Chapter 143: A String of Accidents

Since he couldn’t piece things together, Mo Shu decided to set aside the matter of Fan Yu. There were still two more matches to watch: the Six Realms Sovereign and Guan Mie’s respective contests. Mo Shu was determined not to miss any matches worth paying attention to.

It was simpler to just head to the venue.

Mo Shu left Wang Yu, who was still reviewing Fan Yu’s video, alone in the office. He arranged for a VIP box through the staff.

This kind of box offered a panoramic view of a third of the track and was equipped with a large screen to watch the middle and latter parts of the race.

According to the order of appearance, Simon Alto—one of the Six Realms Sovereigns—would soon make his entry. His opponent was also a young driver from Huaxia.

Please, don’t let it be another Li Yu or Zhang Yu to take Simon down, Mo Shu prayed silently.

The more complicated the race, the easier it was for them to lose control over it.

“Wow!!! The great master is on stage!!!” A wave of enthusiastic cheers erupted beneath the VIP box. No need to guess—the race featuring Simon Alto was about to begin.

Mo Shu’s eyes locked intently on the scene, unwilling to miss a single detail within his sight.

He had an uneasy premonition—something was bound to happen at the Yun Ding Peak downhill race.

The race started, and Simon Alto had a rapid launch, while the Huaxia driver’s reaction was noticeably slower.

As they passed through the first turn, Mo Shu’s sharp eyes caught Simon’s car slightly veering off the ideal exit line.

This misstep allowed the Huaxia driver right behind Simon to close the gap significantly.

The turn was exceptionally simple—any ordinary enthusiast with some racing knowledge could handle it well.

Simon shouldn’t have made such a mistake; after all, a twelve-time endurance race champion wouldn’t falter on such a minor curve.

Perhaps Simon was momentarily distracted, Mo Shu concluded.

Yet, since that first error, the Huaxia driver never let Simon pull away by even a fraction.

At this point, the Huaxia driver’s performance was starkly different from his sluggish start.

He not only kept Simon’s tail in his sights but also frequently feinted overtaking moves to confuse his opponent.

This was bad. Could Simon actually lose? Mo Shu’s heart sank.

Since the two cars had disappeared from the crowd’s view, Mo Shu had to rely on the television to follow the race.

However, the screen introduced visual distortions relative to surrounding reference points. Additionally, the downhill race used a non-timed format, so Mo Shu couldn’t gauge their exact speeds.

He could only guess based on experience that Simon’s current pace was terrible.

If that was the case, why hadn’t the Huaxia driver overtaken him sooner? This baffled Mo Shu.

Sigh... Perhaps the Six Realms Sovereigns were getting old; how could they struggle against these youngsters?

As Mo Shu pondered, the broadcast team switched to a close-up of Simon’s car, revealing a detail that caught Mo Shu’s intense interest.

It was a hairpin turn, and Simon’s car was taking a highly awkward line, cutting right through the center of the bend.

At that moment, something that should not have been installed there caught Mo Shu’s eye. A small racing part was lodged in the edge of Simon’s wheel arch lining—so concealed that, without removing the entire wheel, most would never notice.

Had Simon not turned the front wheels to the extreme, Mo Shu wouldn’t have spotted it.

The device looked familiar, yet Mo Shu couldn’t recall where he had seen it before.

A small rectangular gadget with a row of LED indicators flickering faintly. Mo Shu scratched his head anxiously but was certain it belonged to the racing domain.

Then it struck him.

It was an external telemetry system—commonly seen in endurance and Super Formula races as a data collection device.

But such external devices had long been obsolete; racing teams had integrated this technology directly into the car’s onboard computer.

Its purpose was to collect operational data and parameters, aiding track engineers and team mechanics in testing and fine-tuning the vehicle. It also helped drivers continuously improve their techniques during races.

Simon was an endurance racing master; it wasn’t surprising his car carried telemetry.

Yet why would such a high-level driver use an outdated external telemetry system?

And if an external device, why was it hidden so discreetly?

A wave of dread swept through Mo Shu’s mind.

Could someone have secretly installed it there to steal Simon’s race data?

Although telemetry systems only gather and transmit real-time data, teams usually keep this information confidential, each guarding their proprietary techniques.

No, as a member of the event committee, Mo Shu had to inform Simon’s team immediately.

If a team maliciously stole another’s research data, the committee had grounds to disqualify them.

Mo Shu pulled out his phone and dialed Wang Yu.

To his surprise, Wang Yu answered instantly, sounding urgent: “I was just about to call you. Hurry over to my office.”

“What’s so urgent? I have something important to discuss with you too.”

“Then come quickly and we’ll see whose matter is more pressing!”

“All right, I’m on my way.”

Mo Shu turned off the television with the remote, opened the box door, and stepped out—just then, a distant “rumble” echoed from the valley.

Something had happened again!

It seemed the two Sovereigns in this round might have both been wiped out. Mo Shu didn’t even bother turning the TV back on and dashed toward Wang Yu’s office.

Upon entering, Wang Yu looked dejected: “Simon Alto...”

“No need to say more. I already suspected it would be him. How bad is it?” Mo Shu interrupted.

“Simon’s fine, but the car is wrecked. The track’s closed for cleanup—it’ll take an hour,” Wang Yu shrugged.

“Sigh, this downhill race sure is plagued with disasters,” Mo Shu sighed alongside him.

“I think I found the source of these problems. Take a look at this,” Wang Yu said, tapping his mouse heavily.

This must be the urgent matter Wang Yu mentioned. Mo Shu quickly circled the desk to see.

On the computer screen was a screenshot from a video showing the crowded racing maintenance area.

“What’s so interesting? It’s just a crowd,” Mo Shu didn’t understand.

“Look at who this is,” Wang Yu pointed out a familiar figure.

“Ah Chi Xiang?”

“Right. I recognized him immediately. Now, look at this,” Wang Yu indicated another figure beside Ah Chi Xiang.

“Who’s that?”

“Look at the skin tone.”

“Damn! Fan Yu?”

“That’s correct.”

“Judging by their gestures, they seem to be communicating. Is Fan Yu really someone sent by Vermin Faction?” Mo Shu was astonished.

“I’d say it’s almost certain,” Wang Yu sighed, feeling an ominous sense.