Chapter Thirty-One: The Price of Indulging in Gossip

Who could possibly be behind this? Why go to such lengths to engineer this accident? Was their true target Black Gold Petroleum, or was this a deliberate attempt to harm Russlein himself?

The whole incident seemed on the verge of turning into a cold case, with even the German police at a loss for what to do. Fortunately, thanks to the hospital's timely intervention, Russlein was out of immediate danger. Sadly, his left arm had suffered a comminuted fracture, and the hospital could not yet determine the prospects for his recovery, much less whether he would ever return to the rally circuits to which he had devoted his life.

It wouldn't be long before news of Russlein's misfortune spread beyond these walls, and a storm would surely sweep through the global motorsport community. Black Gold Petroleum would likely face public scrutiny and harsh questioning from both the racing world and the international community at large.

Given these circumstances, it seemed that reputational damage, plummeting stock prices, and a host of other negative repercussions were drawing ever closer to Black Gold Petroleum. The entire company was on the verge of panic and chaos.

The brunt of this pressure inevitably fell on its founder, Alessandro Blackgolden, whose face had been etched with weariness and exhaustion for three days running.

Seeing this, Zhang Aimin decided to cut short their visit, halving the original ten-day schedule. On one hand, as guests in a foreign land, there was little they could do to help, and besides, this was ultimately Black Gold Petroleum's internal matter. On the other, Zhang Aimin was reluctant to further disturb Blackgolden, who was already clearly at the end of his rope, both physically and emotionally.

So they made ready to return home. Zhang Aimin swiftly wrapped up all outstanding business in a single day, and the four of them began their journey back.

Standing in the departure hall at Stuttgart Airport, Mo Shu was reluctant to leave. He had finally met Russlein, a man he had long admired, only for fate to prove so fickle.

Li Xun watched the four of them pass through security, his expression grave as he waved them off.

Back in Nanshan City, Mo Shu locked himself in his room for two days and nights. Everyone naturally assumed he was shaken by Russlein's accident and let him rest undisturbed for a few days.

In truth, Mo Shu was far from idle. Apart from sleeping and eating instant noodles, he spent every waking moment online. By the third morning, he finally made a breakthrough.

He had discovered a hidden website called "Oil Pan," situated in the so-called "dark web," an area invisible to ordinary search engines. It had only been through methodical exploration of obscure sites and forums that Mo Shu had managed to find it.

Most of the site's content revolved around anecdotes and gossip about racing and famous drivers, but one article, titled "The Past and Present Lives of the Lord of Six Realms," piqued Mo Shu's curiosity.

"Mo Shu, you haven’t been out in two days. I brought you something delicious. Let me in," came Wang Yining’s concerned voice from outside.

Mo Shu hurriedly let her in, mystery in his demeanor, shoveling in the food she’d cooked while pointing at the screen for her to read carefully.

"It says here two members of the Six Realms Lord once tried to quit... Paratrooper Mechatronics, Black Gold Petroleum, and eight other multinationals are nothing but puppets... Vielmin deceived the world by posing as an independent sponsor..."

"My god! You actually believe this jumble of tabloid nonsense?" Wang Yining’s lips twitched in disbelief as she promptly closed the browser. "Just eat, get some rest, and set your sights on winning the third GTCC round!"

"Hey, why’d you close it?" Mo Shu nearly choked in his agitation.

"Only a madman would read that kind of gossip," Wang Yining shot him a glare.

"But... look at how plausible it all sounds. I suspect Vielmin was the one behind Russlein's accident."

"Oh, Mo Shu—if even the German police have no evidence against Vielmin, what could you possibly do from halfway around the world? Let’s focus on what’s in front of us and prepare properly for our next race, okay?" Wang Yining had originally wanted to discuss race strategy with him but hadn’t expected Mo Shu to get so absorbed in wild rumors.

"I'm still sticking to my theory..." Mo Shu was stubborn as a mule.

"If you keep this up, I’m going to get mad!" Wang Yining threatened, her tone turning plaintive.

"Alright, alright, you win. You’re the boss, you’re my ancestor, you’re the tie that binds me in this life." Evidently, even the strength of eight fine steeds couldn’t match Wang Yining’s will.

"Tie that binds? You’ve been watching too many cartoons," Wang Yining pouted, feigning annoyance.

Mo Shu sometimes genuinely wanted to advise Wang Yining: with her seamless ability to shift between joy, anger, and sorrow, why not become an actress instead of a racing driver?

Over the next few days, Mo Shu seemed to heed her advice; though his body was on the track or in the workshop, his soul had long since drifted away, journeying back to the picturesque landscapes of Stuttgart.

As expected, at the third GTCC round in Qingcheng, Black Mirror claimed victory again, with Geng Hua and Wang Yining taking second and third. Mo Shu, to everyone’s surprise, only managed sixth place.

He and Black Mirror had each won the first two rounds, and with Black Mirror’s result annulled in the second race, they had been neck and neck on the leaderboard. Now, Mo Shu would have to fight hard to catch up.

The Star Racing Team also lagged in the team standings. Since their entry into the Super Production category had been a special exception, they had only started competing from the second round, so their points were at an inherent disadvantage.

Disappointed by his result, Mo Shu found it hard to be cheerful, though Wang Yining seemed unfazed. The next day, she invited Mo Shu to go shopping and indulge in good food, insisting on buying a few new outfits to lift her spirits.

Mo Shu had intended to refuse, preferring to stay home and reflect on his mistakes, but he couldn’t withstand Wang Yining’s persistent pleas and finally agreed to accompany her.

Apparently, she hadn’t gone shopping in a long time. In a single day, she scheduled three stops: first, the Plum Blossom Foreign Trade Fashion Street in the southern part of Nanshan City; second, the Seaside Food Market in Nanshan New District; and finally, Star Plaza—the city’s largest entertainment complex, owned by Zhang Aimin, offering dining, shopping, and leisure all in one place.

They wandered from dawn till dusk, eating from the south end of the city to the north.

At the end of the day, Wang Yining insisted they see a movie—a new film about online gaming and e-sports, adapted and directed by an up-and-coming director from Huaxia.

Though the film ran over two hours, the plot was full of twists and suspense, peppered with popular humor. Unwittingly, the gloom from Mo Shu’s racing defeat began to melt away.

By the time they left the cinema, it was already 11:30 at night. Mo Shu drove Wang Yining home at a leisurely pace; neither seemed eager for the evening to end. Despite a tiring day, the joy far outweighed the fatigue.

But just as their laughter echoed in the car, a vehicle behind them suddenly approached at high speed with its high beams glaring, flashing repeatedly and blaring its horn.

The intense lights forced Mo Shu to squint, and, frowning, he signaled to change lanes and let the car pass.

But as he prepared to move right, he saw in his mirror that the other car was also swerving to the right, continuing its flashing and honking.

Left with no choice, Mo Shu canceled his lane change and stayed his course. Unexpectedly, the car shot past on his right, but instead of moving on, it suddenly swerved left, seemingly intent on forcing him to stop.

A screeching sound filled the air as the other car finally got what it wanted—the left side of its door was scraped by the right front of Mo Shu’s car, leaving a long streak of missing paint.