Chapter 158 - 117: A New Title
At his words, the color that had just returned to Yaoyao’s cheeks drained away in a flash. Her little head started shaking so fast it was like a bobblehead with a motor, and she refused for dear life.
"No way! I’m not playing anymore! Not even if you kill me!"
"Hahaha!"
Seeing her like this, Chen Lin couldn’t hold it in any longer and burst out laughing.
He ruffled Yaoyao’s slightly messy hair and said with a smile, "Alright, alright, I’ll stop teasing you. After we finish our ice cream cones, we’ll just wander around the park. Whatever we see that looks fun, we’ll go play."
After finishing their ice cream cones, Chen Lin took Yaoyao’s hand, and they began to wander aimlessly through the park.
When they passed the carousel, Chen Lin expected Yaoyao’s eyes to light up as she rushed over. After all, that was the normal choice for a little girl her age.
But to his surprise, Yaoyao only gave the ornate, bobbing horses a brief glance before looking away, completely uninterested.
Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks. Her little finger pointed to a nearby area enclosed by a chain-link fence, from which came the sounds of banging collisions and cheerful laughter. Her eyes sparkled as she said, "Brother Chen Lin! I want to play that!"
Chen Lin followed her finger and was slightly taken aback.
’Bumper cars?’
He looked down at Yaoyao’s eager face and couldn’t help but find it amusing.
’Alright then. This little girl’s tastes really are unconventional.’
Of course, Chen Lin went along with her. He bought two tickets, and they picked out a red bumper car that looked fairly new and climbed inside.
"Brother Chen Lin, you drive! I’ll give directions!" Yaoyao excitedly patted the steering wheel in front of her, volunteering herself as the "navigator."
Chen Lin was responsible for the accelerator pedal, while Yaoyao frantically spun the steering wheel from the side, shouting nonstop, "Charge! Ram the blue one! Whoa! The yellow car is sneak-attacking us! Brother Chen Lin, run for it! Run for it!"
In an instant, the arena descended into utter chaos.
Their little red car, under Yaoyao’s chaotic directions, became the primary target of almost every other vehicle, getting knocked every which way and sent spinning around the rink.
But Yaoyao, far from being scared, was laughing her head off. Her bright giggles echoed in Chen Lin’s ears.
Seeing the little girl so happy, Chen Lin’s mood soared.
However, right at that moment, a long-unseen, pale blue screen of light suddenly lit up before his eyes.
Chen Lin froze for a second.
[Host detected driving a vehicle with a passenger!]
[Of the thousands of roads, safety is always priority one!]
[Mission Requirement: Drive for 1 minute. Maintain the host’s and passenger’s life and safety.]
[Reward Title: Little Driver]
[Little Driver: With safety as a prerequisite, you can always drive any vehicle with ease!]
Chen Lin’s hands remained on the steering wheel, still in the posture of driving a bumper car, but mentally, he was already roasting the system.
’Maintain life and safety?’
’In this clanging, clattering bumper car rink, where the top speed is probably less than five kilometers per hour, just how unsafe can it be?’
’Is someone going to actually flip a bumper car or something?’
However, before he could finish his rant, the system’s notification chimed in his mind once again:
[Evaluation complete. 1 minute has passed! The lives and safety of both host and passenger are secure!]
[Mission Complete! Reward has been distributed!]
"..."
’Alright then.’
The system had finally granted him a new title after more than a month. Despite the long wait, Chen Lin felt no awkwardness at all. Almost subconsciously, he began to test its effect.
The moment the [Little Driver] title activated, Chen Lin suddenly felt an unprecedented, wondrous sense of control. It spread from the steering wheel and the accelerator pedal under his foot, permeating every fiber of his being.
It was as if, in that moment, the little red bumper car was no longer a cold machine, but an extension of his own body.
He could even clearly understand and predict the forces acting on every corner of the car’s body, as well as the angle and force of every impending collision from the surrounding cars.
This feeling was probably what novels and comics often called—"man and machine as one"!
The very next second, the entire dynamic in the rink changed.
A yellow bumper car came barreling toward them aggressively from the side.
In the split second before impact, Chen Lin gave the steering wheel a slight, almost imperceptible turn.
"BANG!"
The two cars collided, but the little red car’s rear was only lightly grazed. It used the force to slide away like a nimble fish. The yellow car, however, had used too much force and crashed head-on into the side rail.
Before the driver of the yellow car could react, a blue car charged at them from the front.
Instead of retreating, Chen Lin advanced. He stepped on the accelerator, angled the car slightly, and met the charge head-on.
"BANG!"
The two cars collided at a tricky angle. The blue car instantly lost control, spun around halfway, and exposed its vulnerable side perfectly to a green car that was just charging over.
"BANG!"
With a loud crash, the blue and green cars smashed into each other.
In the following minute, Chen Lin, driving the little red car, put on a magnificent bumper car driving show in the chaotic rink.
Just as another car was about to hit him, he would always manage to make a minimal adjustment to his car’s angle, neutralizing the force of the impact.
Even better, on several occasions he used the angles of collision to redirect the opponent’s momentum, causing them to slam into another car before they could even react and triggering a chain reaction.
"Wow! Brother Chen Lin, you’re so amazing!"
Yaoyao, beside him, seemed completely unaware of the change in Chen Lin. She only felt that their little car, which had been passively taking hits just moments ago, had suddenly become invincible. The various fun collisions made her little face flush with excitement, and she couldn’t stop giggling.
When the round ended and Chen Lin drove the little red car back to the starting point, the other drivers in the rink were all looking at him with astonishment.
Leaving the bumper car rink and seeing it was getting late, Chen Lin left Joy Valley with Yaoyao, who still wanted more.
He first safely escorted Yaoyao home, and while there, arranged the details for future tutoring sessions with Liu.
Chen Lin suggested that to let Yaoyao experience a learning atmosphere in advance, he would pick her up and take her directly to Yannan University for their Saturday tutoring sessions from now on.
When Liu heard this, she was overjoyed. It was exactly what she had hoped for. She nodded repeatedly in agreement, and the more she looked at Chen Lin, the more pleased she was.
Leaving Yaoyao’s house, Chen Lin walked home alone, his mind still mulling over the new title he had just acquired.
’At first glance, it seemed ordinary, but in reality, it was incredibly powerful.’
’After all, when most people see the word "Driver," their first thought is just about driving cars.’
But by now, Chen Lin was thoroughly familiar with his system’s usual tricks.
’The descriptions the system provided were always strictly literal.’
’When it said "drive any vehicle," it meant not just cars, but—including but not limited to—planes, ships, tanks, maybe even a Gundam...’
’Ahem. As long as it could be defined as a "vehicle," I could instantly and instinctively master it, and pilot it with perfect control, provided it was safe!’
This train of thought reminded Chen Lin of something.
’I really should go get my driver’s license.’
’After all, by the end of this month, I’ll be getting another five million-plus in cash.’
’When that happens, it’ll be time to buy myself a decent set of wheels.’