I only have one year to live, so I must become a legendary horse girl!

There's even a computer desk, and in the corner of the room there's probably a small... fitness area?

Gotham Carol, who knocked on the door and came in, was a little confused and didn't know how to describe his feelings at the moment.

Is the tutorial lady here? Did I reach the 18th floor again and trigger the truck's passive ability, and then travel through time again?

Are you about to enter the process of burning yourself again? !

However, as someone who had seen big scenes before, Gotham Carol quickly calmed herself down. She looked straight at the horse girl in the center of the room who was now casting a curious look at her.

That was a horse girl who looked like she could only be described as burly. Gotham Carol didn't know the specifics, but conservatively estimated that it was probably about...

This horse girl named Hangxian might be almost two meters tall?

Guigui is simply a super giant.

Gotham Carol thought about it and moved a little closer. As her steps gradually shortened, she was able to see the other person's face more clearly.

Although the hair of the horse girl named Route shimmers slightly with gold when viewed from a distance, especially when the sunlight reaches her, another color can actually be clearly seen when you get closer.

Hangxian's hair is actually a similar black color to Secretariat's, but it is darker in comparison. At first glance, it looks like a touch of night suppressed by the day. His overall figure is also much more slender, and his eyes are more fierce.

Well, Gotham Carol has to admit one thing, that look in his eyes is no longer just fierce, it's like an old hunter who has seen his prey and is staring at Gotham Carol intently.

All the legendary horse girls who came to the door touched their cheeks curiously. Strange, there is nothing on my face... Never mind, anyway, I still have to ask first, right?

"Um, Miss Route? What's going on around here?"

"Oh, you mean these in this ward?"

Hangxian grinned. She actually looked a little disheveled. For example, although her mental state was very beautiful, she was wrapped in a lot of bandages. The big Band-Aid on her smooth and delicate cheek was particularly conspicuous.

From the overall feeling, Gotham Carol even makes people wonder whether the route suffered an accident during training.

Could it be that the secretary-general asked me to come here so that I could supervise the training of the flight attendants and prevent any accidents?

"This is because I got hurt so many times over there, by the aqueduct. After living there for so long, it just became like this. Occasionally...? Okay, maybe not occasionally. Most nights I choose to stay here too."

"Staying here overnight...?"

Instead of going home?!

Gotham Ode didn't understand and was greatly shocked. It was the first time she had heard of such an incredible situation.

You mean, as a horse girl who wants to stay away from pain as much as possible, you often end up in the hospital due to injuries, and then you even simply decorated a home here and live here at night?

Damn, are all American horse racing girls monsters?

Gotham Carol was silent, then she looked over with a tentative look.

Regardless, things like this need to be confirmed, right?!

"You mean, Miss Airline, uh... you treat the hospital as your permanent home, and you often need to be hospitalized for recuperation due to injuries like this one?"

"Yeah, you seem surprised? I thought that as a legendary Gotham Carol, she would be more...nice?"

Route spoke in such a matter-of-fact tone that it drove Gotham Carol almost hysterical.

Listen, is this human language? Is this human language?!

Ruby already had a critical impact on my Uma Musume worldview yesterday, so you, don’t suddenly jump out and destroy our worldview!

Gotham Carol really wanted to scream now, but she still relied on a good attitude to maintain her mood. She simply pulled over a chair and sat down without being scared by the performance of the route.

"So, can you tell me the reason for your frequent injuries? Even though we haven't debuted yet, Miss Route, you also know what pain means to Uma Musume, right?"

"Reason? What does it mean? Oh, something like that, of course I know. So, what then?"

She even seemed to be indifferent, as if such things were not something worth worrying about for her.

Gotham Carol was speechless for a moment when she saw the tall horse girl in front of her.

As someone who wants to be a Uma Musume, why would she not care about something like this? This could completely ruin all her future possibilities.

Gotham Carol admitted that she was quite curious about why the route did this, and she didn't know why, but she always felt...

Maybe this kind of thing is related to me again.

But how could that be possible? How could he be the culprit for such an extreme course when he had never even seen it?

"Then at least tell me what you're really trying to achieve, right? Since you're still running so passionately, even constantly sending yourself to the hospital, you must be running for some obsession, right?"

"Running for a quest...? That's not the case—tsk, never mind. I can't really say no, but if I had to, well... I just run in pursuit of the ultimate speed, that's all."

