The media scrum at Silverstone was a wall of noise and flashing lights that Leo hadn’t been prepared for. Journalists who had ignored him for three years were now shoving microphones toward his face, their questions a blurred mess of

"Who are you?"

"Where did you learn to drive like that?"

​"Where have you been hiding for three years?"

​"How does it feel like to secure the F2 Championship Licence?"

​"Was that pure luck, or have you been holding back?"

​"Are you the real deal, or a one-hit wonder?"

Anya stepped in front of him, her presence as immovable as a tank. She didn’t say a word to the reporters. She simply grabbed Leo’s arm and steered him toward the back of the Arcadia garage, slamming the plastic shutters down behind them.

The sudden silence of the garage felt heavy. The mechanics were still there, standing among half-disassembled engine parts and stacks of tires, but they weren’t working. They were waiting on them.

Anya walked to the center of the room and climbed onto an equipment crate. She looked at the small, ragtag team that had become of the now Arcadia Racing. Her eyes were bright, the exhaustion of the previous weeks replaced by a fierce, triumphant energy.

"Listen up," Anya shouted, her voice echoing off the corrugated metal ceiling. "The FIA has officially ratified the test results. Leo Kaito has secured his super-license points. As of ten minutes ago, I have registered him as our second driver for the 2025 FIA Formula 2 Championship."

A stunned silence followed. Then, the garage erupted. It wasn’t the polite applause of a corporate office; it was the raw, desperate cheering of people who had been staring at the edge of a cliff for too long and had suddenly found a bridge.

"We have a full grid now," Anya continued, her voice rising over the noise. "We have a driver who just out-qualified a Prema. The sponsors have started calling. The bank is starting to back off. We aren’t just surviving anymore. We’re racing for evolution."

Leo stood in the shadows, his back against a stack of tire blankets. He should have felt the same joy, celebrating the fact that he was no longer a nobody or ghost in the paddock. But as he looked down at his hands, he saw the faint, ghostly flicker of the Simex interface in his vision.

『FREEDOM UNITS: 17』

The number was a countdown to his rather... Some would say, inevitable death. It didn’t matter that he was an F2 driver. It didn’t matter that he had beaten Julian Vane and other young talents. In seventeen days, if he didn’t return to the pod, the system would kill him.

The excitement of the victory was a thin veneer over a crushing, cold pressure that never left his chest. He was like a dog on a long leash, he could run, he could play, but the collar was always there, ready to snap his neck back toward the Iron Cell.

"Leo!" Anya jumped down from the crate and pushed through the crowd of mechanics to get to him. She wrapped him in a brief, bone-crushing hug. "You did it. Do you have any idea what this means? We’re back in the game."

"I know, Anya," Leo said, forcing a small smile. "It’s great."

Anya pulled back, her brow furrowing as she studied his face. "You look like you’re at a funeral. You just shocked the world, Leo. Take a breath."

"I’m just tired," he lied. "And I’m worried about being rusty. The test was fifteen laps, but a full race weekend is different. I need more time in the seat."

Anya nodded, her expression turning practical. "I agree. We need to get you into the simulator as much as possible before the first round in Melbourne, Australia. Actually, I was talking to the board earlier. Since we have some fresh investment coming in, I’m going to order you the latest simulation model. The CX-500. It has the newest haptic feedback and a 360-degree projection dome. It’ll be a massive upgrade over that old Simex junk."

Leo felt a jolt of panic. "No."

Anya blinked. "No? Leo, the CX-500 is the industry standard. It’s what the F1 teams use."

"I don’t want it," Leo said, his voice more urgent than he intended. He had to think fast. He couldn’t tell her that the "old junk" was a rogue AI that had rewired his brain. "The Simex v9.0... I’ve spent years working on its code. I know the nuances of its physics engine. If I switch to a new system now, it’ll mess with my muscle memory. I need to stay on the v9.0."

Anya looked skeptical. "Leo, that pod is outdated. It doesn’t even have the proper cooling for long sessions. It’s a relic."

"It’s the relic that helped me beat Vane," Leo countered. He leaned in, lowering his voice. "Look, I know it sounds crazy, but I have a rhythm with that machine. I’ve customized the neural interface to my specific reaction speeds. Switching now would be like changing my shoes right before a marathon. Please, Anya. Just let me keep the Simex."

Anya sighed, rubbing her temples. "You’re as stubborn as your father was. Fine. If you want to use that black coffin, use it. But at least let us move it to a better spot in the garage."

"Actually," Leo said, taking a leap. "I want to take it home."

Anya stopped rubbing her temples and stared at him. "Home? To the estate?"

"Yeah. The garage is too loud and busy. I need to be able to jump in whenever I feel the need, late at night, early morning. If I have it in my room, I can maximize my training hours without the distractions of the team. I can analyze my own telemetry in peace."

Anya studied him for a long moment. She saw the intensity in his eyes, the same focused fire she had seen on the track. She didn’t understand why he was so attached to a discarded piece of hardware, but she trusted his results.

"It’s a three-hundred-kilogram piece of carbon fiber and electronics, Leo," she said. "How are you going to get it up the stairs?"

"I’ll manage. I can use the service lift. Please, Anya. It’s the only way I’ll feel ready for Australia."

Anya threw her hands up in the air. "Fine. It’s a piece of scrap anyway; the team won’t miss it. I’ll have the boys load it into the back of my SUV. You can drive it home today. But don’t think this means you’re skipping the physical training sessions with the team’s coach. You still need to build that neck strength."

"I won’t skip them," Leo promised, a massive weight lifting off his shoulders. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

The mechanics helped load the matte-black pod into the back of Anya’s large SUV. They handled it with a new sense of reverence, as if they were moving a holy relic rather than a broken simulator. To them, this box was the secret behind Leo’s "inhuman" speed. They weren’t wrong, but they had no idea how right they were.

Leo took the keys to Anya’s car and drove out of the Silverstone circuit. As the grey grandstands faded in his rearview mirror, he felt a strange sense of relief.

For the first time since he had activated Simex, he was in control of the physical location of his prison. He wasn’t just a technician visiting a machine in a dark corner of a garage; he was bringing the system into his sanctuary.