The AE86 finally makes its appearance, slowing down just before reaching the rest area. It passes the start line and turns around, pulling smoothly into a parking spot beside the FC of Ningguang.
Collei steps out of the car, and the crowd erupts in cheers. The long-anticipated race is about to begin. Beidou's group approaches Collei, excitement evident in their eyes.
"So, the day has finally come... Are you ready, Collei?" Beidou asks, a grin spreading across her face.
Collei's lips curl into a confident smirk. "So damn ready."
With that, Collei turns her back and walks toward Ningguang. Ningguang steps forward to meet her, and the two come face to face, a standoff that feels like something straight out of an old Western film.
Ningguang smiles warmly. "It's nice to finally meet you, Collei. I'm impressed that you've learned such advanced techniques in such a short time. And yet, you're still so young."
Collei chuckles lightly, her tone playful. "Well, I've been driving Yougou for so long, it feels like I've logged more miles in it than anyone else here. I guess it just happens that I enjoy driving."
Ningguang raises an eyebrow, intrigued. "You're quite the unique kid, Collei. I like that. Why don't we get this race started before the crowd gets bored?" She extends her hand.
"Right on," Collei responds, stepping forward to shake Ningguang's hand with a firm grip.
The two exchange a determined look before heading to their respective cars. The engines roar to life, the sound filling the air as the race is about to begin.
At the first hairpin turn, Lyney calls Arlecchino, eager to get some insider information.
"Arlecchino! You wouldn't believe how many people are here tonight! So, who do you think is going to win? Your daughter, or this street queen, the fastest in all of Narukami?" Lyney's voice crackles through the line, excitement in his tone.
Arlecchino sighs in response. "Who cares? If that's all you called me for, I might as well hang up now."
Lyney yells, "NO! NO! Don't hang up! Don't—"
The call cuts off abruptly.
"I TOLD YOU NOT TO HANG UP!" Lyney yells into the dead phone, frustration evident in his voice.
Meanwhile, Keqing stands between the two cars, ready to start the countdown. Just then, Amber knocks on Collei's window. Collei rolls it down, and Amber gives her an encouraging wink.
"Good luck, Collei!" Amber calls out, a bright smile on her face.
Collei returns the wink, giving Amber a thumbs-up. "You bet!"
Keqing raises her hand, signaling the start of the countdown. The engines begin to rev, and the tension in the air is palpable.
-3!
-2!
-1!
-GO!!
The AE86 and FC launch off the start line, nearly in perfect sync. The two cars are side by side as they approach the first corner, both drivers calculating the exact moment to brake. As they reach the corner, Ningguang brakes first. Collei holds on a little longer, braking later, and takes the lead. The two drift in tandem, almost mirroring each other's movements as they navigate the first curve.
"Collei's taken the lead!!!" March yells, her voice filled with excitement.
"YOU GO, COLLEI!" Beidou cheers from the sidelines, her voice booming through the crowd.
The race is already intense, and they've barely begun. The two cars make their way into the second corner, still neck and neck. As they approach the first hairpin, Collei slams on the brakes. Ningguang follows suit, and the two drift through the turn in perfect unison, their tires screeching as they navigate at lightning speed.
As they continue down Yougou, a radio crackles to life at the summit.
"This is a battle of who can hold on. The FC is tailing the AE86 closely. This is going to come down to the wire!" the spotter reports.
A voice crackles back over the radio from Beidou's team. "Collei's pushing herself harder than ever, but Ningguang keeps tailing her! They're heading into the third hairpin at breakneck speeds! This is a battle you don't want to miss!"
Meanwhile, Ningguang is studying Collei's driving closely. Her eyes narrow with focus as she observes the younger driver's style.
"I'm impressed again," Ningguang murmurs to herself. "Collei's never driven this fast before." With precision and finesse, Ningguang maneuvers her FC, keeping it close to Collei's AE86.
Another hairpin approaches, and both cars begin to slide before even reaching the corner. They enter it as a perfect tandem, inches away from each other.
"She's definitely improved," Ningguang says with a satisfied smirk. "I knew it."
As they exit the corner, still neck and neck, Ningguang takes note of Collei's technique.
"She's barely using any countersteer during the drift. She's controlling everything with the gas pedal... impressive. It hasn't been that long since her last race. It's almost like her weakness is gone."
At the last hairpin, at the bottom of the hill, Yelan and Silverwolf stand side by side, waiting for Collei and Ningguang to race toward them.
Silverwolf glances at Yelan. "You know, Yelan, you ought to move to another spot. I planned on being here before the race even started."
Yelan scoffs, not looking away from the track. "As if. We both know this is the best spot to watch them go at it before the finish line."
Silverwolf giggles. "True."
The two exchange a quick glance before looking away, the moment fleeting.
"This area's dead," Yelan mutters, her voice low. "It's like we're in the middle of nowhere."
Silverwolf shrugs. "You should scooch a bit to the right. If anyone drives by and sees us here, they might think we're friends or something."
Yelan rolls her eyes and shifts slightly to her right, while Silverwolf does the same to her left.
