The time was now 11:30 PM. Bashan Mountain, an unremarkable and ordinary peak that was never known as a scenic spot, was bustling with activity tonight. For the locals who were used to the pitch-black silence of this mountain after nightfall, the crowd and lights tonight were unimaginable. The mountain summit, typically deserted, was now brightly illuminated and packed with people.
"Grandpa, why is the mountaintop so bright?"
The old man stroked his beard, which had accompanied him through decades of life, and mused, "Perhaps a god has descended to earth."
Indeed, there was a god present. But it wasn't the kind of god he had in mind—it was the Wind God, the racing world's Wind God!
Tonight's extraordinary challenge had drawn countless spectators to witness the birth of a miracle. It was here, in this seemingly ordinary race, that the legend of the Wind God would begin—a glorious yet tragically brief chapter in his life.
Koizumi Junichiro knelt on the ground, drenched in sweat. Half an hour had passed since his defeat, yet time seemed to crawl unbearably slow for him. His soaked shirt clung to his chest and back as the weight of his failure pressed down on him.
"Yamamoto, it's your turn. The rest is up to you."
In the suffocating silence, the voice of their boss finally broke the air. His tone was low and heavy, carrying an unsettling chill. "But because of Koizumi's performance, you'll have to work harder. Make sure to provoke the Wind God, push him to his limits before the bends, and crush his spirit. Got it?"
"Boss, don't worry. Forget anything else, with $10 million on the line, I'll make sure everything goes as planned. Just sit back and watch." Yamamoto smirked, adjusting the standard racing suit he was wearing. "Heh, Koizumi, goodbye for now."
What a show-off. You're just a league third-place finisher, Koizumi muttered inwardly, a scornful smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"Boss, I…" Koizumi started hesitantly, unsure how to salvage his position.
Their boss tossed his cigarette to the ground with a sigh. "Get up. Forget it."
Koizumi, surprised by the moment of leniency, quickly stood up and mumbled, "Thank you, boss…"
"But," the boss added coldly, "your pay will be cut in half after this."
"...Understood." Although he felt humiliated, he knew the rules of their organization: the capable earn more.
"Now, get ready. Xiao San is already in position and prepared to extract us if needed."
"Yes, sir."
As their boss climbed into his car, Koizumi cast a glance at the discarded cigarette butt and froze. The cigarette was resting atop the asphalt, rather than pressed into it. Something about it felt strange. However, aware of his current status as a failure on probation, he refrained from asking questions.
Had he spoken up, the outcome of the night might have been very different.
----
"Idiot."
In a nearby surveillance van, one of the technicians monitoring the scene spat out the word as he stared at Koizumi's figure on the screen.
"Pfft…"
Hearing the sound of the car door opening, the technician spun around. "Chief, why are you only here now?"
Li Feng smiled wryly as he entered. "Got chewed out by the director. What's the situation now?"
"Things are heating up!" The technician grinned. "Haven't you noticed how excited everyone is? The Wind God just crushed the Japanese driver earlier, and now the real showdown is about to start!"
"Bang!" Li Feng smacked him on the head with his police cap. "Who told you to talk about that? I'm asking about what you've found on the surveillance monitors. Remember, we're here on official business, not as racing fans! Sometimes I really don't understand how you even passed the police academy. And for the love of all things, stop calling yourself my apprentice!"
"Relax, Chief. Don't worry—I'm on it." The technician pointed to the screens. "Here's the footage from the monitors we've set up. No major issues so far, but check this out… That guy on the left is Koizumi Junichiro, the one who raced the Wind God earlier. And this guy here—judging by his racing suit—is probably Yamamoto, the one racing next."
"Stop!" Li Feng suddenly shouted, his eyes narrowing as he focused on one of the figures on the screen. "Why is he here?"
"Who?"
