"Before the race begins, let me give everyone a brief introduction to the competitors. Of course, there's no need to talk much about the Wind God. But as for his challenger, we've just received the latest information. He's a racer from Japan named Yamamoto. Yamamoto is a driver for the Japanese NISO Racing Team. In the final round of their league's championship, he missed the chance to fight for the title due to an injury, narrowly missing out on being crowned champion. As a result, NISO secured the team championship, but the driver championship was won by Motoyama and Richard Lyon of the XANI NISO Racing Team. Yamamoto ended up placing third in the driver standings, so his skill is certainly not to be underestimated…"
What Mu Xin didn't know, however, was that Yamamoto's so-called "injury" wasn't an accident at all. It was a trap set by Motoyama and Richard Lyon, who had colluded with a criminal organization to sabotage him.
Yamamoto's car:
Model: Mazda RX-8
Wheelbase: 2700 mm
Max Torque: 222 N·m @ 5000 rpm
Max RPM: 9000 rpm
Drive: Front-engine, rear-wheel drive
Fuel Consumption: 11.4 L/100 km
Cylinders: 2 (rotary engine)
Compression Ratio: 10:1
Power-to-Liter Ratio: 111.54 kW/L
Acceleration (0–100 km/h): 6.4 seconds
Top Speed: 250 km/h
---
Hearing a slight unease in Zhuifeng's tone, Liu Tang and the others turned to Gu Deping for clarification. Gu Deping shook his head. "On the surface, there's nothing unusual. But as far as I know, the Mazda RX-8 has a unique feature—it can burn hydrogen. And I don't believe that guy would show up here without modifying his car. If anything, the modifications would make it stronger, not weaker. So, yeah, there might be a bit of trouble…"
After a brief pause, he added, "Besides, considering everything else going on, I'd say this is going to be a tough one."
Gu Deping's analysis wasn't wrong under normal circumstances. However, what he didn't know was that Yamamoto's objective had nothing to do with winning the championship. As a result, the Mazda had not been modified at all—a mistake that the Japanese side would come to deeply regret. If the car had been just a little better, the outcome of this race might have been different.
"Boss, can you handle this?" Liu Tang asked cautiously.
Zhuifeng didn't answer right away. Instead, he lowered the car window slightly, stuck his hand out, and gave a thumbs-up.
Though the photographer hadn't been able to capture Zhuifeng's face earlier when he removed his helmet, they still managed to zoom in on the bold thumbs-up gesture. The sight of the confident hand inspired the crowd to go wild again.
Seeing their boss give a thumbs-up, Liu Tang and the others joined in the excitement, blaring their car horns like maniacs.
The viewers, who had been holding their breath in anticipation of the race, were swept up in the frenzy. Once again, chants of "Wind God! Wind God!" echoed across the Bashan Mountain summit.
"Come on, I wasn't asking you guys to make a scene…" Zhuifeng muttered, awkwardly withdrawing his hand as he prepared himself for the midnight start.
Silence.
The rowdy crowd gradually quieted as the officials stepped onto the track. The mountaintop was now eerily calm. The only sounds left were the rustling of leaves in the wind and the low growls of the two engines.
Yamamoto adjusted his racing suit one last time after checking his car. He cast a sidelong glance at Zhuifeng's Audi A4 and sneered, "Wind God? Heh. Let me show these Chinese what their so-called Wind God is really worth. Wind God? Trash!"
His goal wasn't to defeat the Wind God outright but to suppress him in the crucial bend, fulfilling his boss's instructions and demoralizing the Chinese audience in the process.
But Yamamoto's confidence was nothing more than wishful thinking.
Zhuifeng stared intently at the green flag, his heart pounding in his chest. He told himself it was excitement, but in reality, it was nervousness.
In high-stakes races like this, even seasoned veterans would feel the pressure. For Zhuifeng, who had only ever raced officially once before, the weight of the moment was overwhelming.
