What Yamamoto failed to account for, however, was this: the Zhuifeng now holding the lead wasn't the same as the Zhuifeng who was desperately chasing earlier. This subtle shift only served to stoke Yamamoto's aggression further. And while this wasn't exactly what Yamamoto wanted, he had accomplished his boss's goal—to anger the Wind God.
"Ha-ha-ha! What's wrong? You think you can overtake me?" Zhuifeng laughed mockingly as he glanced at Yamamoto in his rearview mirror. "Well then, bring it on!"
The tables had turned. Earlier, it was Zhuifeng recklessly chasing Yamamoto, while Yamamoto played the cool-headed leader. But now? Yamamoto was the one gritting his teeth and vowing to force Zhuifeng off the track, while Zhuifeng, in control, expertly blocked his every move. How quickly fortunes change.
Zhuifeng, having learned from experience, had no intention of trying a risky sixth-gear corner again—no matter how tempting the thought. As for Yamamoto, he was tearing through the course like a madman, tackling corners in third gear at speeds of 180 to 200 km/h without hesitation.
It wasn't long before Yamamoto managed to catch up.
"Man, this guy's got some skills," Zhuifeng muttered to himself as he watched Yamamoto execute a series of sharp drifts in his rearview mirror. "His cornering technique is solid."
Maintaining a steady pace—250 to 260 km/h on straights and 170 to 180 km/h through corners—Zhuifeng showed no signs of worry as Yamamoto closed the gap.
That's when Yamamoto's lips curled into a sinister smile. He shifted into fourth gear, his car briefly stalling before surging forward toward Zhuifeng.
"You think you're taking the inside lane? Did you even ask my permission?" Zhuifeng sneered, cutting him off by veering sharply to block the Mazda's path.
"Dammit!" Liu Tang and his crew watching the screen back at the pit all shouted in alarm. Yaoyao and the others couldn't bear to watch and shut their eyes tightly.
But their fears didn't come true—at least not yet. The Mazda swerved, avoiding a collision, and darted toward the outer lane.
"What is he doing?" Liu Tang murmured, a sense of unease creeping over him. Then it hit him. His expression darkened. "Boss is in danger!"
Grabbing his earpiece, he screamed, "Boss! Boss! Can you hear me? Get out of there!"
"Brother Liu, calm down!" Yaoyao tried to steady him. "Boss turned off his earpiece, remember?"
Liu Tang slumped to the ground, defeated. "It's over…"
"What's going on?" asked Huang Mao, bewildered.
Liu Tang let out a long sigh. "That Yamamoto is playing dirty—extremely dirty. Did you notice why he didn't crash into Boss earlier?"
The group shook their heads in unison.
"Of course, you didn't," Liu Tang said, climbing back to his feet. "It's because of the position of their cars. If Yamamoto had hit Boss's car earlier, the impact would've only been on the center of the rear bumper. At most, it would've caused Boss's car to jerk forward slightly—not enough to throw him off the road. That's why Yamamoto didn't follow through."
"So what's his plan now?"
Liu Tang shot them a grim look. "What happens to a car at high speeds if it loses balance?"
"It crashes…" Yaoyao answered softly, her face paling.
"Exactly," Liu Tang said grimly. "And Yamamoto knows this. He's not trying to overtake Boss—he's trying to kill him."
The words hit the group like a lightning bolt.
"What?!" Huang Mao yelled, his voice full of disbelief.
"Think about it!" Yaoyao explained, her voice shaking. "If Yamamoto manages to hit the rear corners of Boss's car, it'll lose balance. On an inner lane, the worst that could happen is Boss crashes into the mountainside. But if he's on the outer lane, and Yamamoto hits the right corner… Boss will go flying off the cliff!"
The group fell silent. Yaoyao's eyes grew misty, and she clutched her chest, silently praying. "Please… don't let anything happen to him."
Meanwhile, Zhuifeng remained blissfully unaware of the looming danger. Having fended off several of Yamamoto's advances, he was actually feeling pretty good.
Yamamoto, however, wasn't done yet. He smirked darkly, veering aggressively toward the outer lane.
"Again? Seriously?" Zhuifeng muttered as he cut Yamamoto off yet again. Then he noticed something strange.
"What the…?"
In his rearview mirror, the Mazda seemed to stall momentarily before veering sharply toward the center line. It was heading straight for Zhuifeng, who had just moved to the outer lane.
"Chinese pig, go to hell!" Yamamoto roared, slamming his car toward Zhuifeng's rear.
"What's he doing?" Zhuifeng's instincts screamed at him to take action.
"Shit!" Realizing the Mazda was about to hit him, Zhuifeng swore loudly and spun his wheel while slamming on the brakes. But it was too late.
BAM!
The Mazda's front bumper collided with the rear of the Audi, the impact sending a shockwave through both cars.
Yamamoto grinned maliciously. "You think you can mock Japan? I'll send you to hell myself!"
But to his dismay, Zhuifeng had anticipated the hit—at least somewhat. Although the Audi spun out wildly, it didn't veer off the road as Yamamoto had hoped.
With his car out of control, Zhuifeng found himself spinning uncontrollably in the middle of the narrow mountain road. The violent rotations blurred his vision and left him disoriented, the world around him a dizzying whirl.
"Stay calm… stay calm!" Zhuifeng muttered to himself, though panic gripped him tightly. Letting go of the gas, he slammed on the brakes while gripping the steering wheel with all his strength, his body pressed firmly into the seat.
But in his heart, he had no idea how to regain control. All he could do was let the car spin and pray for the best…