"That man!" Li Feng pointed to a tall man dressed in black. "That's Shioda Kenrei, the younger brother of Shioda Kenshi, the current leader of Yamaguchi-gumi. He's 39 years old, holds U.S. citizenship, and is notorious for his ruthlessness. Whether it's murder or arson, his face never betrays a hint of emotion—just cold and calculating. If Kenshi is the most domineering leader in Yamaguchi-gumi history, Kenrei is the most cunning and brutal member. He was the mastermind behind last year's Tokyo subway bombing that killed over 100 people and injured hundreds more. Unfortunately, due to a lack of evidence, the Japanese National Police couldn't touch him. But what is he doing here? What's his objective?"
Li Feng slumped into his chair, his mind racing.
"No way…" The technician's jaw dropped. "Chief, if your earlier analysis is correct, and those recent robberies were their doing, it makes sense why he'd dare show up in public like this. He's relying on his reputation to intimidate everyone!"
"We don't have any solid evidence," Li Feng said with a sigh. "Do you have any proof? And besides, I'm starting to doubt my earlier theory. Would someone like Shioda Kenrei personally get involved in petty theft? I might have miscalculated…"
"Chief, you can't be wrong! It's gotta be him. Haha, just wait until we catch him—we'll all get promoted for sure!" The technician grinned, already daydreaming about being celebrated as a hero.
"Shut up!" Li Feng barked, smacking him again. But inwardly, he couldn't shake the feeling that Kenrei's presence here meant something much bigger than a simple race.
"Brother Liu, look—isn't that the Japanese car?"
Liu Tang scanned the area anxiously, his mind elsewhere. "Yeah… But where's the boss? He said he'd drop off Teacher Chen and come right back. Why isn't he here yet? Could something have happened?"
"Relax!" Yaoyao said casually. "With the boss's driving skills, how could anything happen? There's still over 20 minutes until the race starts—he'll definitely be back in time."
"But…"
"See! I told you he'd come back. Isn't that him?"
Liu Tang turned to see Zhuifeng's car pulling in and immediately rushed over. "Boss! I thought you ditched us again! 555…"
Zhuifeng froze, feeling weirded out. Why does this sound like something a girlfriend would say? "Do I look like someone who'd ghost you?"
The group burst into laughter, collapsing to the ground in exaggerated amusement.
Watching the carefree group joking around, Xu Nianran felt faint. "How are they not nervous? The race is about to start!"
"I wouldn't believe he's the Wind God if I hadn't just seen him beat that Japanese guy," Li Ning muttered, pouting. Suddenly, her expression shifted. "Wait, Xiao Jie, where are you going? Hold on—who's that?"
"What?" Nianran turned to follow Li Ning's gaze.
"Wu Hao! What's he doing here?" Li Ning exclaimed, quickly rushing over.
"Hey, wait for me!"
Watching the group gather around a tall, handsome young man, Xu Nianran couldn't help but feel curious. Judging by what they're saying, he's a high school classmate. But the atmosphere seems… off.
"This is…?" Nianran asked.
"Oh, this is Wu Hao. He's our classmate from high school. And this is our roommate, Nianran." Li Ning quickly introduced him before turning back to Wu Hao. "Why are you here? Aren't you studying at Peking University?"
Wu Hao gave Nianran a polite smile. "Hello. I am at Peking University, but I've always been into racing. When I saw online that there'd be a big race here, I came to check it out."
"What?! You came all the way from Beijing just for a race?" Nianran gawked, her jaw dropping.
"Tch!" Li Ning scoffed. "Watching the race is just an excuse, isn't it? You're really here to see someone, right?"
"Well…"
Watching Wu Hao's awkward expression and Zhao Jie's embarrassment, Nianran couldn't help but smirk. Ah, I see what's going on. This guy's here for Xiao Jie!
"I just wanted to see what the Wind God looks like," Wu Hao said, trying to change the subject.
"Don't bother explaining," Li Ning interrupted with a sly grin. "I bet you want to see if the Wind God is the 'Feng Ge' Xiao Jie keeps talking about."