Chapter 159: The Eye is Still Sharp

The vehicle that scraped the MK4's rearview mirror was a modified Q50, exuding a fiercely aggressive aura with its entire body wrapped in a matte dark red film. Judging by its trajectory, it was clearly heading toward the Nanshan Circuit to make a U-turn, yet cutting across the lane divider to do so was an undeniable traffic violation.

Especially since the Q50 was accelerating, forcefully squeezing half its body from the straight lane into the turning lane, it was a disgraceful affront to the creed of Nanshan's car enthusiasts.

"Better to give your life on the track than to show off recklessly in the city." This was a famous adage within the Nanshan modified car community.

Mo Shu had faithfully adhered to this maxim since childhood, which had instilled in him the good habit of never driving erratically or aggressively in the city.

However, in recent years, as people's living standards rose rapidly, some newcomers entering the car modification scene paid no heed to this adage whatsoever.

They drove aggressively at all moments, wishing the road ahead of them were completely devoid of other cars.

Consequently, reckless driving had once again become a common sight in Nanshan.

When encountering such a vehicle, Mo Shu never bothered to argue; who had the time to bark back at a mad dog?

With a calm expression, Mo Shu rolled down his window and reached out to push the rearview mirror back into place.

Who would have thought the Q50 driver would snap, "What's wrong with letting me pass, you moron!"

In the past, Mo Shu might have taught the fellow a lesson, but nowadays, his heart was as still as stagnant water.

Holding back Wang Yu, who was itching for a fight, Mo Shu ignored the driver and calmly rolled the window back up.

Perhaps thinking he had encountered a pushover, the Q50 driver hurled one final vicious curse at Mo Shu and Wang Yu before slamming on the gas, making a U-turn, and speeding away.

Wang Yu was furious, wanting nothing more than to call the police and report a hit-and-run.

Mo Shu calmly advised, "Forget it. Getting a rearview mirror scraped hardly counts as a hit-and-run. Besides, he crossed a solid line and ran a red light; the surveillance cameras must have captured it, and the traffic police will certainly penalize him."

Mo Shu's words made sense, so despite his anger, Wang Yu had no choice but to let it go. The two waited through another red light before leisurely continuing toward the Nanshan Circuit.

"It's been so long since I was last here," Wang Yu muttered with a sigh while driving.

"Yeah, ever since I left GTCC," Mo Shu replied with a touch of nostalgia.

"Remember this place? It used to be a convenience store, and now it's actually a car wash," Wang Yu pointed ahead.

Mo Shu looked over and realized it wasn't just the convenience store that was gone; all the small shops around the Nanshan Circuit had transformed into automotive-related businesses.

Looking along the street, there were seven car washes, five modification shops, three automotive accessory stores, and two repair garages, turning the area into a veritable aftermarket automotive strip.

Making another turn, they arrived at "Piston Square" right at the entrance of the circuit.

Since the track was not open to the public, car enthusiasts and those testing their vehicles usually gathered here.

Perhaps because it was the weekend, a multitude of modified cars had gathered in the square.

A crowd was shouting and cheering, egging on two modified cars engaged in a drag race.

As it happened, one of the cars was precisely the Q50 that had scraped and cursed at Mo Shu and Wang Yu earlier.

The Q50's opponent was a purple-painted hatchback.

Factory cars painted in purple were a rare sight on the market, so that little hatchback had clearly been meticulously modified by its owner.

"Huh, looks like another MK, though it seems to be an MK7," Wang Yu recognized the model at a glance.

"..." Mo Shu remained silent, seemingly uninterested.

Wang Yu, who hadn't watched a race in a long time, grew excited. He drove the MK4 to a spot with a good view of the race and started making a bet with Mo Shu.

"Dinner is on the line. Who do you say wins?"

"..."

* * "Come on, Mo God, cheer up."

"..."

"Damn it, if you win, I'll never bother you about racing again."