Gotham Carol frowned, chewing on the words "that's all" which was the culprit who let Hangxian finish speaking and turned his head away, not daring to look at Gotham Carol.

The most powerful speed, are you running to pursue something like this?

"Actually, should I say, when I was very young? I saw a horse girl who was my dream come true, a girl who almost fulfilled my current dream."

"That silvery-white light is so dazzling..."

Route whispered these words in a low voice, causing Gotham Carol to tense up.

A dazzling silver-white stream of light...? When the route was very small? And at an extremely high speed?

You're not talking about a rainy day, are you?

"Oh yes, that horse girl looks very similar to you. You should know her name, Gotham Carol? But I won't admit it, even if you show stronger strength, I won't admit it."

Hangxian said this very seriously, and there was a glint in his wide amber eyes that Gotham Carol could not understand, a color that could even be called fanatical.

"Hmm...? If you put it that way, Miss Route, you also acknowledge that I've shown greater strength than that runner on a rainy day, so why don't you acknowledge me?"

However, although Gotham Carol's face was calm when he said this, his heart was already showing emotions that could even be described as broken.

Oh no, this is the nth time that someone disapproves of me because of Bo Mu Liu Ge?

Tamamo's, the heavy rain and the twilight song are still chasing me.

"Because your running is not pure enough. Compared to Miss Mu Liuge, it is mixed with too many other things, too many—"

"That horsegirl on the Arc de Triomphe is running purely out of a desire to be as fast as possible, to break through all the limitations in the world. With such a beautiful figure, even if you two really look alike, and even if many people think you are the same person, I still won't agree with such a thing."

"No matter how fast you run, you can't catch up to Miss Mu Liuge's passion for breaking limits. There are too many other dirty things mixed in!"

The corner of Gotham Carol's mouth twitched. For a moment, she really didn't know how to describe the performance of the route.

I originally thought she was a bad girl, but now I see...

This child might be a fool and silly, hmm... Then, facing such a child, how can we convince her?

However, Gotham Carol has to admit at this moment that Secretariat may have seen through her completely in a certain sense. At least when Secretariat asked Gotham Carol to come to her, she should have anticipated the subsequent developments, right?

Old Thing No. 2, you're plotting against me...! However, I'm willing to give this an interesting challenge a try.

"Really? That's really puzzling. Clearly, I'm stronger than you. So, how about trying it out? What do you mean by "impure human running"? My top speed?"

"Alright...! Let's run, who's afraid of who?"

Route responded as if it had no idea what Gotham Carol's mentality was in issuing the challenge, and Gotham Carol naturally curled up the corners of its mouth when it saw such progress.

"Very good, then we'll wait until you're discharged from the hospital... No, why did you get up from the bed?"

"What do you mean by wait until I recover? It's just bleeding. I can still step on you!"

Gotham Carol was silent. She looked up at the flight path in front of her, which was supposed to be two meters high, and complained silently in her heart.

If you don't use other means besides running, you might really step on me to death.

Chapter 158: I will never accept it!

But in the end, Gotham Carol still felt that it had underestimated the route's determination to not care about bloodshed in every sense.

What kind of mentality does the horse girl have to be able to say these words?

Honestly, Gotham Carol only felt that she could say such words a long time ago, long before she even attended the Arc de Triomphe.

At that time, she was selfish and powerful, and even wanted to have nothing except her strength. In such a completely unconnected situation, it was natural for the horse girl named Mu Liuge to run at the risk of her life.

Because at that time, life was the most precious and least worthy property for her.

But now it is indeed as the route said, Gotham Carol itself does not have the courage and awareness to burn like that -

Even though he showed enough strength in the Japan Cup because of his sister's determination, he did not have any intention of letting up and was completely committed to the game. This level of competition was far different from the mentality he had at the Arc de Triomphe, where he would move forward quickly even if he died.

And what kind of determination do the contrasting routes demonstrate?

When Mejiro McQueen wanted to have a race with Route to protect her sister, Carol chose to go into battle herself. Route, who received such an answer, was still wrapped in bandages, but she was determined and unyielding and took Carol out of the hospital and stepped onto the sand track of the New York Aqueduct Racecourse.

Mud track racing, or sand track racing, is not actually a popular event in Japanese horse racing as a whole. In fact, Sunday Ningjing and Secretariat are more inclined to be strong experts in mud track racing. As for grass track racing, at least during her lifetime, Sunday Ningjing did not show too strong strength.

