Chapter 18 Death Race 04

Chapter 18 Death Race 04

"You're full of hot air," Pei Yi said, bristling with indignation.

Lu ZaiChuan gave a faint smile, "Even though you're a bit older than me, I advise you to listen. Had you joined my team, I would've offered some guidance, but now…"

Pei Yi: "…………"

Seeing Pei Yi's displeased expression, Lu ZaiChuan said, "Don't be upset. I'm just being honest. I helped you in today's quiz, don't dwell on it, but let me give you a heads-up. In JC, no one can help you. You shouldn't give away your points easily; a single point can save your life. Don't make friends carelessly, as you never know when they might stab you in the back.

"The people bashing you on the forum went too far, but they did get one thing right: sustainability. Entering the game isn't about being brave for a moment, but about having a comprehensive plan; and one last piece of advice, never waste any points."

Lu ZaiChuan stood up, "Since you see me as a rival, living together might make you uncomfortable. I'll request to move to the next room. Don't worry about the points, I'll speak to the system."

With that, he headed for the door.

Pei Yi was furious, typical of someone with the surname Lu.

"Get back here!"

Pei Yi quickly closed the distance in three steps, grabbing Lu ZaiChuan's arm and yanking it, "I broke your record!"

Lu ZaiChuan chuckled, "Record? I've participated in nearly two hundred games, holding the highest record in one hundred and fifty of them. HL was one of my first in JC when I was just seventeen, so I wasn't very familiar with it. May I ask how old are you? Moreover, you were just lucky. Do you think I can't see through your nonsense?"

Pei Yi's face flushed with anger, "Who's talking nonsense? My reasoning skills are excellent."

"Is that so?" Lu ZaiChuan laughed lightly, "You made three major mistakes entering HL, as others have already analyzed. The two points from completing the little boy's task were just good luck. And you're trying to compete with me? Let me add more, your biggest mistake was wasting time confronting online friends. It's meaningless."

"Meaningless?" Pei Yi was furious, "Then please tell me what you find meaningful? Huh? Constantly belittling me here, you find that meaningful?"

"I'm just reminding you. You have some talent, and I pity to waste it. Besides points, I have no interest in anything else."

Pei Yi watched people pass by, feeling the sting on his face. Great, this man successfully ignited his competitive spirit.

He must outrun him in tomorrow's speed race.

But upon checking his panel and seeing only 18 total points, with 1 point from the current elimination round and ranking beyond ten thousand, there's no need to mention the total ranking.

Lu ZaiChuan was criticizing his carefree attitude. He had lived like this for over a decade. People insulted him, and he always retorted. What was wrong with that? Fueled by anger, he went downstairs to practice.

Just reaching the door, he saw Lu ZaiChuan again. Pei Yi lifted his head and walked straight past him.

Lu ZaiChuan said, "Practicing now is acting impulsively."

Pei Yi: "…" Who's acting impulsively?

"There's a race tomorrow, what you need now is rest."

Pei Yi raised his head, "I'm very fit."

Lu ZaiChuan looked him up and down, "Is that so? Hard to tell." Then he turned and went back inside.

Pei Yi was so angry he felt dizzy, wishing he could smash the championship trophy in his face right now. He went downstairs, drove around the track for several laps.

After running wildly for about ten laps, by 11 p.m., he couldn't keep going and went back to his room to sleep.

……

Inside Lu ZaiChuan's room, he was video messaging with a blond-haired guy.

"Tan Yun and his group are probably teaming up, planning to make a move."

"It's too early to say. Different areas, different groups, no need to worry."

"What are you worried about then? Afraid you can't find newcomers for our castle? You dismiss a group of S-level players but insist on adding an F-level, the lowest. I can't figure out what you're thinking!"

Lu ZaiChuan, watching people speed around crazily outside, had a profound look on his face, "I can't figure it out either, maybe we're just fated."

"Fated? What kind of fate? A bad one? I heard you specifically requested to share a room with him from the headquarters and even spent 10 points. Why bother?"

Lu ZaiChuan chuckled, "Going to sleep."

After ending the video, he stood by the door for a while, waiting for that person to slowly come up.

Pei Yi probably didn't expect him to be awake still. Originally as tired as a dog, he straightened up immediately, puffing out his chest, "Heh. Running a few laps, still got plenty of energy."