Back in the race, the intensity continues to build. They reach a hairpin that Lyney is standing near. Collei and Ningguang slide into the turn together, barely a breath apart, drifting in perfect harmony. The tires screech as the two cars narrowly avoid the guardrail. Lyney and the other spectators leap across the guardrail, eyes wide with awe, as the AE86 and FC disappear into the next hairpin turn.
Lyney stands in stunned silence, his mouth agape. "Holy shit! That was amazing! I need to call Arlecchino again!"
Back home, Arlecchino's phone rings again. She picks it up, annoyed.
"Who could it be this time?"
She's greeted by Lyney's frantic voice over the speaker. "Arlecchino! It's me again!"
Arlecchino sighs. "Great, Lyney. What is it now?"
"Just hear me out! They just passed right in front of me, and they were inches apart! They were even mere centimeters away from the guardrail while drifting! Right now, Collei's in the lead!" Lyney shouts excitedly.
Arlecchino smirks, her tone shifting to one of quiet confidence. "So... Collei's in the lead? That doesn't sound like good news."
Lyney gasps in disbelief. "What do you mean, 'not good'? Your daughter's in the lead!"
Arlecchino chuckles. "You sound like a newbie, Lyney. The driver in second has a clear advantage. The one chasing can be more aggressive, while the lead driver has to constantly defend. The one in front has to focus on maintaining their position while under pressure. It's like driving with a weight on your back."
Lyney's eyes widen. "Wait, so you're saying this might not be over?"
Arlecchino smiles, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Exactly. The driver in second can study the leader's style and possibly adapt to it. The race is far from decided."
Lyney's mind races as he processes her words. "But the driver in front can always pull ahead, right?"
Arlecchino shakes her head. "Not necessarily. The driver in front is always fighting to keep that gap. And right now, Collei is under so much pressure that she could make a mistake... She's still learning these advanced tactics. If she's sweating bullets right now, I wouldn't be surprised."
Lyney's voice drops. "You really think so?"
Arlecchino smiles softly, a flicker of pride in her eyes. "Of course. But Collei's strong. She won't lose her cool."
Lyney hangs up, and Arlecchino steps outside, looking up at the starry sky. "Collei… will you lose your cool?" She smiles slightly. "Nah. You got this."
Back in the race, they had just exited another hairpin. The Five Consecutive Hairpin turns were coming up, and the tension was palpable. Ningguang could feel her heart racing as she reflected on the journey so far.
"This race… it's giving me chills. Goosebumps, even. Watching this girl—Collei—follow the perfect line around this course is nothing short of spectacular," Ningguang muttered under her breath, watching the young racer's precise control.
As they approached the Five Consecutive Hairpins, Beidou's voice crackled through the radio once again, cutting through the intense atmosphere. "They're approaching the hairpins—and fast! At the moment, the Eight Six is leading, but the FC is breathing down her spine!"
"Come on, Collei. You got this!" Beidou muttered, barely audible through the tension.
"She's got this in the bag," March murmured confidently, her eyes glued to the screen.
"This race has been a tight one so far," Seele added, her voice low but full of anticipation.
"This is going down to the wire!" Pela exclaimed, leaning in toward the radio as if she could will the outcome herself.
They closed in on the hairpins. Ningguang braked early, her senses on high alert. Something wasn't right.
"Damn! She's way too fast! She's got to slow down!" Ningguang shouted as the realization hit her.
Collei's eyes widened. She slammed on the brakes, attempting to guide the Eight Six into the hairpin. But it was too late—the left front wheel locked up, and the car understeered wildly.
"God damn it! Turn! Turn!!" Collei cursed, hands gripping the wheel with desperation.
She released the brakes just a fraction, trying to free the wheel, but the damage was done. She had lost too much speed. Ningguang, ever the opportunist, passed her easily on the inside line.
Beidou's radio crackled again with an update: "Collei locked up her front left into the hairpin! Ningguang now leads!"
"Oh... no..." Beidou whispered, her voice barely audible, the weight of the situation sinking in.
Despite the setback, Collei wasn't done. She tightened her grip on the wheel, focusing all her energy on chasing down Ningguang. The gap widened on the straights, but Collei had learned to make up for it with her gutter runs, quickly closing the distance.
Ningguang glanced into her rearview mirror, confusion flickering across her face. "She made a mistake… yet… there's no weakness in her."
Determined not to lose focus, Ningguang muttered to herself, "Doesn't matter. I have to keep my focus, keep pushing, and try to increase that gap."
With a deep breath, she pushed the FC to its limits, her foot pressing harder on the accelerator, trying to leave Collei behind. But the Eight Six stayed with her, relentless.
Beidou's radio crackled once more. "The Eight Six caught up to Ningguang again! And looking at these times, they'll shatter the course record by eighteen seconds!!"
Beidou's face froze. "Eighteen... seconds… That's killer!" she whispered in disbelief.
They reached the next fast right-hand corner after a long straightaway, the two cars drifting through it in tandem. But then, Ningguang's FC began to lose grip. The front wheels started to slide to the outside.
