Damn it! Who did I offend? You want me dead? Fine, but I'm taking someone down with me! Zhuifeng gritted his teeth and stopped worrying about Koizumi, who had long fallen behind. Instead, he aimed straight for Shinohara Kenrei. With Koizumi unable to keep up with their pace, this was now a direct duel.
It looks like he's really lost his temper, Shinohara Kenrei thought, feeling a strange jolt in his chest. Truth be told, when he first heard of Koizumi's defeat and then Yamamoto's failure, a fire had reignited in him—the heart of a racer. As irrational as it was to feel that way in such a dangerous situation, he couldn't suppress the overwhelming urge to race. For some reason, he thought: If I don't race him now, I might never get another chance.
"Big Brother, something feels off," came Xiao San's voice through the earpiece, interrupting Shinohara Kenrei's thoughts.
"What is it?" Shinohara Kenrei snapped, displeased by the distraction. "What's the problem now?"
Xiao San hesitated. "I… I'm not sure how to explain it. The atmosphere at the foot of the mountain is just… strange."
"What do you mean by strange? Are there a lot of police cars?" Shinohara Kenrei let out a cold laugh. He had already anticipated such a scenario. Considering their target's identity—heir to the Oriental Group—this was inevitable. Even if the target were an ordinary person, the commotion would still draw police attention. How could Xiao San not understand that? Shinohara Kenrei sighed inwardly. Xiao San still lacks the composure to handle situations on his own.
"Yeah, there are… but that's not it." Xiao San's voice suddenly became more panicked. "That's exactly what's wrong! There should be police everywhere. This is the only road leading out of the mountain, and with what's been happening, it should be crawling with cops. But it's dead silent here. Too silent. That's what's bothering me."
Shinohara Kenrei's heart skipped a beat, cold sweat forming on his back. His mind began racing at high speed. What does this mean? Have I overestimated the Chinese police or underestimated the importance of the target?
He quickly shook his head. That couldn't be it. The FBI wouldn't feed him false information—it wouldn't benefit them. And as for overestimating the police? Ridiculous. This was Chongqing, one of China's youngest and most prominent municipalities. If anything, they would take a situation like this too seriously, not the other way around.
So what could this mean?
"BANG!"
A violent collision jolted Shinohara Kenrei's car, snapping him out of his thoughts. A powerful impact struck the rear-right corner of his car, throwing it off balance. He lost control as the front of the car swerved sharply toward the outer lane.
It turned out that during his moment of distraction, Shinohara Kenrei had left a slight opening on the inner lane. Zhuifeng, already in a frenzy, spotted the opportunity and immediately lunged forward, forcing his way back into the inner lane. As expected, Shinohara Kenrei was pushed to the outer lane.
"Damn it!" Shinohara Kenrei cursed under his breath. He yanked the steering wheel hard, trying to stabilize the car, but it was too late. Zhuifeng had already wedged half a car's length into the inner lane.
The competitive spirit of a racer surged within Shinohara Kenrei. But, truthfully, someone like him couldn't truly be called a racer—not with the stakes of this "race."
"Damn it all! You think I'm scared of you?!" Zhuifeng, still fuming, saw Shinohara Kenrei recklessly trying to force his way back into the lane. Furious, Zhuifeng stepped on the gas, refusing to yield. He charged forward as if Shinohara Kenrei's existence meant nothing.
"Screech!"
The piercing sound of metal scraping echoed through the mountain road as the two cars collided and ground against each other. Zhuifeng frowned, gripping the steering wheel tightly and pulling it to the right, desperately trying to avoid being shoved into the cliffs.
And so, the two cars, locked in a deadly embrace, continued racing down the mountain.
Zhuifeng and Shinohara Kenrei didn't think much of it, but the situation left Koizumi, who was following behind, utterly frustrated.
The decrease in their speed allowed Koizumi to catch up, but he didn't dare make a single move. In his eyes, if he crashed into them now, Zhuifeng would likely break free from Shinohara Kenrei's control. While Koizumi knew his boss's driving skills were excellent, he doubted Shinohara Kenrei could keep up with Zhuifeng if the latter broke away.
And so, the three cars entered a deadlock.
"Director! Director!"
The broadcast director, who was watching the live feed with Mu Xin, turned around with a frown. "What now?"
"It's bad news. The cameraman just reported that fog is rolling in…"
"Fog? So what? It's Chongqing; fog is normal—wait, what did you say? Fog?!" The director's brow furrowed deeply.
Chongqing, located at the confluence of the Jialing River and the Yangtze River, was famous for its unique geography. It wasn't just called the "Mountain City" or the "Temporary Capital" during wartime—it was also known as the "Foggy City." Tonight's live broadcast relied heavily on aerial shots from a helicopter, with a few camera operators stationed at key turns.
"What do we do now, Director? There's no immediate issue yet, but the meteorological department just sent word that visibility will drop to less than ten meters soon. If that happens, it'll be extremely dangerous for them."
"I'll check with the higher-ups." The director hesitated before responding. He knew the chances of recalling the racers were slim—this was beyond his pay grade.
As expected, the higher-ups didn't seem to care. In fact, they insisted the broadcast team follow the cars into the city, where the military would take over. However, at least the higher-ups weren't entirely heartless.
Beijing, Zhongnanhai, A Certain Conference Room
When a woman who appeared to be only about 30 entered the room, everyone present—including the current Supreme Commander of the military, Commander Song—rose to their feet and applauded.
Although her face showed signs of exhaustion and grief, she maintained her composure and offered a gentle smile before taking her seat at the table. The nameplate in front of her read: Xiao Liji.
"Everyone…" Commander Song stood up and spoke gravely. "You may not recognize this lady, but I guarantee you all know who she is. This is Ms. Xiao Liji, Chairwoman of the Oriental Group, the person who has supported our military for years with both technology and funding."
Xiao Liji rose briefly, nodded, and then sat back down, her face filled with worry.
Though they had mentally prepared themselves, the revelation still shocked the generals in the room. Who would've thought that the person who had quietly supported them all these years was a woman?
Commander Song noticed Xiao Liji's anxious expression. Glancing at the murmuring officers, he banged his fist on the table. "Quiet!"
He glared at the room before continuing, "I know you all have questions, but that's not why we're here tonight. Please turn your attention to the screen…"
Everyone expected to see a military map or some strategic diagram, but the footage that appeared on the screen left them stunned.
"Racing?!"
Commander Song nodded grimly. "That's right. This isn't a military briefing, but it's far more important. While we're all celebrating the revolutionary nuclear suspension technology brought back by Ms. Xiao, do you know the price she paid? Not only did she abandon the business empire she painstakingly built abroad, but her son—who has never even met his mother—now faces assassination attempts by our enemies!
"That car…" Commander Song pointed to Zhuifeng's Audi on the screen. "That's her son's car. And those behind him? Assassins hired by the Yamaguchi-gumi, Japan's infamous crime syndicate!"
One officer stood and asked sharply, "If the situation is tsuspension his serious, why didn't the National Security Bureau step in to prevent it from happening?"