Chapter 975: Two Jacks

Ten minutes ago, the detention center.

The cold light of the steel corridor flickered slightly in the blind spot of the surveillance cameras. Jack Atlas leaned against the hard bunk of the detention cell, his red and black jacket draped casually over his shoulders. He stared at the ceiling, his knuckles tapping impatiently against the metal bed frame.

"Tch... what exactly are Ushio and his bunch investigating? Their efficiency is pathetic." He muttered to himself, sparks of irritation suppressed within his purple eyes.

Jack was naturally hot-tempered; being inexplicably slapped with a charge of "intentional assault" left him with a belly full of fire and nowhere to vent it.

"Click."

A soft sound came from the electronic door lock. The moment the red light turned green, the pressurized door slid open on its own.

Jack sat bolt upright.

"... What's the situation?"

The corridor was eerily silent; even the usual mechanical sound of the patrols had vanished. He stood up and walked to the door, pushing it tentatively—the door swung wide open, revealing an empty passageway.

"Hey! Is anyone there!"

No one answered. The emergency lights cast pale strips of light on the floor, and the exit sign in the distance glowed a ghostly green.

Jack narrowed his eyes.

A trap? Or...

He stepped out of the cell, his boots clashing against the metal floor with a clear echo. The surveillance camera at the corner, which should have automatically tracked moving targets, was as dead as if its power had been pulled.

"Ha..." He suddenly laughed, his fists clenching until they creaked. "Interesting. Since someone is 'inviting' me to leave—"

His pace quickened abruptly as he rushed toward the impound warehouse, relying on his memory. Every security door along the way was strangely left open, as if the entire facility had suddenly dropped all its defenses for him.

He arrived at the impound area, the D-Wheel storage garage.

The "Wheel of Fortune" was parked quietly in the center, its silver-white body gleaming under the overhead lights like a blood diamond. Jack ripped off the dust cover, his fingertips brushing over the familiar control panel.

"Old partner, it seems someone is more anxious than we are."

The engine roared the instant he touched it, and blue flames erupted from the turbo exhaust. When the D-Wheel charged out of the warehouse, the alarm system finally screamed in delayed realization, but all the interception gates were a beat too late—

"Boom—!"

The silver meteor shattered the final protective glass, and Jack charged into the night amidst a sky full of crystal shards. In the rearview mirror, the entire Public Security Bureau building was shrouded in an eerie silence, save for a figure flashing past a window on the top floor.

Jack gritted his teeth and twisted the throttle to the max.

"Don't think you can scheme against me like this... you bastard!"

The D-Wheel drew a dazzling trail of light across the cross-sea bridge. Deep within the detention center, on a surveillance terminal screen that had been deliberately turned off, a hand wearing a white glove was reflected—slowly pressing the reset key for the master control system.

The burly figure revealed a smile, as if seeing prey take the bait.

Got him.

Jack Atlas was indeed a simple-minded, single-celled organism; he had walked into the trap so easily.

Jack Atlas gripped the D-Wheel handles tightly, the roar of the engine howling in his ears. The night wind whistled past his face, and the city's neon lights stretched into blurred bands of light at the edge of his vision. He had to leave the jurisdiction of the Public Security Maintenance Bureau as quickly as possible and find evidence to clear his name.

However, just as he was about to drive onto the cross-sea bridge, a blinding white light suddenly flashed in his rearview mirror.

—Another D-Wheel was closing in at an astonishing speed.

Jack frowned and instinctively accelerated, but that D-Wheel followed like a shadow, not falling behind in the slightest. What shocked him even more was the appearance of that D-Wheel... it was exactly the same as his "Wheel of Fortune"!

"How is that possible...?"

His "Wheel of Fortune" was one of a kind; there was only one in the whole world. Yet, the D-Wheel before him—whether it was the streamlined body, the layout of the turbo engine, or even the details of the tail wing—was identical down to the last bit. The only difference was that its paint job was pure white, gleaming with a cold luster in the night.

Jack's D-Wheel had been modified after participating in the WRGP, adding some blue paint and the Team 5D's logo. But this new Wheel of Fortune before him was pure white, clearly the design he had when he was the Duel King in New Tongshiye before joining Team 5D's.

Looking at this D-Wheel was like looking at the ghost of his past self. The two vehicles gradually rode side-by-side, and Jack turned his head sharply to look at the other driver's seat.

—Then, his pupils contracted sharply.

Sitting in the driver's seat of the white "Wheel of Fortune" was a person exactly like him.

The same short golden hair, the same sharp purple eyes, even the arrogant curve of the corners of his mouth was identical. The other person was also staring at him, his eyes carrying a cold scrutiny, as if he were sizing up his own reflection in a mirror.

"Who are you?!" Jack barked.

The other person didn't answer, only slightly hooked the corners of his mouth, revealing a trace of an eerie smile.

The next second, the white D-Wheel suddenly accelerated, slamming into Jack's vehicle!

"Tch!" Jack quickly adjusted his direction, narrowly avoiding it. The two vehicles scraped against each other at high speed, sending out blinding sparks, the sound of metal grinding sharp and ear-piercing.

"Fake...!" Jack gritted his teeth, anger burning in his eyes. He twisted the throttle hard, and the engine erupted with an even louder roar, attempting to shake the other person off.

However, the white D-Wheel clung to him like a bone-eating maggot, refusing to let go. Even more terrifying was that the other person's driving skills were on par with his own; every turn and every acceleration seemed to anticipate his moves.

"Who the hell are you!?" Jack was furious.

"Don't you already know the answer?"

The Jack opposite him sneered.

"I am the King, the Duel King Jack Atlas!"

"Don't joke around!" Jack raged, "What is your purpose in imitating me and framing me, you bastard?"

"Imitating?"

The Jack opposite him laughed out loud.

"A true King wouldn't be stupid enough to be easily caught by the Public Security Maintenance Bureau. In that case, you should be the fake, shouldn't you?"

"What did you say!?"

Jack was enraged.

"Heh heh heh, your strength and dignity seem to have been lost along with the King's power." The Jack opposite him sneered, "Really, having to go to the trouble of pulling those strings at the detention center just to get you out..."

Jack was startled: "Was it you who let me out just now?"

"The current you has long since lost the glory of being a King!" The Jack opposite him shouted, "Now that you've lost all that, you're the fake, and I am the real deal!"

As he spoke, he raised his right arm high, pointing a finger at the sky, declaring with extreme arrogance.

"There is only one King, and that is me, Jack Atlas!"

Jack was stunned.

Not because it felt like seeing his own dark history from his middle-school phase.

But because this fake before him—whether it was the voice, the expression, the actions, or this unique middle-school temperament—was simply truly himself!

Even if it were an imitator, how could they imitate him to such a realistic degree?

"If you're not convinced, why not try it out."

The Jack opposite him sneered, activating the Wheel of Fortune's Duel Mode.

"Let's see how many moves the current you can last under the hands of a true King like me."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 976 =====