It had to be admitted that Victor possessed a deceptive charm, usually completely obscured by his manic behavior, wrinkled uniform, and permanently unruly hair.
At this moment, he had changed into a fitted black competition uniform, which revealed his lithe and upright physique. His messy hair looked casually tousled, adding a touch of untamed appeal.
His face, with its sharp, nearly perfect features, was fully exposed to the sunlight. His jawline was clean and sharp, and the corners of his mouth held a natural upward curve, as if ready to spit out a quip or a shocking statement at any moment.
Only when his eyes moved, flashing with jumping light and a madness that couldn't be hidden in their depths, did people remember the true nature beneath this beautiful skin.
Even Wednesday had to admit—from a purely objective, anatomical perspective—that his bone structure and muscle lines were indeed a masterpiece.
This caused the disobedient organ in her chest to stir restlessly again.
Damn it. perhaps I really should get a thorough checkup at the infirmary after the race.
"Hey, what's up?" Victor clearly noticed the sudden silence and focused gazes. He looked down at himself, then raised his hand to flick the small golden bell hanging from his uniform collar. Ding~ came the crisp sound.
"Does it look bad?"
Enid's face turned beet red instantly. Her eyes darted away, afraid to meet his gaze directly, as she stammered, "V-Very good!"
"Thanks for the compliment~ Meow~" Victor winked at her, deliberately acting cute, his mouth splitting into a brilliant and wicked grin.
Pfft— A drop of bright red nosebleed instantly shot out of Enid's nostril.
She flusteredly tilted her head back and covered her nose.
Wednesday clenched her fist abruptly, forcing herself to look away. She took a deep breath, trying to use willpower to suppress the sudden, illogical, and violently abnormal heartbeat.
Arrhythmia. It must be. Need to deal with it immediately after the race.
"On your marks!" Principal Weems' voice rang out through the loudspeaker, breaking the weird atmosphere.
All teams sprang into action, boarding their vessels.
Wednesday felt pardoned. She was the first to agilely jump onto the Black Cat, taking her position at the stern as helmsman. Her cold gaze swept the lake surface, instantly entering combat mode.
Victor followed her onto the boat with a grin, standing in the position directly in front of her.
Next was Venom. Although he looked massive, his actual weight might have been lighter than Wednesday's.
Enid came last, still covering her nose with a tissue, standing at the bow with flushed cheeks.
To the front-right of the Black Cat was the Gold Bug, led by Bianca Barclay.
Their boat was entirely yellow, painted with black beetle patterns.
Bianca herself wore a custom yellow uniform.
She glanced back at the Black Cat and its crew, the corner of her mouth lifting in an undisguised sneer.
Wednesday's eyes instantly became sharp as knives.
"Listen," her voice was pitched low, just loud enough for the three people and one symbiote on the boat to hear.
"We have only one goal: crush the Gold Bug squad and cross the finish line first. Anything that happens in the process... is an accident. Understood?"
"Understood, Captain!" Enid nodded vigorously. Having finally shaken off her shyness, her competitive werewolf blood began to boil.
"For chocolate!" Venom growled low.
Victor shook his neck, the bell letting out a crisp ring.
He turned back to look at Wednesday, his beautiful eyes burning with a dark excitement that matched her own frequency.
"Let them hear our bells, Captain."
Bang! The starting gun fired.
Like flipping a switch, several canoes shot out, cutting through the water and rowing furiously toward Raven Island in the center of the lake.
The echo of the starting gun still reverberated over the lake.
Shouts, curses, and the sound of hulls colliding instantly turned the tranquil Black Lake into a boiling pot of porridge.
The Black Cat was like a black phantom, inconspicuous in the initial chaos.
Wednesday stood at the stern, hands steady on the rudder oar, scanning the front with cold eyes like a general seeking weak points on a battlefield.
"Hard to port! Avoid those charging rhinos!"
Wednesday issued the command calmly. Her voice wasn't loud but had extreme penetrating power, instantly cutting through the surrounding noise.
Enid paddled furiously at the bow. Her werewolf strength meant every stroke generated massive thrust. Her short blonde hair was wet with spray, sticking to her cheeks flushed red from excitement.
Victor was in the middle. His paddling style was... unique.
He didn't rely on pure muscle power, but used a movement with a bizarre rhythm—sometimes rapid, sometimes slow—as if playing a crazy concerto with the water surface, yet his efficiency was incredibly high.
Venom simply merged his lower body into the hull, extending a dozen black tendrils to churn the water madly like a biological motor, boosting the Black Cat's speed up a notch instantly.
"Whoa! This feels awesome!" Venom growled excitedly, his huge white eyes fixed on Bianca's Gold Bug ahead.
"It's like mixing a giant lake of chocolate milkshake! Even if the taste is a bit off!"
Just then, a purple canoe named The Pit and the Pendulum made a sharp turn, leaning toward the Black Cat with malicious intent.
Click-clack! With a sharp sound, two gleaming long-handled axes sprang out from the sides of its hull! Using the centrifugal force of the boat's swing, they swept horizontally toward the waists of the Black Cat crew like the Grim Reaper's pendulum!
"Duck!" Wednesday barked, dropping low first.
Enid reacted extremely fast. Her werewolf agility allowed her to flatten herself against the bottom of the boat almost instantly.
Victor let out a strange yelp and threw himself backward dramatically, his back nearly crashing into Wednesday's chest.
Without thinking, Wednesday raised her knee and drove it precisely into his lower back, stopping his momentum.
"Keep your distance, Victor!" Her voice carried a trace of barely detectable gritted teeth.
She didn't understand why every time this human heat source got close, her precise physiological system would throw error messages like a virus infection—arrhythmia, elevated temperature. Simply ridiculous!
"Ura! So exciting!"
Victor was pushed back but wasn't annoyed in the least. instead, he roared excitedly, waving his paddle chaotically from his supine position, nearly hitting Enid in the head.
"Hey! Watch it!" Enid exclaimed, dodging.
"Enid! Port side mechanism! Activate the lance!" Wednesday commanded quickly, trying to cover the momentary chaos with tactical orders.
"Wait! Let me!" Venom's voice was filled with irrepressible excitement and wildness. His giant white eyes locked onto the two swinging axes as if seeing a favorite toy.
He suddenly separated more mass from Victor. A thick black tendril rapidly condensed, transformed, and hardened—
Under the horrified gaze of the crew on The Pit and the Pendulum, Venom's arm instantly morphed into a hideous, pitch-black giant battle axe, larger than their entire boat! The blade gleamed with an ominous matte finish in the sunlight.
"Hahaha!" Venom let out deafening, manic laughter filled with the pure joy of destruction. "Axes—are meant to chop vertically to have any kick!"
He didn't use any technique. With the most primitive, violent strength, he raised the giant axe high and chopped straight down onto The Pit and the Pendulum!
"NO—!!!"
The faces of the opposing contestants went paper-white instantly; even their screams changed pitch.
CRACK—!!!
A tooth-aching sound of wood snapping.
Like a hot knife through butter, the giant axe effortlessly split The Pit and the Pendulum precisely in two right down the middle!
Lake water rushed into the breach, and the wreckage sank rapidly.
Several contestants fell into the water, splashing and emitting terrified coughs and whimpers. The look they gave the Black Cat was like looking at a demon that had crawled out of the abyss.
The Pit and the Pendulum: Instantly eliminated.