Mark's Racing Triumph

Mark got out of the simulator station as he finished the last of his tests. At the beginning of each test, he stayed still to process the knowledge about the vehicle he had to drive, which happened with the Ground test, as he drove a jeep that he hadn't ever had the chance to drive.

But he saved some time by deciding the route he would follow beforehand. He had used his <Beginner Hacking> Skill to check the following simulation, and more specifically, the location of each checkpoint and the best route to take.

Of course, the System had some routes in its programming that were the ones that should be the best choice, but still, Mark had adjusted them a bit. Since he used his Skill from inside the station and the simulation, he had less of a challenge of doing something like that undetected.

The air test was his worst of the four since he prepared for it, and the next test, at the same time as he had started that test. Still, his time wasn't that bad at 4 minutes and 28 seconds, and he had his aircraft at 82% durability, as he failed to avoid some of the bullets from enemy aircraft, which were part of the simulation.

The ground simulation took him 3 minutes and 15 seconds, and similar to the Air test, he had other land vehicles hunting him, but also, some parts of the terrain could cause some damage to his vehicle if he wasn't careful. His final durability was 95%, as he couldn't know where the obstacles and enemy jeeps would be as the System decided those random when the simulation started.

At the underwater simulation, he drove a submarine, which wasn't as complicated as he expected, at least not as much if compared to the plain. His time for that test was 3 minutes and 8 seconds, and he finished with 100% durability, as the enemies he faced there were much easier than expected.

Finally, for his space test, he drove something very close to the aircraft instead of a rocket. The way to drive it was similar too, which led to needing less time to proceed with the knowledge needing how to handle it, as the knowledge appeared when he 'entered' the vehicle.

His time on the space test was 2 minutes and 10 seconds, and he finished with 98% durability, as he took some damage from some miscalculation on his part over avoiding some small debris in space.

But Mark was happy with his results, as even if he didn't see any mention of other timings, he found out that there were recordings of past sessions. He beat the best times of all except for the air test, but he wasn't that far as the best time was 3 minutes and 58 seconds, but he beat the majority on his final durability.

As Mark got out of the station and looked towards Julian, who didn't look as confused or surprised as Mark expected.

"Hmm… that was fast. Did you crash on all of them? "

Mark understood now why Julian wasn't surprised about the results since he wasn't aware of how well Mark did. There was no function for people to spectate the simulation, but they could check the results anytime.

"Well, there is one way to find out, I guess, "Mark said as a grin appeared on his face, bringing confusion to Julian's face.

Julian got a tablet like the one Claire has and opened an application that allowed him to connect to all the simulation stations and check any recent entries of timings, etc. He connected to the one that Mark used, and after checking the entries, he looked back at the station number and then back to the tablet. He repeated it several times as he finally turned his gaze to Mark.

"What… how… who are you? "Julian said, with apparent confusion in his voice.

"I am Mark, a truck driver, "Mark said as he widened his smile.

Julian squeezed his eyes a bit as he tried to inspect everything about Mark, which the latter didn't mind. After all, being a truck driver would help him with the ground test at most, and on that, not that much.

"Hehehe…. it seems today is a lucky day. So what size do you wear to order your suit? They are adjustable because they make them form a particular material, but it is all good to have them made at your size, at least, "Julian exclaimed with evident excitement.

Mark didn't get the time to say anything, as Claire walked between him and Julian and spoke instead.

"I need to remind you that Mister Mark isn't assigned to your Department yet. The decision is still to be made. "

Mark didn't mind Claire speaking for him, as he didn't think the Transportation Department would be that good for him. Although driving things like the aircraft and the 'spacecraft' were exciting, other than leveling up his <Beginner Driver> Skill, it wouldn't be convenient for much else.

The Mechanic Department was similar as it would help develop his <Beginner Mechanic> and possibly his <Beginner Hacker> Skills, as also his <Appraisal>, but he needed something to help himself level up, which the Combat Department seemed to be more suitable.

Claire and Julian started arguing as Mark began to look around, using his <Appraisal> on everything to get it to level up.

"What do you think you are doing here? "Mark heard an unfamiliar voice yelling from behind him.

Mark turned to see the person who spoke, but as he saw them, he froze.

"What are you staring at? Are you another pervert? "the female driver said with obvious annoyance.

Mark snapped out of his daze from her last comment, and he understood why she did it as he was staring at her two 'mountains.'

'The legends are true. They really exist.'

They weren't the size of watermelons, but not the size of a full-grown melon, somewhere in between. Her driving suit was tight, showcasing every curve. It also had a zipper at the front, which she had lowered a bit, letting some of her chest skin be visible to all, but she wore other clothes to cover her chest area.

Mark swallowed some saliva as he didn't know what to say. It almost felt like he had forgotten how to speak, as the woman in front of him was the closest to his dream woman he had ever had the chance to meet up and close--- at least appearance-wise.

"Are you some kind of experiment that they had released after doing you a lobotomy or something? Explain yourself before I drive my car over you, "the woman exclaimed.

"I… I am to joi…"

"Mister Mark, we need to move for your final debrief, "Claire's voice came from behind him.

Mark turned towards him and realized what he almost did. He was going to tell this woman that he was going to join the Transportation Department. Even if he doubted doing so would be something he couldn't take back, he didn't consider it wise to lie to her if he wanted something to start between them.

"Oy, don't ignore me. So you are a recruit? Then what are you doing here? This isn't the testing area, "the woman continued speaking to Mark in a frustrated voice.

"I am sorry. I was just curious and looked around. It won't repeat," Mark said with his best apologetic voice, but it didn't work as much as he wanted as he didn't turn to look at her as he spoke.

"I will let you go this time. But next time, I will kick your ass if I see you around like that again. "

'She has an intense personality, too. Interesting. '

Mark tried to clear his mind over thinking about this person and followed Claire away. As he exited the garage, he wondered if meeting this person was a coincidence or Julian had sent her. Even if Julian couldn't know his type, he doubted she wouldn't tempt any man at a point.

"You better stay away from 'The Red Devil. 'Nothing good will happen by being around her? "Claire said as they made some decent distance for the garage.

"Red Devil? Whose nickname is that? "Mark questioned, even if he was a good idea about the answer.

"She is one of our best drivers, at least at this place. Because she prefers red on her coverall and her dominance over the road and others that dare to be on her way, people call her that. But she is wilder than you think, so the best you can do is just stay away. Even if the superstitious idiot keeps her around, that doesn't mean she is that nice. "

Mark had to admit that her appearance was devilish too, which could be another reason they called her like that. However, he still didn't give up on trying to speak with her in the future but kept Claire's warning in mind in the background.