Coming out of the store, we didn't waste time. The shopping was done, the momentary peace snapped like a twig under foot.
I scanned the street until I spotted what looked like a sleek predator crouched on asphalt—metallic silver skin, black-tinted windows, and a low, aggressive frame that made it look more like a weapon than a vehicle. A floating board hovered above it with glowing blue letters: "TAXI."
But it had wheels.
Four of them.
No hovering. No anti-grav. No futuristic hum of arcane-tech propulsion.
Just standard rubber grinding the road.
I stared at it for a second longer than necessary, the bitter sting of disappointment chewing at my chest.
'Why can't I have a flying car? Just why.'
This was Astreel, one of the most advanced cities in this simulation-wrapped world. And yet, I had to settle for a premium-grounded vehicle with the swagger of a sports car but none of the tech-flair.