Gotham Anthem has made no achievements in this regard - of course, if we are just talking about the name of Gotham Anthem, in fact, Dusk Flowing Song has a very outstanding performance in the mud.

After all, the American Triple Crown is a clay court race with very short breaks in between.

"Is it really okay? I don't remember you ever participating in a mud race. I mean, even a legendary horse girl wouldn't have to take on such a sudden challenge in a field she's not good at, right?"

Hangxian's tone was filled with contempt and suspicion, or rather, she didn't have a problem with Gotham Carol as a person, but she hated the idea of ​​wanting to get involved in a field she was not good at just to prove something.

However, Gotham Carol was not disturbed by the tone of the route. She just looked at the tall horse beside her seriously...

Well, with a height difference of nearly fifty centimeters, Gotham Carol felt like he was looking up at a sunflower facing the sun.

But who is truly that shining sun? Miss Hangxian, let me teach you the true power and might of a legendary horse girl.

"Are you done, Miss Hangxian? If you're starting to get scared now, why not just give up and stop wasting my time?"

Gotham Carol's tone was very cold. She didn't even change into sportswear, but maintained the same casual outfit as when she came, with hot pants and a coat that exposed her legs and abdomen.

At best, I just changed into a pair of dark blue running shoes because I was going to run.

It can be said that such an attitude simply has disrespect written on the face. This outfit is not very convenient for running in the mud in any sense - after all, this is not a decisive outfit that can protect the safety of the horse girl's body, but just a simple daily outfit.

But can this be considered arrogance?

Gotham Carol wanted to deny it, but the next second she grinned happily.

Why not?

She is a legend who has been famous for a long time and is at the peak of her career. No matter from what angle you look at it, there is no need to be so cautious when facing a naughty pony like Hangxian who often ends up in the hospital for various reasons before even making her debut at the beginning of the Year of the Horse, right?

Gotham Anthem cannot be too cautious. After all, she does not have a very close relationship with Route. Moreover, as a legend, if she is too intimidated by Route's momentum and takes it seriously, that in itself may be a kind of "surrender", right?

"You mean, I'll admit defeat? Haha."

"Hahaha, would I admit defeat? Would my route admit defeat?"

This is so hilarious I can't stop... Gotham ode! How dare you say that!

When he stepped onto the starting point of the dirt track and heard the obvious undisguised provocation of Gotham Hymn, Hangxian couldn't even control his anger.

She had no intention of controlling her anger at all—!

"I don't think I'll lose. But you, little Miss Gotham Carol, don't cry when you get olived in the mud later."

"Really? Then I'd like to see who might cry later."

Gotham Carol was quite happy. She glanced at the route beside her and watched her lower her body and seriously assume a starting stance.

In fact, she looks pretty when she is quiet, or rather, her face and body have more of a wild beauty.

Before leaving the ward, Hangxian changed into something that looked like everyday sportswear, which was completely different from Gotham Carol's casual attire.

The route she chose was not hot pants, but shorts that showed off her white thighs, and a slim vest on top.

Paired with her extremely long dark hair, this outfit doesn't make her look flimsy at all, but she doesn't look weak at all... Indeed, she is a two-meter-tall giant.

In short, it seemed that Xianfeng was quite unwilling to admit defeat, or rather, she simply could not accept the possibility of failure.

"One thousand eight hundred meters, training-style, just the two of us, muddy track, the finish line is the marker in front of the stands. No other questions, right? Gotham Carol...?"

"Of course, but it's only 1,800 meters. Is that the distance you train in daily?"

Hangxian nodded, then remained silent without saying anything more, focusing his attention on the runway. Seeing that she had no way to join the topic, Mejiro McQueen could only remain silent. She finally blinked her eyes, picked up the stopwatch, and prepared to fulfill her duties as the third person.

Why do I always feel like I'm superfluous? It's so strange.

"Red, red... green!"

As the familiar voice of Mejiro McQueen replaced the sound of the gate, Gotham Carol had already activated its well-honed muscle memory before the last word fell, and rushed out of the starting point with an absolute lead of more than half a body length ahead of the route.

And the flight line was naturally unwilling to be outdone. The two-meter-tall giant even almost caught up with Gotham Carol when he just started to gain momentum.

With the same stride length, one stride from Route is almost twice the size of Gotham Anthem!

But that was the only unexpected thing at the start.