Chapter 16 Death Race 02

Chapter 16 Death Race 02

As they ate,

Pei Yi asked, "How much? How much should I transfer you?"

Lu ZaiChuan thought for a moment, "200 should do."

Pei Yi winced; two hundred for a meal? He only had thirty points in total, had given Chen Mo five, the S1 entry fee was five, and he'd converted two for living expenses. Now he was down to eighteen.

A notification chimed, transfer successful.

But Lu ZaiChuan didn't accept it.

Pei Yi asked, "Did you really finish reading all of them?" There were at least seven or eight books here, he hadn't misheard, had he?

"More or less," Lu ZaiChuan said, "We can head downstairs after we finish eating."

Pei Yi: "…………" It seems the name Lu God wasn't for show.

After the meal, Pei Yi publicly stripped off his bathrobe, standing in just his briefs. Lu ZaiChuan abruptly stood up, exclaiming:

"What are you doing!!"

"I'm changing clothes, what's the issue?" We're all men, what's the big deal?

Lu ZaiChuan's face showed embarrassment, "No... nothing."

Pei Yi went into the inner room, put on his white T-shirt, jacket, and jeans, then came out and said to Lu ZaiChuan, "Let's go."

Lu ZaiChuan had regained his composure, but standing together, they were quite the mismatch: one in a crisp black suit, the other overly casual.

By the time they reached the lobby, many people were already there.

Chen Mo and Brother Guang waved at Pei Yi, "Brother Pei!"

"Little Pei! Over here."

Pei Yi left Lu ZaiChuan and went to sit with them.

A group of about a hundred people had gathered in the lobby, all from Group A.

The hall was large. Everyone was serious and focused, indicating the importance they placed on the upcoming race.

Brother Guang: "I barely remembered anything just now, looks like it's going to be tough."

Chen Mo: "I didn't remember much either, Brother Pei, how about you?"

Pei Yi: "Not much, fell asleep halfway through." If reading could really change one's fate, he wouldn't be working on a construction site.

Chen Mo, Brother Guang: "…………"

Pei Yi looked around and noticed everyone was punctual and even muttering to themselves, truly diligent. Touching his nose in resignation, he too picked up a book to read. It was the biography of Ayrton Senna, a three-time Formula One World Champion who died tragically in a racing accident at the age of 34.

He glanced through the next few books, which covered various legends like Michael Schumacher, Alain Prost, and others.

The quiz is about these racers' lives?

Pei Yi pondered this just as the system announcement began,

[Welcome, players, to "Death Race." The game starts now.]

[Group A of Area A, the first qualifying round, theme "Racing Quiz."]

[Rules: The system will broadcast questions. Players wishing to answer must press their wristband. Correct answers earn one point, incorrect answers deduct ten points, leading to elimination. Ten questions, ten points.]

As soon as the voice faded, the room burst into discussion.

"This task seems too easy, just answer ten questions for ten points?"

"It's not that simple, there are a hundred of us here, who knows what tricky questions the system might ask?"

"It's unfair. What if someone really loves racing or knows a lot about it?"

"Reading ten books in three hours is impossible... and a wrong answer deducts ten points."

Pei Yi also felt the challenge. It was like an exam, with too many people needing filtering, so they'd likely ask odd questions. It was a race for speed or accuracy. Though it seemed simple, neither was easy.

[Please listen to the first question: Michael Schumacher, known as the "King of Records" for breaking numerous records, has won the World Championship seven times. In 2012, Schumacher officially announced his retirement. Where did he retire?]

Before the question was even finished, a ding sounded, and a middle-aged man tremblingly said, "Suzuka, in Japan." After answering, he added, "I'm a Schumacher fan."

[Correct answer, player Zhou Yuncai, awarded 1 point.]

There was whispering below, "So quick, only a hardcore fan could answer that."

Pei Yi felt quite ashamed, comparing himself to this man, his own fandom seemed like a joke. He didn't know Schumacher retired in Japan, let alone where Suzuka was.

[Second question: Ayrton Senna—forever a racing god, at which race did he tragically lose his life?]

The same Uncle Zhou pressed the buzzer, "The San Marino Grand Prix. He crashed into a wall at over 200 mph. The right wheel of the car detached and hit his head, a sharp rod pierced through his helmet, killing him instantly. Senna is the true racing god."

Pei Yi: …A real hardcore fan. Such detail.

[Correct answer, player Zhou Yuncai, awarded 1 point.]

[Third question: Niki Lauda, the bravest racer. He was severely injured at the German Grand Prix, suffering major burns to his face and head, falling into a coma. On what date did he return to racing?]

Uncle Zhou pressed again, "Six weeks."

[Incorrect answer. Player Uncle Zhou, deducted ten points.]

The crowd was in an uproar, the previous glory gone in an instant, questioning the sudden deduction.

