Chapter 77: The Encounter with Death

Mo Shu called Wang Yining into the car, preparing to drive toward the starting point. After moving the truck out of the way, Black Mirror, who had been a great help, stood at the exit of the pit area and waved goodbye to Mo Shu.

Wang Yining sighed, "My brother finally did something right. That’s not easy."

Mo Shu raised his eyebrows and said, "Looks like the family conflict is about to be resolved."

Wang Yining shot Mo Shu a meaningful glance, her face radiant with happiness.

"By the way, you two so brazenly exposed the Weiermin family's secrets—don't tell me you've already rescued my father?" Wang Yining guessed that without absolute confidence, neither Mo Shu nor Black Mirror would act so rashly.

"Haha, you're sharp. But it wasn’t us who saved him—your father escaped on his own."

"My dad is that capable?"

"Ha, you underestimated him. He's an old fox who’s been navigating these waters for ages!" When Mo Shu mentioned "old fox," his eyes sparkled.

"You're the old fox, your whole family are foxes!" Wang Yining chided playfully.

"Haha, my dad’s not nearly as cunning as yours," Mo Shu replied honestly, no trace of evasion.

They were finally nearing the starting area; the snail's pace imposed by the speed limit was driving Mo Shu mad with impatience.

But for some reason, they suddenly noticed a crowd of spectators rushing back toward the pit area’s exit.

"What’s going on? Is there something more exciting than our starting?" Mo Shu joked.

"Heh, who knows, maybe there was an accident in the pit area?" Wang Yining replied absently.

"Wait!" Suddenly, a chill of dread swept over Wang Yining.

Could it be... something happened to her brother?

Mo Shu saw her expression and instantly guessed what she was thinking. He quickly spun the car around, ignoring the speed restrictions, and sped back.

Black Mirror had just exposed the truth today; it was entirely possible some criminal elements might try to retaliate. How could they not have anticipated this?

A sense of foreboding enveloped Wang Yining. Her palms broke out in a cold sweat, her heart racing with anxiety.

As the race car screeched to a halt at the pit exit, a crowd had already gathered in the center. Before Mo Shu could even bring the car to a full stop, Wang Yining had unbuckled herself and dashed out.

Mo Shu pursed his lips—she was completely disregarding her own safety. He hurriedly pulled the car over, killed the engine, set the handbrake, and then heard a desperate, heart-wrenching cry.

"Brother!!!"

Mo Shu’s mind went blank. It was unmistakably Wang Yining’s tearful voice—something really had happened to Black Mirror!

Mo Shu fought his way through the crowd with all his strength, finally making it to the center. There he saw Black Mirror, already unconscious, while Wang Yining knelt on the ground, sobbing as she cradled her brother on her lap.

Damn it, in broad daylight, someone actually dared to take revenge!

Mo Shu saw clearly that Black Mirror’s legs were a horrific mess of blood and flesh, the scene unbearable to witness.

"Who did this to him?" Mo Shu demanded, grabbing a nearby ERC staff member.

"I—I don’t know, all I know is, it was that car that hit him." The staff member was already trembling from the shock, barely able to get the words out.

Following the direction of the staff’s pointing finger, Mo Shu pushed through the crowd again and found Wang Yu, Geng Hua, and others already inspecting the offending vehicle.

"Well? Have you found the culprit?" Mo Shu’s gaze was murderous.

"Looks like the damn self-driving system again." Wang Yu tilted his head toward the car, signaling Mo Shu to check the driver's seat.

Sure enough, the car’s interior was unusual—the steering wheel was retracted beneath the dashboard.

It really was a self-driving car. Mo Shu had no idea if it was a product of Black Gold Petroleum. He studied it for a moment, but couldn’t make heads or tails of it.

They didn’t even know the car’s make or model.

"How insidious. Can we be sure it was Weiermin and Black Gold Petroleum who did it?" Geng Hua fumed.

"Everyone knows who’s behind it, but the problem is, there’s no proof," Wang Yu said dejectedly.

"Let the police handle it first," Mo Shu said helplessly. It seemed those officers who had just taken Ruslaine away would have to come right back.

Some rushed to rescue Black Mirror, others to meet the ambulance, and another group waited outside for the police.

In the midst of the chaos, Mo Shu’s attention was suddenly drawn to the mysterious Driver A from the Carbon Black Gold team.

Clad in a black full-face helmet that concealed all features, and a black racing suit, the figure stood shrouded in a dark corner.

Though Driver A’s eyes were hidden behind the visor, Mo Shu could feel the malevolent, hostile gaze fixed on him.

Mo Shu snorted coldly, pointed a finger at Driver A, then tapped his own temple a few times.

He was provoking him, eager to see what face lay beneath the helmet of Carbon Black Gold’s mysterious driver.

Unexpectedly, Driver A seemed entirely unafraid of Mo Shu’s challenge. He rolled his neck, raised both hands, and casually removed his helmet, revealing a grotesque face covered in sutures, as if pieced together from mismatched parts.

What was most terrifying was that Mo Shu recognized him!

Not just Mo Shu—Black Mirror, Wang Yu, and Wang Yining all recognized him too.

How could it be—he had joined the Carbon Black Gold camp!

Mo Shu shook his head in resignation, feeling a pang of pity for this man. He stepped forward and asked,

"Ai Chixiang, how did you end up like this?"

A sinister, chilling laugh escaped Ai Chixiang. "Thanks to you all, Mo Shu. Long time no see."

"Was it you? Did you do this to your old friend Black Mirror?" Having already defeated Ai Chixiang before, Mo Shu felt no fear. He asked coldly and directly.

"No... he brought it on himself... You people blame me for everything," Ai Chixiang snarled with bared teeth.

"Alright, I get it." Mo Shu looked down, muttering softly, "...I won’t let you get away with this..."

"What? Speak up, I can’t hear you," Ai Chixiang’s bloodshot eyes bore into Mo Shu.

"I said! I will never let animals like you get away with this!" Mo Shu snapped his head up, each word a sharp, forceful declaration.

A shudder ran through Ai Chixiang—Mo Shu’s aura was overwhelming, as if it would devour him whole.

"Oh, I’m so scared," Ai Chixiang mocked, desperately masking his own unease. He couldn’t afford another failure.

Mo Shu nodded, unwilling to look at that hideous face any longer. He would defeat them all on the racetrack.

"Just wait and see!" Mo Shu flung his icy declaration over his shoulder and strode away.

"Ha ha ha, Mo Shu, wait and see!" Ai Chixiang sneered maliciously, watching Mo Shu’s retreating back.

...

The race was postponed for several hours. After everything was finally settled, Wang Yining broke down again, insisting on going to the hospital to stay with her brother.

Mo Shu, Wang Yu, and the others took turns comforting her, eventually managing to calm the situation so the race could continue.

The SS2 stage was even rougher than SS1 the day before.

Yet as Wang Yining sat in the navigator’s seat, she gave no directions at all, tears streaming down her face, her mind with her injured brother.

Despite Mo Shu’s extraordinary memory for road conditions, not even he could race while constantly trying to console Wang Yining.

Utterly distracted, Mo Shu’s performance on the SS2 stage was a disaster.

After five complete segments, his standings had plummeted to fifth from last.

Everyone was stunned—how could the legendary Mo Shu, the so-called God of Speed, perform so erratically!