Extraordinary Pedigree.

Chapter 702 Horse Racing: Gun of Morning Light V
The city is a greedy monster. In its black cavity, thousands of souls are churning. We are silent but grateful. In the hustle and bustle, we crawl in its nest of flesh and blood.

Its pulse roars like thunder, swallowing the vibration of life. Its limbs are made of iron and concrete. Every street, like an artery, sends away our last breath.

When we approach the end of our lives, what awaits us is the fate of being digested and the remnants crushed by the city.

Flesh, blood and bones will turn into soil, becoming the sacrifice that nourishes its endless growth. Everything we have will eventually return to dust.

Become the driving force that keeps the great machine moving forward.

Civilization, flourishing, yet draining us with every breath,

Until we are left with only shadows for this monster to continue walking at the end of prosperity.

So I'm going to...

Kill this monster!

—Mikhail Garcia.

*
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Terra calendar 1591.2.03.
08:30AM. Weather/Sunny to cloudy.
Manhattan New District-Central Park Arena.

The Central Park stadium is located in the most prosperous area of ​​​​Manhattan's new district and blends perfectly with its surrounding natural environment.

This stadium was built by the 'Extreme Speed ​​Construction Company' which was created by the New World Correction Value Economy. It cost 15% of the New York City's fiscal year revenue to build and is full of the collision of high technology and natural beauty.

Huge vertical forests stand on both sides of the track. The lush trees seem to be within reach, surrounding the entire stadium in a vibrant ecosystem.

Rumor has it that the design fee for the Central Park stadium is about 10 Solid gold coins.

This is not a small amount.

Now let's calculate based on the exchange rate between New World and Junction in [Financial Street]:
1 Solid Gold Coin ≈ 9790.21 Western Dollars.

The Central Park Racecourse is one of the most unique venues in Umamusume racing, hosting the famous “Oasis Cup”.

This is a long-distance endurance race in which participants need to race in a holographic simulation environment. The track changes constantly as the race progresses. Sometimes it is a forest path, sometimes it is a stream passing through a river, and occasionally it even suddenly turns into an endless desert.

In these ever-changing terrains, horse racing girls not only need speed, but also need to use strategy and endurance to adjust their pace at any time.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg.

In addition to Central Park, the federal government has built four other racetracks in New York, each with its own unique features:

The Liberty Lighthouse, known for its holographic interactive obstacles;

Skyline race, high-altitude racing, thrilling;

Titan Arena, the perfect combination of machinery and strength;
The Manhattan Skyline Racecourse is a high-altitude challenge of a holographic virtual racetrack.

The investment in these racecourses is for the huge profits generated by horse racing.

Event betting, ticket revenue, sponsorship advertising...

The federal government has already reaped enormous wealth from these invisible "gold mines."

Thousands of spectators flock to the stadium every week, investing not only money but also their enthusiasm for the game and the players.

In their eyes, horse girls are not just contestants, they are a new era shaped by capital and financial giants - heroes, idols, and even a part of their entertainment life.

For the federal government, this commercial success has not only brought huge economic benefits, but also led to the vigorous development of surrounding industries.

Due to the influence of horse racing, more and more companies have flocked in, and the peripheral economy, player cards, and virtual currency trading chains surrounding the competition have also expanded rapidly.

For Federal Capital, what they want is no longer just a competition, they want to gradually shape it into one of the entertainment pillars of the entire Terra society.

As the new world beyond the border continued to develop, the federal government's vision was no longer limited to New York.

The federal government has made back more than its initial investment with interest through these horse races.

The giants want more.

They want to harness the horse girl in the federal Triple Crown, which is the most famous of the three races: the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes.

This is the first step to promote, comprehensive and popularize the event in the Eddiesi Federation.

Next, there are the various countries and hubs of Terra, including:

King George V Stakes, Royal Ascot, Arch of France, Empire Cup, Great Western Cross Country, Holy Grail of White...

For these reasons, the giants are even willing to bring the Kingdom of Heaven into the market, or bring the Administration into the market.

They need a visible hand, a strong hand to help them correct market failures, protect public interests or maintain social fairness, and formulate relevant policies to regulate the market.

As long as the pie can continue to grow bigger, the giants will behave politely, generously and selflessly.

