes from afar, Lin Zhendong had refrained from taking harsh actions against Bai Tian. There were times when he wished he could send someone to teach Bai Tian a lesson.

With Bai Tian gone, he could finally enjoy some peace of mind. Lin Zhendong sat back in his office chair, rubbing his temples to relieve stress.

Knock, knock, knock!

At that moment, there was a knock on his office door.

“Come in,” Lin Zhendong put away his weariness and regained his dignity as the head of the Yancheng Defense Base.

Gu Yu pushed open the door and entered the office.

“Minister Lin, I have some important news to report.”

“What’s the matter? Please, go ahead.”

Gu Yu’s reports usually brought good news, so Lin Zhendong was curious and hopeful. He wondered if it was related to a breakthrough in the technology of a Rider Drive.

Excitedly, Gu Yu said, “Through my research, I’ve discovered that Miss Lin Qianqian has a very high compatibility with the Undead Rider System, even surpassing 100% at times. I believe she’s the most suitable candidate to use this Rider Drive system. So, I’d like to request your permission to let Miss Lin Qianqian become the user of this Rider System.”

To replicate the Blay Buckle and Rouse Cards and research other related matters, having access to specific data was crucial.

The data they currently possessed was limited, so they urgently needed a Symbiotic User to harness the power of this Rider System in combat. Gu Yu had been busy searching throughout the Yancheng Defense Base for a suitable candidate in recent days. To his surprise, the most suitable person turned out to be Lin Qianqian.

If it were anyone else, Gu Yu would have directly approached them for a discussion. However, Lin Qianqian was different. She was Lin Zhendong’s beloved daughter, and nobody would dare to allow her to use an unknown Rider System without Lin Zhendong’s consent. If Lin Zhendong found out, he would undoubtedly be furious.

“What? Qianqian has a high compatibility with that Rider System? Is it really true?” Lin Zhendong found it a bit hard to believe. He had never considered Lin Qianqian as a full-fledged combatant. He had given her the Zero-One Driver and the Rushing Cheetah Progrisekey mainly to meet her demands and to provide her with a means of self-defense, just in case.

Now, hearing that they wanted to switch Lin Qianqian to another Rider System that they hadn’t fully mastered yet, Lin Zhendong started to feel conflicted. What if this Rider System posed some danger or had safety risks? It could be disastrous for his daughter.

Lin Zhendong began to worry about Lin Qianqian’s safety. However, in order to gather the necessary combat data, Gu Yu had no choice but to push forward and address Lin Zhendong:

“Yes, Minister Lin, based on my initial assessment, Lin Qianqian indeed has the highest compatibility. She is the best candidate to use this Rider System, and no one else matches her level of compatibility.”