Chapter 975: Two Jacks

Ten minutes ago, the detention center.

In the shadowed corner of the steel corridor, cold light flickered faintly. Jack Atlas leaned against the hard bunk, his red-and-black jacket slung casually over his shoulder. He stared at the ceiling, his knuckles tapping impatiently against the metal frame.

“Tch… What the hell are these guys from Niwei even investigating? So inefficient.” He muttered under his breath, frustration smoldering in his violet eyes.

Jack had always had a short temper, and being falsely accused of “intentional harm” left him seething with nowhere to vent.

Click.

The electronic lock emitted a soft sound; the red light turned green, and the airlock slid open on its own.

Jack sat up sharply.

“...What’s going on?”

The corridor was unnervingly silent—even the usual patrol robot voices were gone. He stood up and cautiously pushed the door—it swung fully open, revealing an empty passage.

“Hey! Is anyone here?”

No answer. Emergency lights cast pale white stripes on the floor; the distant exit sign glowed eerie green like a will-o’-the-wisp.

Jack narrowed his eyes.

Trap? Or...

He stepped out of the cell, his boots echoing clearly against the metal floor. The surveillance cameras at the corner, which should have tracked his movement, now lay dead—as if unplugged.

“Ha…” He suddenly laughed, fists clenched until his knuckles cracked, “Interesting. Since someone’s ‘inviting’ me out—”

His pace surged. He sprinted toward the evidence storage bay, following memory. Every security door along the way hung open—strangely, the entire facility had seemingly lowered all its defenses for him.

He reached the evidence storage area, D-Round Parking Bay.

“Lucky Wheel” sat quietly in the center, its silver body gleaming like blood diamonds under the overhead lights. Jack yanked off the dust cover and traced his fingers over the familiar control panel.

“Old friend, looks like someone’s even more eager than we are.”

The engine roared to life the moment he touched it, turbo nozzles spewing blue flames. As D-Round burst from the bay, the alarm system finally shrieked to life—but every interception gate was half a second too late—

Boom!

The silver meteor shattered the final protective glass. Jack plunged into the night amid a shower of crystalline shards. In the rearview mirror, the entire security bureau building was shrouded in eerie silence—except for a fleeting shadow at a window on the rooftop.

Jack clenched his teeth and slammed the throttle to the floor.

“Don’t think you can outsmart me… you bastards!”

D-Round carved a dazzling light trail across the ocean bridge. Deep within the detention center, on a deliberately powered-down surveillance terminal screen, a gloved white hand was reflected—slowly pressing the master system reset button.

The bulky figure wore a smile like a hunter watching prey fall into the trap.

Success.

Jack Atlas was truly a simple-minded single-celled organism, so easily lured into the trap.

Jack gripped D-Round’s handlebars tightly, the engine roaring in his ears. Wind howled past his face; city neon blurred into streaks at the edge of his vision. He had to escape the jurisdiction of the Security Maintenance Bureau as soon as possible and find evidence to clear his name.

But just as he neared the ocean bridge, a blinding flash of white light flickered in his rearview mirror.

—Another D-Round was closing in at astonishing speed.

Jack frowned, instinctively accelerating—but the other D-Round stayed glued to his tail, matching him stride for stride. Worse still, its body shape… was identical to his own “Lucky Wheel!”

“How is that possible…?”

His “Lucky Wheel” was unique—the only one in the world. Yet this D-Round, down to its streamlined body, turbo engine layout, even the tail fin details, was flawless—its only difference: a pure white paint job, gleaming coldly in the night.

Jack’s D-Round had been modified after joining WRGP, adding blue accents and the 5DS team emblem. But this new Lucky Wheel was entirely white—exactly how his car looked before he joined 5DS, when he was Duel King of New Domino.

Watching it felt like staring at the ghost of his past self. The two cars drew parallel. Jack snapped his head toward the other driver’s seat.

—And his pupils shrank instantly.

Sitting in the driver’s seat of the white “Lucky Wheel” was a man identical to him.

Same short golden hair, same sharp violet eyes, even the same arrogant curve of the lips. The other man stared back, his gaze cold and assessing—as if examining his own reflection.

“Who are you?!” Jack barked.

The other said nothing, only curled his lips into a strange smile.

The next second, the white D-Round accelerated violently, slamming into Jack’s side!

“Tch!” Jack jerked the wheel, barely avoiding collision. Sparks flew as the two cars scraped at high speed, metal shrieking.

“Impostor…!” Jack gritted his teeth, fire blazing in his eyes. He slammed the throttle, the engine roaring louder, trying to shake the other off.

But the white D-Round clung like a parasite, never falling behind. Worse—its driving skill matched his own perfectly. Every turn, every burst of speed felt like it anticipated his every move.

“Who the hell are you?!” Jack roared.

“You already know the answer, don’t you?”

The other Jack sneered.

“I am the King—the Duel King, Jack Atlas!”

“Stop joking!” Jack snapped. “What’s your goal—impersonating me and framing me?”

“Impersonating?”

The other Jack laughed aloud.

“A true King wouldn’t be so stupid as to get caught so easily by the Security Maintenance Bureau. If that’s the case, then you’re the fake, aren’t you?”

“What did you say?!”

Jack exploded in rage.

“Hmph. Your strength and dignity… they’ve vanished along with the King’s power,” the other Jack sneered. “Honestly, I had to go out of my way to arrange your release from detention.”

Jack froze: “You were the one who let me out?”

“You’ve lost the honor of being a King!” the other Jack declared. “Without it, you’re the fake. I’m the real one!”

He raised his right arm, pointing one finger skyward, his declaration arrogant and absolute.

“There is only one King—and that is me, Jack Atlas!”

Jack was stunned.

Not because he felt like he was seeing his own embarrassing teenage phase.

But because this impostor—his voice, his phrasing, his actions, even his unique, over-the-top otaku aura—was utterly, terrifyingly him.

Even a mimic couldn’t replicate him this perfectly.

“If you don’t believe it, try me.”

The other Jack sneered, activating Lucky Wheel’s Duel Mode.

“Let’s see how many moves you can survive under the hand of the true King.”

(End of Chapter)