"He messed with the wrong people. This is revenge!" Vanka pushed open the door to his shop. It was pitch black inside. He glanced outside, making sure no one was around, then swiftly pulled Ethan inside.
"Who?" Ethan's eyes widened, waiting for Vanka to continue.
"Joseph." Vanka's eyes flickered with fear.
Joseph runs a racing club on the surface, but behind the scenes, he controls the largest underground betting operation in the area. The so-called racing bets work like betting on the World Cup—you pick the winning team and can earn substantial payouts. It's the same with racing bets. Players who correctly guess the winner's number can get big returns. There are three types of bets: Win, Place, and Forecast, each with different odds. Take the last race, for instance. The odds for the winner were 4.7. If an underdog suddenly took first place, the odds could skyrocket by dozens, even hundreds of times.
Back in 2035, Joseph's club had a rookie racer, Mario Musara, who took first place. The odds for that race reached 49 times. But later, a drunken racer at Midnight Bar spilled some truth: the race was rigged. Joseph's club had its top racer throw the race because a group of rich guys, including Joseph, had all bet on Mario Musara. They paid off Joseph and staged a fake race.
So yeah, Joseph will stop at nothing to ensure his club's racers win. He'll eliminate anyone who gets in his way. And don't forget, there's an unwritten rule in NASCAR: reasonable collisions are allowed. 'Reasonable,' just means the organizers turn a blind eye.
Vanka kept talking. He'd been working there for 12 years and knew the place inside out. Before becoming a salesman, he was just a small-time gofer in the racers' waiting area, running errands, cleaning up used towels and showers. But don't underestimate that job. It gave him a chance to get close to the racers. He knew all their strengths, weaknesses, and the dirt their rivals threw at them. He picked it all up, listening through the cracks while he cleaned.
"So, you think Elton was Joseph's revenge." Ethan sat on the bench in the resting area, cupping his chin in his hands, deep in thought.
"Did he say anything or leave you something before he passed out?" Vanka seemed to realize something, maybe he already suspected.
"He left me a note. It looks like information on the racers in the upcoming competition."
In the darkness, Vanka found a small wishing candle, leftover from a colleague's birthday. It had been tossed into the desk drawer. He was cautious—after all, if he weren't careful, he wouldn't have survived that gofer job, picking up so much information while eavesdropping. He carefully read the note by the faint light, and Ethan leaned in closer.
The note is densely written with the names of eight people: Rosberg Stewart, Prost Johnson, Hakkinen O'Connor, Fangio Martinez, Schumacher Smith, Raikkonen Black, Robert Wilson, and Hamilton Davis.
Vanka immediately locked onto Prost Johnson from these names.
"Prost, the legendary Prost!!" Vanka's eyes gleamed as if he had just seen his idol.
Prost is an old-timer who won the NASCAR finals championship in 2033 and 2034. Those were two very perfect races. Prost is experienced and highly skilled in strategy, remaining calm under pressure in major races, especially in long-distance endurance races. However, after 2035, he had not participated in races for four years. Vanka continued reading and saw the information below: Thyroid cancer.
"It turns out he has cancer, what a pity. Ethan, listen, this opponent should not be underestimated, but now it seems his physical strength is much weaker than before, so you should focus on wearing him out," Vanka said to Ethan.
"And what about this person called Fangio Martinez?" Ethan asked, looking at the note.
"This person should be from the Joseph Club. In previous races, he often took unconventional routes, using devious tactics to push opponents off the track, especially in corners. Ethan, you need to be careful with this person," Vanka said, searching his memory.
The note about Elton reads:
Fangio, a wayward rich kid with a tendency towards violence, began racing at the age of 6 and had already won gold, silver, and bronze medals in the children's racing group by the age of 13. At 18, Advantage: Handle complex environments and dangerous situations. weaknesses Overly aggressive and temperamental.
"Robert Wilson?" Ethan continued asking.
"Oh, him. He's known for his incredible speed and is nicknamed 'The Flying Leopard,'" Vanka replied.
Ethan kept reading about him, discovering that Robert excels in extreme racing, particularly on straightaways where he is the undisputed champion. Vanka read out this part, noting that while Robert dominates in straight sections, he struggles with corners. Therefore, he often performs well in regular races but falls short in races with more challenging turns, making them his weak point.
"So, if I make it to the finals, I can pretty much disregard this opponent," Ethan thought, feeling a bit more relaxed.
Bending closer, Ethan continued reading by candlelight. Raikkonen Black, another gold medal racer, had finished third in the 2039 Nascar finals and was considered a major contender for the championship. His initial speed wasn't impressive; he started by trailing in the back, maintaining a steady pace in the middle positions. However, in the last 100 kilometers, he surged ahead with relentless power. Strengths: calm demeanor and strong finish. Weaknesses: not as fast as other top contenders and tends to miss straightforward opportunities.
"Ethan, you should also pay attention to this guy, Hamilton Davis—another of Joseph's prized racers," Vanka said.
Hamilton is known for his exceptional adaptability. He can adjust his tactics based on his opponents' performance during a race. Most importantly, he excels in teamwork; he often positions himself beside his teammates to help clear and block potential threats, making him the ultimate support player. However, he has some weaknesses. In high-speed late stages, he struggles to keep up and protect the leading racer, so his role is usually limited to situations where the leading racer faces no competition.
Another racer is Schumacher Smith, last year's NASCAR champion. Schumacher is a true all-rounder with incredible leading, adapting, and responding skills, which helped him secure the title last year. However, he has his flaws—he focuses solely on his own judgment and rejects team collaboration, making him quite stubborn.
In contrast to Raikkonen Black, there's Hakkinen O'Connor. He has solid racing skills, like a model student with consistently stable performance. However, his mental resilience is lacking. Three years ago, he was a top contender for the championship, but a crash disrupted his rhythm, leading to a misjudgment and a loss in the final laps on a corner.
"And there's one more racer, Rosberg Stewart." Ethan looked at the crumpled note from Elton, which had Stewart's name at the end, with the description about him completely blank except for a single drop of blood.
"Maybe, maybe Elton didn't finish writing before… before he had an accident," Ethan said, shivering as he stared at the drop of blood.
"Maybe not. Ethan, I haven't heard of this racer either. He could be a newcomer. But what I want to suggest is that Joseph might have arranged this deliberately," Vanka said, analyzing the situation with his keen observation.
"You're saying it's intentional?" Ethan asked, turning to Vanka.
"Yes. The absence of any information on this racer ensures he won't draw attention. Meanwhile, Joseph's associates could place heavy bets on him. If he wins, those old foxes would rake in a fortune."