The screech of tires on asphalt tore through the air as Zhuifeng's Audi skidded wildly, spinning out of control on the serpentine mountain pass. In that terrifying instant, time seemed to fracture, breaking into sharp-edged pieces as the world twisted around him—a dizzying blur of metallic grey, open sky, and the yawning abyss below. For what felt like an eternity, the car spun, the relentless pull of gravity battling against the sheer will of man and machine.It was hard to tell how much time had truly passed, though in reality, it was only a second or two. Finally, with an earth-shaking shudder, the car screeched to a precarious halt, its rear end ominously facing the cliff and its front pointed toward the very edge of the chasm, stretched dangerously across the narrow mountain road. Inside, Zhuifeng sat stunned in the driver's seat, his eyes staring blankly into the void, his mind adrift, grappling with the sudden descent into chaos.On the mountaintop, the audience was frozen in stunned silence. Mouths hung agape, wide enough to fit a whole egg, disbelief etched into every face as they processed the impossible scene playing out before them.
Thirty seconds passed.
One minute passed.
Two minutes passed.
With no movement from the Audi on the screen, Yaoyao collapsed onto the ground, her silent tears streaming down her cheeks. On the other side, Zhao Jie was even more overwhelmed—she fainted directly into Li Ning's arms. Meanwhile, Xu Niannan stared blankly at the screen, her mind frozen, completely incapable of processing anything.
The three girls had completely broken down.
The others—Shorty, Yellow Hair, and the rest—slowly lowered their heads and squatted on the ground, silent and defeated.
Liu Tang, however, stood stock-still, his eyes fixed on the screen. His lips trembled a few times before he finally let out a desperate cry: "Quick! Call an ambulance! Someone call an ambulance!"
"This was premeditated by Yamamoto!" Zhang Song exhaled sharply, his face dark.
Suiying, Zhongshen Racing Team's top driver, shot Zhang Song a glance before getting up and storming out.
"Suiying, where are you going?" the team director shouted after him, noticing the killing intent on his face.
Suiying turned and sneered. "To take care of that Japanese bastard. He's gone too far!"
Hearing this, most of the Zhongshen Racing Team members stood up, nodding in agreement, clearly ready to back him up.
"Sit down!" The director's voice thundered, momentarily revealing a flicker of emotion before he quickly regained his composure. "Have you all forgotten who you are? Do you know the consequences of starting a fight here?"
Despite his stern tone, the director himself was struggling internally. His rage mirrored theirs, but he had a hunch this wasn't over yet. Deep down, he believed that the Wind God would rise again—and when he did, this whole incident would reach a proper conclusion.
Seeing the director, normally mild-mannered, now so serious, everyone, including Suiying, reluctantly sat back down.
"Damn it," Suiying muttered under his breath, slamming himself into his seat, his frustration palpable.
Yamamoto, meanwhile, was paralyzed in his car, cold sweat dripping down his back. Only now did he remember the original purpose of this race. He sat there dumbfounded, his mind a whirlwind of fear.
Forget about the 10 million yen reward—what would he tell his boss, Shimada Kanrei? His boss was infamous for his ruthless punishments.
Five or six minutes later...
"Wait! The Wind God moved! The car's moving!"
Mu Xin's sudden shout broke the silence, snapping everyone's attention back to the screen.
Inside the Audi, Zhuifeng blinked back to awareness, shaking his head as clarity flooded back. Memories of the chaotic spin crystalized in his mind, followed by a realization of the precarious position he found himself in. Despite the turmoil, a grin spread devilishly across his face."Hah! I really am a genius. Even after all that, I didn't let him overtake me!" He laughed bitterly, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Alright, let's keep going!"
Quickly, Zhuifeng angled his car diagonally across the road to block any immediate attempts by Yamamoto to pass.
"Phew! That scared us to death!" Mu Xin exclaimed, her voice filled with relief. With her cue, the camera zoomed out to show the spectators on the mountaintop, their faces finally lighting up with smiles again. But Mu Xin's expression soon turned grim.
"However, if this race continues with the same intensity we've seen so far, I'm afraid those smiles won't last long."
Her foreboding resonated with the collective anxiety wrapping the crowd in a silent cocoon. Though they wished to cheer, tension sealed their lips, suppressing their voices into a tense buzz that permeated the still mountain air, broken only by Mu Xin's voice.The two cars idled for a moment, engines rumbling, tension stretching tautly across the night like a drawn bowstring. The atmosphere throbbed with anticipation, the silence crackling as both vehicles readied for another pulse-pounding round.
Bang!
A muffled noise rang out as both cars surged forward, tires screeching violently against asphalt, engines roaring—a cacophony that echoed against the mountain ridges like a storm unleashed.
Yamamoto had calmed down somewhat. He knew he couldn't afford to let his rage spiral out of control, especially with his boss watching closely. He began racing with more precision, biding his time.
Zhuifeng, for his part, had no clue that the earlier crash was intentional. With his focus back on the race, he felt more at ease as his familiarity with his car grew, weaving through the narrow mountain roads like a fish in water.
Yamamoto, however, was no slouch. He pushed himself to the limit, staying right on Zhuifeng's tail, keeping him under constant pressure.
Together, the two cars tore through the mountain pass like fleeting shadows. The only evidence of their presence was the fading sound of screeching tires and the gentle swirl of fallen leaves in their wake.
"Something's not right!"
Zhuifeng frowned as he exited a corner, an odd sensation prickling at his forehead.
He lifted one hand from the wheel and instinctively touched his head. When he pulled it back, his grip on the wheel faltered. His hand was red with blood.
His heart skipped a beat, and his hands trembled. The car swerved dangerously close to the edge of the cliff.
"Damn it!" Yamamoto shouted in his car, slamming on the brakes as he watched the Audi wobble erratically ahead of him. "What the hell is he doing?"
The audience on the mountaintop was equally confused, unsure what was happening as they watched the bizarre scene unfold on the screen.
After fumbling around the car for a moment, Zhuifeng finally found the earpiece he had angrily tossed aside earlier. He hurriedly put it on.
"Liu Tang! Liu Tang! Can you hear me?"
"He turned the earpiece back on!" Yaoyao exclaimed. "We can hear you! Wind God, listen to me—be careful of Yamamoto! He deliberately crashed into you earlier!"
"I don't care about that right now!" Zhuifeng interrupted, his voice shaky. "Something's wrong—I've got a problem!"
"What happened?" Liu Tang asked, his heart tightening.
"I... I'm bleeding!"
"Where's the injury?" Liu Tang demanded, his worry rising.
"My forehead, I think!" Zhuifeng took a deep breath. "There's... there's a lot of blood."
"Well, duh, wounds bleed! How big is the injury?"
"I don't... I don't know!" Zhuifeng stammered, his voice trembling. "Damn it, I'm... am I afraid of blood?!"
"Boss, can you keep going?!" Liu Tang's voice was steady but urgent.
Biting his lip, Zhuifeng glanced at Yamamoto's Mazda in his rearview mirror. "I can... I can keep going. But once this is over, I'm heading straight back. No celebrations."
"Listen, if you can't, don't force it! Your safety is more important than anything else," Liu Tang urged, his brows furrowed deeply.
"I'm fine… trust me… I can do this." Zhuifeng tried to sound confident but was clearly struggling.
Using his sleeve to wipe the blood from his forehead, Zhuifeng gripped the wheel tightly and muttered, "Alright, let's go."
Yamamoto, seeing the Audi steady itself, immediately surged forward, resuming the chase.
Unbeknownst to Zhuifeng, the true test of the race was just beginning.