Fated to Die to the Player, I'll Live Freely with My SSS-Class Ship!-Chapter 112: Eva.exe Has Stopped Working

As soon as the final lap was completed, we veered straight toward the pitstop and drove through it, making our way back to the racers' hangar.

Even though we'd cut off Eden Company's tracking systems, they could still fire at us if we lingered too long in an open area. It was best to stay cautious.

After returning to the hangar and loading the Hunter onto the Range Falcon, we initiated all defense protocols, preparing the ship to block any and all potential attacks. But even after several long minutes ticked by, nothing came.

"…Is it really over?" I muttered, still a little on edge.

"Looks like it?" Eva answered, squinting at the sensors. "They probably gave up after their racers were completely neutralized."

"Ah, right."

We turned the ship's visor screen to display the ongoing situation outside. And sure enough, Eden's ship was still drifting off into the great beyond, continuing on its unintended path without signs of stopping.

Since their ship wasn't wrecked or fully shut down, it couldn't be hauled back automatically. A rescue protocol required an emergency signal sent by the pilot to initiate any forced retrieval. Without that signal, it would be up to the onboard mechanic to fix the ship's systems manually.

But watching them float farther and farther away, it didn't look like anything was happening. No repairs, no movement—nothing. Maybe they had given up. Or maybe they were just clueless about how to respond. Either way, with their systems wiped clean, a return to the race was utterly impossible.

While staying alert for any unexpected retaliation, we quietly observed as the rest of the race unfolded, just as predicted.

After us, Grand Hellsing secured second place.

Thanks to our intervention in adjusting their pacing, they crossed the finish line with a final time of 07:08:44.21—around 429 minutes total. Third place went to Mogul Dank, who finished roughly twelve minutes later. And finally, just as expected, the Undergods took fourth place.

All the final standings fell perfectly in line with our forecast... Or rather, it matched my own precise calculations. While that meant Eva and Cassandra's bets didn't win, it wouldn't impact the magnitude of our overall earnings.

One Quadrillion credits, at the very least!

I couldn't stop the smirk tugging at the corners of my mouth as I pulled out the electronic betting card and scanned it. A bold "Winner" mark now decorated the screen, along with the finalized betting multiplier. It was slightly lower than our original estimate… but still comfortably above the 1,000,000x threshold. No complaints there.

All that was left now was to raid—uh, I mean—claim the prize, and we'd be well on our way to success.

But…

My eyes drifted toward the sleeping figure of Cassandra, peacefully lying in the Medical Cabin's bed. I let out a quiet sigh and shook my head.

"Guess we'll have to postpone things until she wakes up, huh?"

Oh, and as for my hands—don't worry. A single injection did the trick. Hurt like hell, but hey… at least I still had them attached.

I stretched a little, leaving the cabin and heading toward my room in the Range Falcon. But the moment I approached the corner, I was slammed hard against the wall. A hand landed beside my face with force, and another yanked my collar tight.

"…!"

The attacker—Eva—was staring straight into my eyes, her glare so intense it felt like she might incinerate me on the spot.

"You—" Her voice dropped into a low, venomous growl, colder than the vacuum of deep space. "—kissed Casey earlier, didn't you?"

"…Huh?"

I had expected her to accuse me of messing something up during the race… but this? A kiss? Oh. She must mean the emergency maneuver I used to snap Cassandra out of her panic? But why confront me now, when it was a few hours after that moment?

"Well… yeah, I did…" I replied, honest and calm.

There was no point denying it.

She'd seen it with her own eyes, after all.

Eva's brow twitched at my answer. Her jaw clenched, teeth grinding together audibly in the close silence between us.

"I see…" she muttered.

Her voice was soft, but the bitterness in it ran deep. "Casey… she already chose to step back, and yet you… unbelievable…" she added under her breath, too quiet for me to fully make out.

I was trying to read her expression, trying to piece together what was going on in her mind, when she suddenly straightened up. Her head lifted. The anger faded from her eyes—but a deep, frustrated frown still lingered.

"You bastard… What do you even think of Casey? Do you like her?" she asked directly, with zero hesitation.

I blinked, caught off guard. Cassandra and me? I… hadn't really thought about it. Sure, I wouldn't say no to sleeping with her, but to say I loved her? Liked her? I wasn't sure. Not even a slight idea.

"I don't know…" I answered truthfully, with a shrug.

Eva stared at me in silence. I couldn't tell if she found my answer satisfying, disappointing, or just plain frustrating. Her grip on my collar didn't loosen.

Then, out of nowhere, she dropped another bomb.

"Then what about me?"

"…Eh?"

I barely had time to process the question before she pulled lightly on my collar, yanking me closer to her.

