“Why did you bring me here?” Jiang Ming asked, surveying his surroundings.
They were standing in a wide but exceptionally quiet underground passage. Cold white light poured down from overhead, illuminating the smooth metal walls on both sides.
Since he had mentioned considering joining the Order Bureau, Elvira’s spirits had clearly lifted. She had even been acting quite mysterious, saying she wanted to show him her baby.
The Order Bureau’s actual location was different from what Jiang Ming had imagined. It did not exist on any conventional map of the city; instead, it was anchored within the Shadow Interlayer of the real world. One had to pass through specific Beacons or paths to enter.
After all, this place imprisoned too many dangerous entities and stored a massive amount of transcendent materials.
One of the key reasons for this isolation was the Internal Affairs Department’s Hegdam Alchemy Workshop. It was not only the research and development center for Field Personnel equipment but also the place with the highest accident rate in the entire bureau, second only to the underground prison.
As the veteran employees put it: a small-scale leak of Spiritual Essence once a day, and a controlled explosion every 3 days. If the headquarters were built in the city center, there probably wouldn’t be a blade of grass left within a 5-kilometer radius.
Elvira did not head toward the workshop. Instead, she led him through a few forks in the path before finally stopping in front of a heavy blast door. She pressed her palm against the identification panel beside the door. A Blue Light swept over her hand, and the door slid open to both sides.
Behind the door was not a factory floor or a laboratory, but a spacious, private garage. The cold white ceiling lights flickered on one by one, illuminating the mechanical creation parked in the center.
It was a motorcycle.
Its streamlined body was covered in a matte black finish, and beneath portions of the fairing, precision-engineered circuits could be seen faintly pulsing. The headlight was shaped as sharp as a falcon’s eye, and the exhaust pipe was rugged yet simple.
It sat there quietly, yet it exuded a sense of raw power.
On the chassis, a name was engraved in elegant, handwritten script: Rocinante.
Elvira walked over, her fingertips lightly brushing the cold handlebars. Her red eyes reflected the smooth silhouette of the bike, her gaze surprisingly tender.
“This is my baby,” she said, her voice carrying a hint of unabashed pride.
She straddled the bike, and the engine woke with a low roar. The sound was exceptionally smooth, like the breathing of a great beast that had retracted its claws. She turned her head to look at Jiang Ming, who was still standing at the door.
“Get on.”
Jiang Ming raised an eyebrow. Without asking questions, he nimbly sat down behind her.
The next second, another large door at the end of the garage lifted upward, revealing the night view of the real world. Neon lights flashed, traffic flowed like a river, and the damp evening breeze rushed inside.
This door linked directly to reality.
Elvira twisted the throttle.
Rocinante shot out like a black arrow, tearing through the boundary between the Order Bureau’s shadow and the real world, plunging straight into the light-filled streets of Opeth City.
The wind instantly became violent, and the city’s blurred lights stretched into colorful ribbons at their sides. The engine’s low, continuous growl drowned out the clamor of the streets. Elvira leaned her body low, and the front of the bike nimbly cut through the gaps in traffic. Accelerating, turning, and overtaking—every movement was precise and fluid, as if this steel creation were an extension of her own body.
Jiang Ming held onto the back of the seat, feeling the city-scented wind whipping against his face.
Meanwhile, the sound of Elvia’s screams reached his ears. Evidently, while possessing his body, she was not yet prepared for this kind of excitement.
Elvira suddenly leaned the bike low, and Rocinante cut through a curve at a nearly sideways angle. Inertia caused Jiang Ming to instinctively lean forward, his arms reflexively wrapping around her waist.
It was thin, but her waist was tight with core strength. Through her jacket, he could feel the subtle adjustments of power in her body as she controlled the machine.
“Scared?” her voice drifted back through the wind. Her emotions were unreadable, but the speed of the bike seemed to increase by another half-measure.
“I’m just afraid your skills aren’t up to par and you’ll throw me off,” Jiang Ming countered. He didn’t let go; instead, using the centrifugal force of the next turn to steady himself, he tightened his grip slightly.
He felt Elvira’s body stiffen for an almost imperceptible moment before she relaxed. She didn’t speak again, but the roar of the engine grew clearer and more prolonged on the empty riverside boulevard.
The river flowed to their right, reflecting the lights like shattered diamonds. The wind tugged at their hair and clothes.
“Why is it named Rocinante?” Jiang Ming asked, raising his voice.
“What?” The wind was too loud, and Elvira turned her head slightly.
Jiang Ming leaned closer to her ear and repeated himself, “The name! Why call it Rocinante?”
His warm breath brushed against her earlobe. Elvira’s fingers tightened slightly on the handlebars, but the bike’s speed remained perfectly steady.
“It’s the name of a horse,” she answered, her voice drifting back with the wind. “From a story… an old horse. Thin, unremarkable, but able to travel a long way.”
She paused for a moment and added with a rare, almost childish stubbornness:
“My Rocinante is very fast.”
As if to prove it, she suddenly twisted the throttle to the limit.
The engine erupted in a deep, powerful howl. Their speed surged, and the lights on either side instantly stretched into blurry bands of radiance. The intense G-force pressed the two of them firmly against the seat, and the wind pressure was so great it was almost suffocating.
Jiang Ming let out a low laugh. Instead of pulling away, he leaned in closer, his chin almost resting on her shoulder.
“It is fast!” he shouted into her ear. “But it’s more like a monster than a horse!”
Elvira didn’t answer, but he saw the corner of her mouth curve upward very slightly and very quickly. The smile was faint and fleeting, but it had truly existed.
The speed gradually slowed, and the bike finally came to a stop at an open riverside lookout. The engine cut out, and the world suddenly became quiet, leaving only the soft sound of the river lapping against the shore and the distant murmur of the city on the opposite bank.
Neither of them was in a hurry to get off.
Jiang Ming released his grip and leaned back. Elvira took off her helmet, her long black hair a bit messy from the night wind, her face flushed with a light glow after the high-speed sprint. She didn’t look at him, simply staring out at the river and letting out a soft breath.
“How was it?” she asked, her voice returning to its usual calm.
Jiang Ming also took off his helmet and stretched his somewhat stiff neck.
“More exciting than fighting Samuel,” he said with a hint of teasing. “At least this time, I know how I’d die—scared to death by some lunatic racing a heavy motorcycle.”
Elvira finally turned to look at him, her red eyes shining like two warm gemstones in the night.
“You’re clearly smiling,” she pointed out.
Jiang Ming touched the corner of his mouth. He was indeed smiling.
“Perhaps it’s because,” he looked at the flowing lights in the distance, his voice softening, “it’s been a long time since I felt such… pure exhilaration.”
Elvira was silent for a moment, looking in the same direction.
“Me too,” she said softly.
The night breeze blew past, bringing the slightly fishy scent of the river. Rocinante stood quietly beside them, the body of the bike still radiating the lingering warmth of the engine.
“Next time,” Jiang Ming suddenly said, “let me drive.”
Elvira raised an eyebrow at him. “You know how?”
“If I don’t, I can learn,” Jiang Ming replied as if it were a matter of course. “Equivalent Exchange—I’ll teach you something else, and you teach me how to ride.”
Elvira watched him for a few seconds, then gave a very slight nod.
“Deal.”
She put her helmet back on and patted the back of the seat.
“Let’s head back. There are still reports to write tomorrow.”
Jiang Ming climbed onto the bike, his hands naturally resting near her waist once more. This time, Elvira didn’t stiffen at all.
The engine growled low, and Rocinante carried the two of them as it slid back into the flowing river of traffic in the city night.