At this time, in the audience passage of Oasis Cup.

Xia Xiu stood in the crowd, slowly moving forward with the crowded audience.

The noise from all around was rising and falling, and the atmosphere inside and outside the stadium was tense and heated.

He held his hat with his left hand and held a silver cane in his right hand. His golden eyes scanned the crowd around him from time to time, looking around like a "country bumpkin". His eyes swept across the long queue in front of the ticket office.

Right next to him, a middle-aged man holding a thick competition manual was discussing betting enthusiastically.

“I tell you, the odds this month are much more stable than last month,” the man whispered excitedly, as if afraid of being heard by others.

“Camilla Silver Wings’ odds are 3 to 1 this time, but she has always been very stable in long-distance races and has strong endurance. The most important thing in this kind of race is to exert force in the latter part. I think she has a good chance of winning this game.”

"Don't be so sure!" another voice interrupted, "Although Camilla's odds are indeed good, 'Golden Glory' is not bad either, with odds of 5 to 1. She has always been a fast player in the early stages, and this time the first half of the track is flat grass, which is exactly her advantage."

"But haven't you seen her tactics? She bursts out too strongly in the early stages and often can't hold on to the end. In a 2400-meter race, endurance is the key, and she often loses speed in the last 200 meters."

On the other side, several young people were also discussing game tactics intensely:

"For a 2400-meter track, you must maintain a steady pace in the first 1000 meters. You can't sprint too hard, otherwise you won't have the energy to adjust at the end. The first half of this track has a gentle slope, but the second half has a slope that is suicidal if you get the rhythm wrong and sprint too early."

"Yes, the most important thing in the competition is the balance between speed and endurance. Looking at the contestants this time, 'Arrow of the Grassland' is good at speeding up on the slopes, but her weakness is that she can't control the rhythm well in the first half, which may cause her to be too far apart, and she may not be able to do her best at the critical moment."

"Whose tactics do you think are more suitable?" A young girl interrupted. "Silver Moon Hoof's tactics are the smartest. They advance steadily in the first half, and use the slope to accelerate and sprint in the middle and late stages. This just takes advantage of her endurance."

"Yes, 'Silver Moon Hoof' is very good at taking advantage of the changes in the track, and her race rhythm is very accurate. Relatively speaking, 'Storm' is a powerful player, and no one can compare to her when she rushes, but her tactics are too simple and she can't break the rhythm of the front."

Xia Xiu stood in the crowd, silently listening to the sounds around him.

He gently let go of his spirituality, and the noise in his ears gradually became clearer.

The fourth sword-bearing man in the Kingdom of Heaven eavesdropped on other people's corners, which gave him a feeling of going on an incognito visit to understand the public opinion.

"It's really strange though, I thought the five major events would be suspended for a while."

A middle-aged man in a black jacket whispered, his voice full of suspicion.

"Look, things have been a bit turbulent in the infected community lately. The lunatics from Liberation Hoofbeats staged another terrorist attack, killing the president of the Neutral Union. And those guys from the Workers' Union, I heard they're not at peace either, protesting and stuff. It's really worrying."

His friend next to him immediately poked him and warned, "Shh, keep your voice down! Can't you see there are a lot of infected people here? Don't say such things, it's not good to get into trouble."

The man glanced back and saw several infected people standing on the other side of the team. All of them had serious expressions, especially those with the symptoms of perissodactyly. Although not all of them were equine infected, their expressions were obviously unhappy, as if they were ready to attack at any time.

"You can tell from the queues that they are different from us 'normal people'." The man lowered his voice again and continued to mutter, "I heard that there is a growing conflict between the infected and ordinary people."

"Yeah, we don't really discriminate against them. It's obviously them who discriminate against us and look down on us."

"Also, the Federation boasted about the Triple Crown before, saying that they would give the title of 'Good Times' to the Triple Crown champion and release rare cards. But now, due to the internal struggle between the terrorists and the infected, it has been announced that it will be suspended indefinitely. I think if the government doesn't solve the terrorist attacks and their internal problems, there's no need to mention such a big publicity campaign."

His companion nodded, looking a little nervous:

"That's right. The previous attack almost caused the competition to be suspended. This competition hasn't even started yet and it's already in chaos. If something happens again... maybe we'll be in trouble too."

