Chapter Twenty-Two: The Superstar Squadron

In the grandstands, everyone held their breath.
Inside the pit, engineers stared intently at their screens.
In the racing cars, each driver was poised and ready.
Mo Shu, too, made it just in time for the final starting deadline.
The red lights at the center of the track extinguished one by one, and the green light flashed swiftly.
The much-anticipated 2017 GTCC Floating Harbor Grand Prix had begun.

Wang Yining, in pole position, launched like a deity. She took the lead from the straight and cut into the first corner ahead of everyone, leaving Black Mirror no chance whatsoever. The new star car from Stellar Racing Team looked formidable.
Unfortunately, Wang Yining didn’t manage to shake off the cars behind; Black Mirror, Geng Hua, and Ai Chi Xiang followed closely. After the first lap, these four cars had established a clear lead, forming the front group.

As for Mo Shu, though he started in fifteenth, he had already experienced a miraculous turnaround in the qualifying round. Even here in the GTCC arena, Mo Shu overtook three cars within a single lap—his performance more than commendable.

“That car number 32—is that Mo Shu you mentioned?” This was the first time Velmin spoke since entering. Clearly, Mo Shu’s relentless overtaking caught her attention. Zhao Kunlun’s heart skipped a beat. Damn! Could this woman be interested in Mo Shu?

“Uh... beautiful lady, yes, Mo Shu is driving car number 32. But the boy is quite inexperienced, though his results are impressive. He only started racing at twenty-one, and while his talent is clear, his late entry into the sport makes his future somewhat uncertain.” Zhao Kunlun was shrewd. Although he disliked Mo Shu, he didn’t dismiss him entirely, intentionally leaving some room to maneuver should he need to retreat to advance later.

“Hm...” Velmin was truly sparing with her words. Zhao Kunlun secretly curled his lip in discontent, but for the sake of his goal, a wise man knows when to bend.

Five laps passed, and Mo Shu had moved up another position.

Because competition within the front group—Wang Yining and the others—wasn’t particularly intense, their positions remained unchanged. Thus, the audience’s attention naturally shifted to Mo Shu, who was persistently chasing the cars ahead.

Ten laps in, Mo Shu had climbed to eighth place. The television broadcast team began to take notice of Mo Shu and his number 32 car, shifting their cameras to follow him.

In truth, Mo Shu could have raced even more aggressively, but the organizers had recently abolished the refueling strategy during pit stops. Each driver had to finish the race with a single tank, so Mo Shu adopted a relatively conservative approach to preserve fuel.

Twenty laps passed; the race was more than halfway through. Mo Shu had astonishingly completed ten overtakes, moving up to fifth place. Only the four cars of the leading group remained ahead of him.

Wang Yining continued to lead, not needing to check her mirrors to know Mo Shu had caught up. In her mind, a golden icon called “Speed Halo” flashed—signifying that the “Superstar Team” formation mode had begun.

Second place belonged to Black Mirror, a two-time champion. Unlike in qualifying, Black Mirror didn’t employ the aggressive tactics he'd used against Mo Shu, but kept a steady one- to two-car-length distance from Wang Yining. This confirmed Mo Shu’s earlier suspicion: some connection existed between Black Mirror and Wang Yining. Black Mirror seemed to be holding back on purpose.

Geng Hua, meanwhile, was running in frustration. Sandwiched between the two Kunsheng Racing Team drivers, he felt powerless to make a move. Worse still, whenever he drew near Black Mirror to attempt an overtake, he was plagued by a strange sensation, as though his steering lost control.

Seeing Mo Shu approach, Ai Chi Xiang grew anxious. His loss in the last drag race had already irritated him—if he could best Mo Shu in front of so many spectators at the Grand Prix, it would be another chance to prove himself.

Thus, Ai Chi Xiang began to make moves, aiming to defend rather than attack, hoping to give Mo Shu a taste of hardship.

When Mo Shu tried to take the lead, Ai Chi Xiang maliciously blocked his path.
When Mo Shu entered a corner, Ai Chi Xiang aggressively cut the line, squeezing his space.
When Mo Shu drew level, Ai Chi Xiang jerked the wheel, trying to force him off the track.

“Wow, that's dangerous! He’s clearly aiming for mutual destruction!”

“That number 2 car from Kunsheng Racing Team—how shameless can he get?”

“Such dirty tactics! He’ll surely face penalties from the officials after the race!”

In the stands, voices condemning Ai Chi Xiang rang out ceaselessly.

“Achoo!” Ai Chi Xiang sneezed twice in the cockpit, muttering, “Who’s thinking about me?”

He was distracted! This was the chance!

Mo Shu keenly spotted Ai Chi Xiang’s lapse. Quickly downshifting to raise the revs, he launched a fierce pursuit on the not-so-long straight. By the time Ai Chi Xiang reacted, Mo Shu had already pulled ahead by half a car length.

“You’re not getting past me!” Ai Chi Xiang was desperate. If Mo Shu beat him again, how could he hold his place in the domestic racing scene?

“Bang! Crack!”

A series of sharp sounds—both cars clashed, squeezed together tightly.

Ai Chi Xiang went all out, ramming his right front into Mo Shu’s left rear fender—a ruthless move meant to flip the car ahead.

For a moment, whether officials, team members, emergency crews, or spectators, everyone muttered complaints.

“That number 2 car is downright wicked!”

Even the old woman selling bottled water in the corner of the stands wore a look of disdain.

“Boom!”

A thick cloud of dust billowed on the track, a tire spinning off onto the verge. It looked like a heavy collision; everyone’s hearts tightened.

Mo Shu? Or Ai Chi Xiang? Or had both fallen?

No! At least one car survived—the swirling dust was torn and distorted by the airflow of a passing car. The haze was thick, making it hard to see clearly.

“Dad, I think it’s number 32!” A child with binoculars reported to his father.

“Really?” The father shaded his eyes, squinting into the glare.

“Yes! It’s number 32!” Others confirmed.

“No doubt—it’s Mo Shu!”

“Wow! Mo Shu’s alright, my idol is amazing!”

Seeing car 32 unscathed, the crowd erupted in cheers. At this point, few were inclined to support Ai Chi Xiang.

Astonishing! Such a vicious, unethical collision had failed to affect car 32 in the slightest—not even a scratch or dent marred its finish.

Mo Shu took a few seconds to check behind. Ai Chi Xiang and his car lay shattered in the gravel outside the track.

“I never realized the captain's team skills were this powerful!” Mo Shu thought to himself.

It turned out Wang Yining wasn’t the only one. When Mo Shu entered team mode, an icon lit up in his mind as well—not just the “Speed Halo,” but also a glowing red “Tank Halo.”