Chapter Seven: The Racing Line That Casts Doubt on Life

Mo Shu was knocked off the track, and as expected, there were mixed reactions among the spectators. In the VIP section, Zhao Kunlun, who had failed to recruit Mo Shu, was grinning from ear to ear in schadenfreude, while in the pit, Zhang Aimin’s face was livid and his lips had turned purple with anger.

On the stands, many fans who had just become Mo Shu’s admirers after watching the qualifiers were visibly upset, while a few of Geng Hua’s supporters applauded enthusiastically. As the two sides exchanged sharp words, discordant voices rose and fell, and the tension among the fans escalated, making a confrontation seem inevitable.

“Everyone, sit down!”

A rough, powerful voice came from behind the fans. Who would be so bold as to pour oil on the flames at a time like this? Several hot-headed fans glared over furiously.

Standing behind them was a giant of a man, at least two meters tall, dressed all in black, looming over them like a mountain. The insults died abruptly. Seeing the size of his fists—each as large as a sandbag—no one was keen to make trouble anymore.

When he saw the crowd silenced, the burly man spread his arms wide and gently but firmly nudged them to either side, clearing a path. He then turned respectfully, bowed slightly, and said, “Second Miss, please.”

From behind him emerged a beautiful young girl in a white dress, her long hair cascading like a waterfall. Her lively, phoenix-like eyes swept over the racetrack as she feigned annoyance, saying, “Old Guo, it’s all your fault for driving so slowly! I missed Mo Shu’s start.”

“Second Miss, the master warned me repeatedly…” Old Guo looked flustered.

“All right, I was only joking…”

“Yes, miss!”

The fans were dumbfounded. Who were these people, arriving with such fanfare? The man was clearly a bodyguard, and the girl’s bearing suggested she was someone of considerable status—so why were they here on the public stands instead of the VIP area, mingling with the common folk?

The girl paid no heed to the stunned gazes around her; she seemed to have spotted Mo Shu’s Number 32 car.

“Why is Mo Shu at the very back? Oh no, I must have missed something important,” she pouted worriedly.

“Second Miss, it’s my fault for driving too slowly. I apologize…” Sweat had already broken out on Old Guo’s brow.

Fortunately, the girl’s tightly knitted brows and pout suddenly relaxed as excitement sparkled in her eyes. “Wait! Don’t say anything! Looks like Mo Shu is about to overtake!”

Old Guo heaved a deep sigh of relief, silently offering Mo Shu endless thanks in his heart.

As long as the Second Miss didn’t lose her temper, he considered himself blessed.

In the blink of an eye, the Number 32 car had left four other cars behind. The Nanshan track wasn’t very long, and the rules of the qualifiers required 29 laps. At this point, more than 10 laps had already passed; if Mo Shu didn’t make up ground quickly, the rest of the race would become extremely difficult for him.

But with the system’s advantage, overtaking most of the other drivers wasn’t too hard for Mo Shu. If he improved by just four more positions, he could catch up to Wang Yining.

Meanwhile, Wang Yining was still unable to find any opportunity to pass Geng Hua, who was in the lead. Yet she held her ground well, maintaining a gap that hovered steadily between two and seven seconds. After all, Geng Hua’s talent was undeniable; he took every corner along the perfect racing line.

Though Wang Yining was faster through certain turns, she was, after all, a girl, sometimes lacking just that last bit of reckless abandon needed to seize the moment.

Geng Hua had hoped to use his clear lead to widen the gap, but hadn’t expected Wang Yining to be so tenacious, sticking close behind. What worried him even more was that Mo Shu—who had almost been lapped earlier—had now completely vanished from his rearview mirror.

Soon, with more than half of the 29 laps completed, the Number 32 car surged forward with ferocious momentum. After overtaking three more cars, only one stood between Mo Shu and the leading pair of Geng Hua and Wang Yining.

On a long straightaway, Mo Shu spotted an overtaking opportunity. He first tucked into the slipstream behind the car ahead to gain speed, then suddenly swung out to the outside of the track, ready to make his move.

However, the Number 65 car ahead, having kept pace with Wang Yining for most of the race, was clearly no pushover. As Mo Shu drew level, the 65 car abruptly veered outward, squeezing him toward the edge.

Screeeeech!

With nowhere to escape, Mo Shu was forced right up against the low track wall, his left mirror scraping violently against it and sending up a shower of sparks.

“Whoa!!”

The fierce battle for position drew gasps and cheers from the crowd.

That was close! Nearly another crash. Mo Shu glanced at the battered side mirror now hanging by a thread and decided to ease off and yield.

At the start of the race, the driver of the 65 car had witnessed Mo Shu’s earlier accident. Guessing that Mo Shu might be skittish after the incident, he had pulled this maneuver on purpose.

And he was right!

The 65 car sped away triumphantly, delighted to have discovered Mo Shu’s supposed weakness.

But as he rounded Turn 1, an astonishing scene unfolded before his eyes.

It was a right-angle bend, where every driver would usually slow on the outside, cut close to the apex, then accelerate out along the optimal racing line.

But Mo Shu abandoned this line. Instead of braking early like everyone else, he hugged the inside at high speed, braved the fierce centrifugal force from the tight radius, braked dangerously within the corner itself, then rocketed out the other side in a perfect overtake.

The driver’s joy lasted only a few seconds before being utterly crushed by Mo Shu’s seamless, miraculous maneuver.

Why wasn’t he drifting? How could anyone race like this? What about grip? What had the coaches taught them?

Mo Shu’s driving skill was enough to make the others question their very existence.

“Mo Shu! Go for it!” Seeing Mo Shu charging up from behind, Wang Yining tacitly gave way, opening the overtaking line.

“Mo Shu! Crush him!” Zhang Aimin pounded his thigh and let out a low, excited roar.

“Mo Shu, I’m rooting for you!” the mysterious Second Miss called out sweetly from the stands.

“Mo Shu! Champion! Mo Shu! Champion!” The fans, who had been silent for a long time, now erupted in a tidal wave of cheers.

Mo Shu’s eyes blazed with fire; the broken mirror had long since been swept away by the wind. Over and over, he executed those miraculous racing lines through every corner, achieving a harmony between man and machine that was almost otherworldly.

With just two laps to go, the Number 32 car, no longer drifting but following the racing line, grew faster with every circuit. The lap times shown on the race board shattered the record set in qualifying.

After flying through two more corners, Mo Shu floored the accelerator; the Number 32 car thundered forward, the black Number 1 car now directly ahead.

“All right, it’s just you left—Geng Hua!”