Several people around who heard this kept silent. Although they did not dare to agree openly, it was obvious that some people felt the same way.

The infected people on the other side watched coldly, their expressions becoming increasingly gloomy, and the atmosphere in this area quietly became tense.

Xia Xiu was gently playing with a [Silver Wings] card in his hand. The silver-haired horse girl on the card was lifelike, as if she was ready to jump out of the card and run to the stadium at any time.

The atmosphere around was still tense. The separation between the infected and ordinary people seemed like an invisible barrier. Although there was no verbal conflict between them, they were like two strings that could break at any time.

The whispers of others, the occasional boos, and the quiet warnings all formed a noisy background sound in this huge stadium.

Xia Xiu, however, seemed to be completely isolated from the tense atmosphere as he walked silently to his seat and sat down.

He just watched the game quietly, not participating in any discussion, nor trying to change the tension around him.

He came here today just to watch the game.

Whatever quarrels occurred among the crowd outside, he had no intention of intervening.

Even if the outside world is changing rapidly, even if the situation is complicated, he will only be a spectator during this week. He knows what he is waiting for.

But he doesn't need to take the initiative to push for all this. He just needs to put out the bait and sit back and wait.

Xia Xiu leaned back in his chair and gently turned the [Silver Wings] card in his hand. The sunlight passed through his fingers, reflecting a tiny ray of light that danced between his fingers.

His eyes were calm, and the tense atmosphere inside and outside the stadium had nothing to do with him.

There was a lot of noise and discussion around him, but it all seemed like background noise isolated from him and could not disturb his inner meditation.

At this moment, I was thinking about things that had nothing to do with horse racing.

"Sophia Williams was nicknamed 'Morning Light' by the nosy Wandsman newspaper.

Relying on inferior peripherals to enter the second stage of the prominent position, at this stage, the secret key slot has been opened, and it has been trying to break through to the master..."

The blond young man's mouth curled slightly. He knew Sophia's background very well, and was well aware of her ambitions and predicaments.

The sun shone through the clouds and onto the tips of his golden hair. Tiny points of light flickered between his hair, making his face appear slightly softer. However, behind that indifferent expression, there was still an elusive sharpness and calmness.

"I'm just joining the game..." His thoughts continued to flow, thinking about the chess pieces that were being played.

"Let me see how many obstacles you can help me clear and prove your worth within this week."

Moreover, this is done without dirtying the Administration and my own hands...

Remove obstacles.

The card in the hand of the fourth sword-bearer of the Kingdom of Heaven flipped slightly with his movements, and light and shadow flickered between his fingertips.

*
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08:55AM.
In the players' rest room at the stadium.

The early morning sun shone through the leaves of the trees and fell on Alicia's face.

She stood at the edge of the track, looking at the Oasis Cup track gradually unfolding in the distance. The air was filled with the smell of dirt and wet grass.

Today is the Oasis Cup competition day, a long-distance race based on endurance and strategy. The holographically simulated forests, rivers, deserts and other complex terrains will test the limits of every horse girl.

However, Alicia's mind was not on the track.

Mother is dead.

The Hoofbeats of Liberation attack took away her mother, Selina Lockhart, president of the Neutral Union.

The moment she heard the news, Alicia's world stopped spinning for a moment.

The woman whom she always longed to understand but could never really approach, the strong and decisive leader in front of the public, the one who always looked at her with indifference and rationality, with ruthlessness and selfishness, and also took away the words that had never been said.

Alicia stood in the players' rest area, her eyes were unfocused, but her heart was filled with huge emotions like a storm.

Surrounded by the hustle and bustle of pre-race excitement, the other horse girls were making their final preparations, but it all seemed to be isolated from her perception.

How was she supposed to continue playing in such pain?
She has always been the champion hope in this field, a "rising star", expected and sought after by countless audiences. Her mother Selena has never concealed her expectations for her.

Alicia became a horse racing girl largely because of her mother. The complicated and repressive mother-daughter relationship was like a chain that bound her tightly.

She longed for her mother's recognition and a little warmth from her cold shell; however, Selina's ruthlessness and resolute rationality often made Alicia feel suffocated.