Lu ZaiChuan laughed lightly, unsure what this person was trying to prove, "I wanted to remind you, about tomorrow's race…"

Pei Yi interrupted, "What do you want to say, mock me? I'll tell you, I don't need it. Ah. As a former genius racer, beating you is easy, easy."

Lu ZaiChuan crossed his arms, "You're not going to listen to what I have to say?"

"What? Listen to you tell me how handsome and cute I am? Thanks. I know I'm handsome, and I know I'm cute. Goodbye, I'm going to sleep."

Pei Yi walked past him and slammed the door shut.

Lu ZaiChuan shook his head, chuckling softly as he closed his door. Well then, brother, good luck.

The next day, Pei Yi woke up suddenly to the system's alert. Checking the time, he swore, he was late.

By nine, Pei Yi rushed downstairs without having breakfast.

Chen Mo saw him, "Brother Pei! Over here! — Which track are you in?"

"Track three, not bad luck," Pei Yi showed him his wristband.

Chen Mo said, "Good luck."

[The game will soon begin. Players in the first group, please be on the track at 9 o'clock sharp and complete one lap. Please aim to achieve your best time.]

Upon hearing this, murmurs spread among the crowd; it really was a speed test. Though called a warm-up, it's actually an elimination round.

Pei Yi: "It's my turn."

Chen Mo and Brother Guang cheered him on from behind.

As he passed by Lu ZaiChuan, surrounded by quite a few people, all his "fans," Lu was in the fourth group, slightly better than his. Being in the first or last group isn't great.

The car was already warmed up. After Pei Yi got in and put on his helmet, he felt the heat.

The signal lights above were already flashing.

With just a few seconds left, suddenly someone ran out of a car, yelling, "I can't drive," and ran off.

The system announced: [Player Zhou Ping forfeits. Deducted ten points and exited the race.]

Forfeiting costs points. Onlookers thought it's even worse than being eliminated.

Pei Yi focused, looking ahead. As the signal turned green and the system sound played, he pressed the clutch, and the revs soared to over five thousand. A car's start is crucial for positioning. Most people start slow, taking a long time to get the car moving.

The roaring of nine race cars ignited at the same moment, stunning everyone as adrenaline surged.

Once the vehicles took off, Pei Yi immediately moved to the front, instantly creating a significant gap from the others. The difference was so stark it left onlookers agape.

They knew from yesterday that Pei Yi was fast, but they hadn't anticipated this level of speed and professionalism.

Approaching the curve, a critical moment for determining the outcome,

Pei Yi took the curve by cutting the apex, then accelerated through the bend. His arc through the turn was so perfect and beautiful, it amazed even those who had never seen professional racing.

The title of youth champion was not in vain.

Exiting the curve onto a straightaway, because he navigated the bend so well, his exit speed was also high. Having already created a substantial lead at the start, he further extended it through the curve, and then the straightaway simply increased his lead.

Thus, Pei Yi completed the first lap in 3 minutes and 15 seconds, with an average speed of 120 KM/h.

As the car arrived, the crowd was astounded.

Three minutes. Even more impressive than yesterday.

Enjoying everyone's gaze and praise, Pei Yi was quite pleased with himself. Since his family went bankrupt, it had been a long time since he raced. What a thrill. This JC game was quite fun.

He approached Lu ZaiChuan, looking smug. The message was clear: Look, kid. 3 minutes, 5.8 KM, let's see how fast you can go.

Lu ZaiChuan said, "Speed isn't always a good thing."

Pei Yi walked past with a cold laugh, letting jealousy take its course.

After Pei Yi left, the others followed. Their times were 6 minutes 02 seconds, 7 minutes 34 seconds, 7 minutes 21 seconds... Some even took about 10 minutes at an average speed of 80 mph, mainly because they spent more time on the curves. These times were already considered fast.

Then the system announcement followed.

[Group A of Area A, first group ranking: player Pei Yi, time 3 minutes 15 seconds, ranked first, awarded 1 point. Other players please check your own point scores. The second group, please prepare.]

As soon as the announcement ended, everyone couldn't help but be curious.

Such scores had never been seen in JC. Logically, there should be at least 10 points awarded. Why only 1 point? Could there be other races later today?

Pei Yi was also startled. He had a bad feeling...