And then—

*Smooch!*

Her lips met mine.

A simple kiss. A soft, deliberate press of her lips against mine. No words. No struggle. Just a quiet moment suspended in time.

And yet… something inside my mind cracked. Something broke loose.

"…"

She quietly pushed me back, her expression unchanged—blank yet sharp, with only a faint frown marking her lips. Her red tongue flicked out, sensually grazing across her lips as if to savor the memory of what just happened.

As confusion swirled in my mind, she gave me one final push before turning on her heel and walking away. "Be careful with your actions, or I might do something worse next time," she warned, her voice laced with both danger and teasing, before vanishing around the corner.

I… just stood there, completely stunned.

Rather, what the hell was that?!

My brain spun in circles, trying to piece things together. I didn't even realize how long I'd stayed frozen like a statue until Cassandra finally woke up—four whole hours later.

---

*Tap!* *Tap!* *Tap!*

After leaving Arthur dumbfounded in the hallway, Eva walked briskly through the Range Falcon, her strides fast and focused as she made her way to her room—conveniently located right across from Arthur's.

Once she stepped inside, she quickly shut the door and sealed it, locking it with several overlapping passcodes for extra security.

"Percy, no one is allowed in—not even the captain, Arthur—until I personally open this door. Got it?" she said, firm and unwavering. "Also, shut down all surveillance—both audio and visual—inside my room. Immediately."

[Command received. Temporarily restricting access to Ms. Eva's quarters. Deactivating Surveillance Systems... Complete.]

Satisfied with the response, Eva slowly made her way to the bed and sat down heavily.

She took a deep breath. Then another. And suddenly—like a switch being flipped—her entire face, from the base of her neck to her forehead, flushed bright red.

"I… I…!" she stammered, both hands shooting up to her lips as if to hold in the memory. "I actually did it…! What the hell am I thinking!!!"

Arthur's puzzled face, the firm but gentle feel of his lips, the faint berry flavor—likely from the emergency rations they'd eaten earlier—every single detail replayed in her head in vivid, crystal-clear detail. Like a broken film reel stuck on loop, it repeated again and again.

Ever since she saw him kiss Cassandra, something inside her had been building up. She hadn't realized just how intense the emotion had become—until that moment it all exploded.

Her heart raced uncontrollably, hammering away in her chest, its rhythm loud in her ears. Her breaths came shallow and quick, making her feel dizzy.

And yet… it didn't feel bad. In fact, it felt overwhelmingly good.

"MMM!"

Overcome with everything she was feeling, she threw herself onto the bed and began flailing—rolling around like a woman possessed. The storm of emotions inside her was foreign and powerful—something she had never experienced before.

There was joy. And embarrassment. Hopes and dreams. A sliver of excitement, and the warmth of something far deeper.

She kept rolling across her bed until it was a complete mess of crumpled sheets and tangled pillows. After several minutes of this emotional frenzy, she finally stopped, sprawled out on the mattress, panting heavily. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she stared blankly up at the ceiling lights, dazed and mesmerized.

Her hand moved, once again touching her lips.

A featherlight tap. A subtle stroke… a treasured sensation.

Her cheeks flushed again, and her other hand began to move—gently trailing down from her neck, over her chest, along her abdomen, until it reached lower...

"Hnn~!"

And just like that, Eva's self-control snapped completely.

From that moment on—and for the full four hours that followed—she continued "tapping" away without pause.

---

"To think he'd really win the race."

Back in the Astoraxia Galaxy, within the heavily fortified Astoraxia-001 Star System Military Base, Anderson swirled the contents of his wine glass as he grinned ear to ear.

He was genuinely surprised to see the time gap between first and second place stretch into a few full hours. But even more amusing to him was learning that Arthur's team had taken a casual hour-long nap right in the middle of the race.

"That kid… he sure knows how to tick people off," Anderson laughed quietly, savoring another sip of his wine.

In the periphery of his vision, another report flashed across his terminal. A betting result. A modest summary—yet the payout was anything but. A million-to-one return.

It wasn't just Arthur who made that miraculous bet, either. Eva and Cassandra had similar entries, with only minor tweaks in their specifics. Clearly, this wasn't luck—it was a calculated prediction, backed with just the right amount of manipulation and mid-race influence.

Anderson's grin deepened, stretching impossibly wide.

"As expected of my son…"

He whispered the words proudly, as though speaking to the stars themselves, before tipping the glass once more to his lips.

Today wasn't just a celebration of victory.

But that's not all. Today was historic.

After all, it was the day the three Warp Nexus Fragments would finally, at long last, become one.

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freeweɓnovēl.coɱ.