Now, all of this has been torn to pieces by the bombs that liberate the hoofbeats.

Love and hate, expectation and disappointment are all mixed into a chaos in my heart.

Is there any meaning in such a competition?

As the game time approached, Alicia had to clean up her mess.

As the game time approached, Alicia was forced to gather her chaotic thoughts into her heart.

She walked towards the preparation area, her silver-white horse racing girl uniform reflecting a faint glow in the sunlight, clinging to her taut muscles.

Her ponytail sways gently in the breeze, symbolizing the unique grace and strength of the horse girl.

However, in this brief moment of tranquility, an invisible sense of oppression suddenly descended upon her.

Her heartbeat suddenly quickened, and her skin seemed to sense a tangible murderous intent.

It was a look full of deep resentment, sharp and cold, pressing towards her back like a knife.

Alicia subconsciously turned her head and locked her sight with that resentful gaze.

Standing not far from her was a tall and strong man.

His black curly hair was tied casually behind his head, and his face was filled with anger and hatred that was difficult to conceal.

It was a face eroded by deformation, the grayish-white skin looked pale and cold, and the thick leather was covered with sparse horse hair, especially on the legs and shoulders.

His legs were shaped like horseshoes, which gave him great strength and made his steps heavy and steady.

There were several bone spur-like protrusions on his shoulders and back, like a twisted mark, indicating his identity as an infected person. His combat jacket was covered with metal armor patches, and it was obvious that he had been through countless battles.

He was like a volcano about to erupt, filled with suppressed and twisted murderous aura.

Mikhail Garcia.

Fear washed over Alicia like a tidal wave.

Her limbs were stiff, her body could not move, and her mind was blank.

boom----

Before she could react, Mikhail's figure turned into a shadow and appeared beside her in an instant.

The next second, cold and powerful hands grabbed her neck, and the feeling of suffocation cut her breath like a sharp blade.

The air seemed to be sucked out of her throat, and she could not make any sound. Severe pain spread from her throat to her whole body. Her eyes began to blur due to lack of oxygen, and her face quickly turned red. She could only struggle feebly, feeling that death was approaching.

"Uh uh~~"

There was no trace of hesitation in Mikhail's eyes, and the cold and ruthless murderous intent seemed to have turned into a sharp blade.

He didn't leave her any chance. He gradually increased the strength of his fingers, preparing to break her neck and end her life.

Kill this "traitor", this horse girl who he thinks doesn't deserve to live.

Let her reunite with the mother he killed - Selina Lockhart.

"Qiang——!"

A crisp crash broke the dead silence of the air, and a spear flashing with cold light attacked Mikhail fiercely.

The gun blade tore through the air and struck Mikhail with irresistible force.

His eyes flashed and he reacted quickly. Almost in an instant, he used Alicia in his hand as a shield and threw it towards the blade of the spear without hesitation.

Alicia's body flipped helplessly in the air, despair enveloping her.

Her eyes widened, and the next moment, she clearly saw the gun tip pointed directly at her with strong murderous intent.

Just as the tip of the spear was about to pierce her, a ray of light flashed beside the spear, the movement was light but swift.

One hand firmly grasped the gun handle, and the gun head instantly turned at an incredible angle, shifting the blade by several inches, avoiding Alicia's fatal position.

At the same time, the figure quickly took over Alicia, who was almost unconscious, and held her body tightly.

That's Sophia Williams.

She was wearing a black tight combat suit, her slender body outlined powerful lines, and she looked capable and cool.

Her deep blue eyes were like sharp blades, emitting a cold light. Her golden ponytail was tied up high, swaying slightly with her swift movements.

Sophia's gun case was already open, and the standard-issue spear was flashing a sharp, cold light.

She held Alicia firmly with her left hand, and still held the gun with her right hand, like an unshakable barrier standing in front of the two of them, her expression cold and focused.

"Mikhail." Sofia's voice was as cold as the wind, without any emotional fluctuations.

The look in his eyes was like he was looking at a meaningless target, so indifferent that it made people feel chilled.

Mikhail grinned.

"Long time no see, dear Savior of the Infected, leader of the Pseudo-Human Alliance Movement, Spear of Morning Light - Ms. Williams."

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