Chapter 589 - THE COVER-UP

One month later…

Akira took a shaky breath and looked at the meandering road ahead of her. The revving engine of the car was a little ominous. She hoped that she was not sweating. She did not want to ruin her makeup. Unfortunately, she could not her erratic heartbeat. 

"Are you afraid?" Hu Lei smiled at her. 

"Of course, I am afraid," Akira responded. 

"There is still time to make a run for it." Hu Lei said. "But Kaito will probably find you, no matter how far you run." 

Akira looked at Hu Lei flatly. "I am not afraid of marrying Kaito. I am afraid that you will kill us both before we get to the wedding." 

Hu Lei waved her small gloved hands carelessly before grasping the steering wheel again. Her eyes looked at the road sharply. 

"Do not worry. I have been practising." Hu Lei said. 

"Remind me. How many vehicles have you totalled since you started driving?" Akira rolled her eyes. 

"Just two." Hu Lei responded. 

Akira gave her another flat look. 

"It was really just the two cars. The third one was only slightly dented." Hu Lei replied. "I have gotten better. I am considered one of the best drivers right now." 

She had crashed Zhong Feng's main car quite badly after she crashed into their gate at Azure Woods. Then, she lost the yellow sports car she won from Shun's Hidden Realm game. That was after she mastered regular driving and decided to get started with racing cars. 

When she collided with a road barrier with that yellow car, Zhong Feng was furious. She had been driving alone and failed to make a smooth turn on one of the roads near the house. Luckily, her reactions were quick, so she was not injured. After she placated Zhong Feng, he cooled down and started teaching her again. 

As for the third incident, it was just a small occurrence when she secretly went to an illegal car race in Supreme City. She hid the evidence from Zhong Feng, even though she suspected he might have found out. 

But she mentioned it to Akira out of guilt.

"I still don't get how you were able to survive as an assassin without knowing how to drive," Akira said. 

Hu Lei smiled a little as she thought of her old life on the road. She had thought about learning several times, but she found that she was more effective on a motorcycle. There was no need to waste time driving. 

"I am a resourceful lady." Hu Lei said. "Are you ready?" 

Before Akira could respond, the vehicle shot up the road like a black bullet. This beautiful machine was Yuan Haoran's La Voiture Noire. It did not look like the kind of car to use on a wedding day. But Hu Lei thought it was the perfect thing. 

Her heart filled with some sadness as she thought of Yuan Haoran and Jiang Yinuo. After they left Martial Island, they learned of the explosion near the island. Zhong Feng was monitoring the area using satellites, so she saw what happened. 

If Zhong Feng had not disabled the jammers that kept Martial Island under the radar, they might not have known the end of the two people. 

But they had seen it. 

Yuan Haoran and Jiang Yinuo blew up the secondary island where people from Martial Island extracted their rare material. Perhaps, it was their way of making sure that the island would not rise again after the matter of their exposure to the rest of the world blew over. 

And this precaution was a good thing. 

The initial reports about Martial Island were quite fierce. After all, it was like finding a hidden civilisation in the modern-day. However, after a few days, a statement was issued by a few international officials working with the United Nations. 

According to these statements, Martial Island was an experimental setup meant to study the effects of isolation on the human population. A lot of jargon was thrown about to explain the continuous cover-up of the existence of Martial Island. 

There were already talks about making Martial Island an official sovereign nation. At this point in time, Martial Island was sensationalised as a step for humanity preparing for potential apocalyptic events. No one mentioned the fighting and the outsiders found on the island that night. 

If the island with the rare material had not been destroyed, Martial Island would have become more powerful than ever. 

The sacrifice Yuan Haoran and Jiang Yinuo made was not for nothing. Hu Lei felt that strange sadness well up in her heart again. The image of the couple sharing one last kiss as the island turned into fire haunted her.

"Watch the road! Blood will mess up my dress." Akira shouted. 

Hu Lei snapped out of her morose thoughts. She was not afraid of crashing. She had already internalised driving to the point she could make her calculations along the meandering road without deliberate intent. She had achieved autopilot status. 

Still, it was better to be cautious on the treacherous road. 

Her lips quirked up into a smile as she floored the accelerator. The black car was beautiful in its majesty as it weaved through obstacles on the road. The feeling was exhilarating that even Akira stopped worrying and smiled. 

Before long, they saw the platinum sign indicating their destination: Clarion Extreme, The Summit. The bottom of the mountain had the normal racetrack, a sports car dealership and the usual attractions, just like the Clarion in Supreme City. 

However, Wang Che had outdone himself by creating a dangerous road up the mountain for extreme racing fanatics. Furthermore, there was an exclusive club at the top, The Summit. And this was the venue for the wedding. 

Hu Lei came to a sudden stop outside the majestic gate. Two smart valets appeared almost from nowhere and stood at the side. Hu Lei stepped out of the car and helped Akira step out since her white wedding dress was a little bulky. 

Then, Hu Lei looked at Akira with a serious expression in her eyes. 

"I know that we have not known each other for long, but you should know that you can count on me. Do not be afraid to ask for help when you need it." Hu Lei said. 

Akira leaned forward and hugged Hu Lei tightly. "You are truly foolish. If you keep being so nice, people will take advantage of you." 

Hu Lei just laughed and patted her on the back.