Taking a deep breath, he murmured to himself, "Calm down, Zhuifeng… Calm down. He's just a racer—nothing special! You've got so many people supporting you. You've got this! Show these Japanese racers, who think they're the kings of the mountain roads, how ignorant they are! Teach them the meaning of 'frog in a well!'"
The green flag waved. Both cars shot forward at the exact same moment!
"Both cars are off to a flawless start! In the blink of an eye, they've disappeared from view! Now, let's switch to the footage from our on-route cameras to follow their thrilling performance. They're about to approach the first turn… As any racing enthusiast knows, the fastest way to take a turn is through drifting, a technique that originated in Japan. Yamamoto, the challenger, is a Japanese racer, so his drifting skills must be solid. But the question is—can the Wind God, as the crowd calls him, pull it off?"
"Here we go! Both cars are angling for the first apex. The Wind God has taken the inside line…" Mu Xin's excitement was palpable, her commentary peppered with multiple "good"s in a single breath.
Zhuifeng glanced at the Mazda, which was also preparing to drift. A faint, confident smile appeared on his lips.
He slammed on the gas, aiming for the apex. Just as he reached the turning point, he yanked the handbrake. The car's inertia swung the rear around into a drift. But just then, his expression changed drastically.
Damn it! The car's inertia isn't enough to hit the apex point!
Though Zhuifeng had some experience with drifting, this sudden mishap left him scrambling to recover. Releasing the handbrake, he stomped on the gas and spun the steering wheel rapidly in an attempt to stabilize the car.
Meanwhile, most of the viewers watching on TV frowned in unison.
"Something's wrong!" Zhao Jie cried out, unable to contain her worry.
"What's wrong, Xiao Jie? Don't get too worked up!" Li Ning panicked, seeing how pale Zhao Jie had become.
The crowd erupted into murmurs, their nervous chatter growing louder. Only Liu Tang and the others remained silent, their eyes glued to the screen.
"…Both cars have exited the turn, but now one is ahead of the other! Despite taking the inside line, the Wind God is trailing behind Yamamoto!" Mu Xin's tone betrayed a hint of disappointment.
In front of the screens, Zhongshen Racing Team members shook their heads. Even Zhang Song couldn't help but sigh.
"Chairman, it seems the Wind God isn't as great as we thought," Zhang Song muttered.
"Maybe," the chairman replied, a thoughtful expression on his face. "But I have a strong feeling that the Wind God and that mysterious 050302 driver are the same person."
"But…"
"Didn't you notice? His drifting technique was textbook-perfect. He probably didn't expect to misjudge the apex. It looks like a simple mistake."
Zhang Song thought about it and nodded in agreement.
"Boss, are you okay?" Liu Tang's voice came through the earpiece.
"I'm fine. Don't worry about it!" Zhuifeng replied, though his face showed a hint of bitterness. "Hey, buddy," he murmured, patting the dashboard. "Don't hold a grudge just because I've neglected you for the past month. I promise to take you in for a proper tune-up. But for now, you've got to hang in there. Okay?"
Frustration was written all over his face.
He had just managed to resolve an earlier issue he'd noticed on the way to the race, though it hadn't been a major problem. It stemmed from the fact that Zhuifeng, strapped for cash lately, hadn't even been able to afford basic maintenance for his car. For a racer who relied heavily on drifting, this neglect had taken its toll—most notably on the tires, which were now far from optimal.
To the spectators, it might have looked like Zhuifeng was flaunting his signature drifting skills earlier, but in reality, he had been desperately trying to adapt to the car's current condition.
The frustration was overwhelming.
Zhuifeng cast a glance at the Mazda still holding the lead ahead of him and took a deep, steadying breath. Brake, clutch, gear shift, clutch, brake, gas—all executed in one seamless flow. Swinging the car's nose outward, he shifted into fourth gear and darted into the outer lane, aiming to overtake on the long straightaway.
And thus, the infamous race began in earnest—a competition both condemned as a disgrace to the racing world and celebrated for its drama.
But where there are downsides, there are also benefits.
For Zhuifeng, the benefit was undeniable. This controversial race propelled his moniker, Wind God, beyond China's borders and into the global racing scene.