Pei Yi was stunned, realizing the mistake; the question asked for a date, not weeks! He knew the questions were getting tricky.

At that moment, Lu ZaiChuan answered, "September 1, 1976, at the Italian Grand Prix."

Everyone turned to look at Lu ZaiChuan, who lifted his book, "It's written here."

Many murmured, "I've heard Lu God has a photographic memory, it's true."

"So impressive! So accurate."

[Player Lu ZaiChuan, awarded 1 point.]

[Fourth question: The Snaefell Mountain Course in Ireland is known as the deadliest racetrack in the world, nicknamed the 'Death Track.' How many lives has this track claimed?]

Lu ZaiChuan: "259."

[Player Lu ZaiChuan, awarded 1 point]

[Fifth question: At Italy's Monza circuit, 5.8 kilometers long, who holds the record?]

Lu ZaiChuan: "Barrichello, 1 minute 21.046 seconds."

The crowd: "…………"

Pei Yi: "…………"

[Player Lu ZaiChuan, awarded 1 point]

Words fail to express, truly remarkable memory.

Hearing this, everyone started to feel something was off, thinking it was a general knowledge quiz. But now with death tracks, burn injuries, and precise timings like racing against the Grim Reaper itself, it kept reminding them how dangerous racing is.

Pei Yi had guessed this outcome. This damned game never forgets to add a thrill, he figured it out the moment he heard a 40% mortality rate.

With five questions left, the difficulty and trickiness only increased, covering topics like the number of deadly turns on death tracks, fatalities in rally racing, and the uniform engines used by F1 teams.

From then on, it was basically Lu ZaiChuan dominating the scene, scoring a total of 5 points, with an unexpected dark horse, Chen Mo, earning 3 points.

Pei Yi heard someone say, "Heh. This Pei Yi doesn't dare to make a peep, might as well just kneel and concede."

"He's not even trying to press anymore, probably chickened out."

Hearing this, Pei Yi thought, chickened out? He'd show them what it means to not back down.

The final question, [Before the official race, there's usually a qualifying session to decide the starting order based on the fastest single lap. How many laps at most can each car run?]

Pei Yi knew this. Ten laps! He quickly pressed his watch, and a ding sounded. Everyone looked at him. But at that moment, Pei Yi doubted himself. Was it 10 laps or 12? He hesitated.

During his hesitation, someone whispered, "What's he doing? Trying to answer?"

"Why hasn't the system moved on?"

[Countdown, five, four…]

Pei Yi panicked, cursed his memory. He knew because he had participated in racing, back before his family's troubles. He used to spend on such expenses. That race had a qualifying session, and he ran many times for a good start. But he couldn't remember if it was 10 or 12 laps.

After all, it was something from when he was eighteen.

Across from him, Lu ZaiChuan clenched a fist, two fingers prominently extended, resembling the number two. Enlightenment struck Pei Yi, right, twelve laps, he remembered.

[Two,]

"12 laps," Pei Yi said, somewhat uncertainly.

[Player Pei Yi, awarded 1 point.]

[Racing Quiz concluded. We hope everyone has gained insight into our upcoming race. Tomorrow, we continue. Tonight, those wishing to practice may go to the track. Please prepare and brace yourselves for the real race in two days.]

Nobody spoke.

The system stated that passing requires scoring above 50% of the entire region's points. This relative standard is harder to meet than an absolute one. From the information revealed in the first round, the mortality rate in racing is too high. Normal people max out at 120 mph; how could one reach 200 mph, let alone the top speeds of 380 mph?

It's forcing all ordinary players to accelerate madly in search of a lifeline.

Thriller City truly lives up to its name.

Then someone shouted, "But I don't know how to drive, I don't even have a license." It was the hotel owner, Su Guang.

"I can't drive either," someone else yelled, "How do we drive then? What gear is a race car, I only know automatic."

But the system gave no further response.

Pei Yi, knowing the system's ways, suggested to Chen Mo, "Shall we try a couple of laps?"

Chen Mo nodded, "Brother Pei, can you drive?"

"I'm an old hand at it," Pei Yi said. He'd been secretly driving his dad's car since he was ten and even won a youth championship at eighteen. Sadly, his family went bankrupt later, and he couldn't afford racing anymore. Now at 24, he had been driving for over a decade. "What about you?"

"I just got my license."

"Don't panic. Kid, you have a good memory, I have faith in you, definitely better than that Mr. Lu."

"Better than me?" A voice came.

Pei Yi looked up. Lu ZaiChuan appeared displeased, he sneered, "That would be difficult." He pushed his glasses up; beneath them, his light brown eyes and the cold, resolute profile exuded a keep-away aura.

Pei Yi wondered how this person could change so quickly, he had just helped him cheat.

"A couple of laps? Youth champion Pei Yi," said Lu ZaiChuan.