"Really?"

Wang Yu's high-stakes wager finally piqued Mo Shu's interest.

"I bet the Q50 wins!" Wang Yu eagerly claimed the side with the superior performance specifications.

"Ha, old Wang, I give you a chance and you still throw it away," Mo Shu shook his head regretfully.

"What? You're backing the MK7?" Wang Yu asked, puzzled.

Mo Shu nodded.

"Please, big brother, the MK7 and the Q50 are in completely different leagues, okay? Look at the gap in specs! Look at the difference in market price! If you want to take that back, I'll give you a chance."

However, Mo Shu curled his lips and showed no intention of changing his mind.

Wang Yu spread his hands and said, "Then don't blame me for nagging you forever from now on."

It was true. Comparing the top-tier engine displacements of the MK7 and the Q50, the former featured a 1.4T or 1.6 naturally aspirated engine, while the latter packed a 3.5 to 3.7 naturally aspirated power plant.

If the MK7 had been the GTI 2.0T version, it might have stood a chance, but judging by the badge on the MK7's front grille, it was merely an ordinary commuter variant.

Price-wise, the MK7 cost just over a hundred thousand yuan, while the Q50 pushed hard toward the 500,000-yuan mark. The superior vehicle was obvious at a glance.

Seeing Wang Yu's smug, victory-assured expression, Mo Shu couldn't help laughing out loud.

"What? What's so funny?" Wang Yu was puzzled once again.

Yet Mo Shu still refused to answer, simply pointing at his own eyes, then pointing at the two cars before them, playing a guessing game with Wang Yu.

"Oh, damn." Wang Yu suddenly realized something and cried out in surprise.

He had been away from the racing scene for too long; he had almost forgotten that Mo Shu possessed the ability to "insightfully analyze machinery."

Now he was done for. That MK7 was definitely not ordinary; who knew what kind of performance monster was hidden beneath its hood? Wang Yu knew he had already lost.

Sure enough, once the race started, the MK7 burst forth with astonishing acceleration, seeming to tear the air apart.

Meanwhile, the Q50 fell behind right from the start and trailed all the way to the finish line.

The car fans on-site swarmed toward the victorious MK7, casting looks of admiration and praise.

Baffled and furious, the Q50 owner jumped out of his car, kicked his own tire twice, slammed the door, and stalked away in frustration.

"Well? Don't bother me about racing anymore from now on," Mo Shu said smugly.

"Tch, the MK7 is that fast? Let's go down and take a look," Wang Yu said, unconvinced.

With that, Wang Yu dragged Mo Shu over to the MK7, walked around it, but failed to find the answers he was looking for.

Since he couldn't just pop someone else's hood without permission, he could only cup his chin and ponder bitterly.

"Stop racking your brain. Let me tell you: this MK7 has a swapped MKR32 engine with a 3.2-liter displacement. Combined with its weight advantage, it's no surprise it easily wiped out the Q50," Mo Shu hit the nail on the head.

Hearing Mo Shu's explanation, the MK7 owner wore an expression of absolute certainty. Recognizing Mo Shu as a true connoisseur, he naturally stepped forward to strike up a conversation.

"Brother, you really know your cars. Did you spot anything else?"

Mo Shu chuckled and rattled off: "BBS-RS wheels, Unitronic rear trailing arms... Well, the parts used are all quite decent, but that set of Taiwan-made coilover suspension slightly drags down the rating of the chassis."

This torrent of technical jargon left not only the surrounding fans but even the car owner himself dumbfounded.

This guy didn't even need to squat down to look, yet he knew he used low-end Taiwan-made coiling suspension? That was practically divine!

Wait, why did this person look so familiar? The MK7 owner seemed to recall someone.

"Mo... Mo Shu?" the car owner ventured tentatively.

To his surprise, Mo Shu quickly shook his head, murmured, "You've got the wrong person," and pulled Wang Yu away as they turned and left.