"What the hell!? Suddenly my fronts are gone… no… they're overheating!" Ningguang cursed, fighting the wheel to maintain control.
She barely managed to keep the FC steady, the tires screeching as they exited the left-hander with a noticeable loss of traction. "Chasing that Eight Six was a massive mistake. I've overheated my front tires—nothing's sticking to the ground like it used to!" Ningguang muttered, frustration rising.
As the finish line approached, only one thing stood between them: one last right-hander, followed by a left-hand turn.
Collei gritted her teeth, her mind racing. Is this really the best I can do?!
But then, something clicked. Her eyes widened in realization. Wait! I should try that move Father was talking about! A memory flashed back in her mind.
Three years ago, after finishing a difficult delivery run in the snow, Collei approached Arlecchino, her father.
"Hey, Dad. I found a cool tactic to avoid skidding on the snow like this," Collei had said, her excitement palpable.
Arlecchino raised an eyebrow. "Go ahead, kid. I'm all ears."
Collei smirked, "It's pretty simple. Those gutters on the road? What you do is hook your tires inside them! It makes cornering so easy—it's not even a joke!"
Arlecchino chuckled softly. "Ah, yes. The gutter run. I use the technique myself in conditions like this too."
Collei sighed, playfully frustrated. "Really!? Damn it. You knew about this all along!?"
Arlecchino smiled knowingly. "Yeah. But there are two ways to do the gutter run. The gutter run you discovered is for entry, using the gutters to prevent understeer from throwing you into the guardrail. The second method is for recovery during a corner. Timing is crucial—hook your wheels into the gutter midway through the turn."
Back in the race, Collei's eyes narrowed in determination. I haven't tried this version of the gutter run before. It's a gamble, but… I'm going for it!
They entered the final right-hand corner, Ningguang sliding through it with perfect control. But Collei was more aggressive, diving tighter into the corner, and—just as her father had taught her—she hooked her wheels into the gutter. The Eight Six's grip dramatically increased, and with a surge of power, Collei slingshotted closer to Ningguang's rear bumper.
Ningguang, taken aback by the sudden shift, glanced into her rearview mirror. "What the hell did she just pull!? That was no ordinary move!"
The roar of the Eight Six and the FC filled the air, their engines growling with intensity as they hurtled toward the final section of the course.
Yelan, observing from the sidelines, watched the battle unfold. "They're coming," she murmured, eyes trained on the racers.
Right on cue, the Eight Six and the FC appeared, pushing each other to the limit, now side by side.
"The Eight Six is behind! This corner can't be passed on the outside at all! They must take the inside line!" Yelan warned.
The two cars hurtled toward the left-hand hairpin at the same time, both braking and downshifting in perfect synchronicity. They entered the turn as a tandem, the tension mounting.
"They're going in as a tandem!!" Silverwolf and Yelan gasped in unison.
Ningguang's FC lost grip in the front again, its wheels sliding wide. Collei saw the opportunity and hammered the gas pedal. The Eight Six's rear tires gripped, and the car shot into the inside line of the hairpin. The FC, unable to recover, lost more ground.
As they exited the hairpin, the Eight Six had surged ahead, and Ningguang's FC fell further behind. With one final push, Collei pulled ahead in the last right-hand corner before the finish line. She hooked her wheels into the final gutter, the Eight Six's grip unwavering as she crossed the finish line. Collei had done it. She had won, and with it, she had shattered Ningguang's winning streak.
Keqing's voice crackled over the radio. "The Eight Six wins! It's over! And she's set a new course record!!!"
Keqing stood still for a moment, processing the unbelievable outcome. "Ningguang… lost. I can't believe it… her winning streak… gone."
Cheers erupted from Beidou's team, their excitement palpable.
"She did it! She's beaten Ningguang!!!" March yelled, her voice ringing out in disbelief.
"I can't believe it… she's done it!" Beidou and Seele shouted in unison, their voices full of pride.
At home, Arlecchino was barely able to hear Lyney's excited yelling through the phone. "Are you even listening to me!? Collei won the race! And she set a new course record!!"
Arlecchino rolled her eyes and scoffed, "Of course she won. Now I'm hanging up. You're making me deaf." The phone clicked off before Lyney could react.
"What the fuck, Arlecchino!?" Lyney yelled into the now silent phone.
Arlecchino looked up to the sky, a massive smile breaking across her face. "That's my girl!" She raised a fist to the air in celebration.
At the base, Collei and Ningguang stood face to face once again. Ningguang smiled warmly, her respect for the young racer clear. "It's been a pleasure racing with you, Collei," she said, extending a hand.
Collei grinned back. "Likewise, Ningguang." They shook hands, the mutual respect between them palpable.
"Well, Collei, gotta run. See you around," Ningguang said with a wave, starting her FC and driving off into the distance.
As the night settled in, filled with cheers, happiness, and the indomitable spirit of competition, the racing world had a new legend. Ningguang's streak was officially broken, and Collei—once an underdog—had claimed her place as a true champion.