Chapter 19 Death Race 05

Chapter 19 Death Race 05

Chen Mo was in the second group, and Pei Yi shouted encouragement.

Chen Mo asked, "Brother Pei, how can I improve my score?"

Pei Yi replied, "Be brave. Racing has always been a game for the brave, just let go of your fears."

Chen Mo had borrowed the points to participate in S1; he couldn't afford to lose. He nodded and took his turn.

After the second race, Chen Mo's time was decent at over 8 minutes, ranking him 5th. Who here has raced cars before? Even a seasoned driver of over a decade can't claim to know racing.

The two are not the same.

So, what they could compete in was only speed; real racing skills were all bluffed. When turning, it was all about random slowing, reckless braking, erratic accelerating, including misshifting and stalling. Getting 8 minutes was actually quite fortunate.

The majority, those who couldn't drive, were all eliminated. Whatever points they came with, they left with, plus losing the 5 points for entering. Su Guang was among those directly eliminated.

Everyone realized it wasn't just a warm-up race; it was an elimination round. Out of twenty thousand participants, at least half were expected to be eliminated.

By the fifth race, Pei Yi checked his livestream, where everyone was discussing Lu ZaiChuan. On his own turf, they talked about someone else.

The venue was packed, all there to watch the race.

"Has Lu God ever raced?"

"How could he not have? With assets worth billions, what can't he play with? He could even fly a plane."

"Wow! Then racing should be no problem. But that newcomer, Pei Yi, was really impressive. 3 minutes. He looked so cool speeding."

"I don't think Lu God will be far behind."

Pei Yi also had to see just how good this person was, given all the hype around him.

He stood by the roadside, watching Lu ShiYuan start. The signal lights flashed from red to green, and the red race car shot out like a bullet.

The speed wasn't extremely fast, but the driving skill was evidently good, with cornering lines that revealed a person's level. Pei Yi had thought this guy was just a nerd. Now, it seemed he was wrong. Not only wasn't he nerdy, but he was also really smart.

He didn't surpass the second place by much but securely held the first position. It wasn't a huge risk, but overtaking him wouldn't be easy.

Why not race wildly? Pei Yi pondered.

Could it be that speed isn't the primary criterion?

Lu ZaiChuan clocked in at 5 minutes 02 seconds, a whole two minutes slower than him, but Pei Yi felt no joy.

After all eight groups had competed, the system announced:

[The single-lap speed race has concluded. Apart from those eliminated, all participants receive points: 1 point.]

Pei Yi and everyone else were shocked. They had thought rankings would be based on speed, but never expected everyone to receive a point.

[Group A of Area A, second qualifying race, theme "Surpassing Oneself"]

[Game rules: All players will try to surpass their own initial single-lap speed record. For example, if your time was 5 minutes, improving by one second earns 1 point; regressing deducts 5 points; a second regression leads to elimination. Note: Only scores that improve upon the previous attempt count for points. The game starts at 12 PM. Please prepare.]

As the announcement ended, there was an uproar. What a challenge to surpass oneself.

Everyone had been racing their first lap as if their lives depended on it, but now the system was telling them to exceed their own limits. How could they? They weren't professional racers, unable to strategically increase speed. They could only risk their speed, and their lives.

The livestream exploded with comments.

"JC has really upped the ante this time. No wonder everyone says it's a death-defying game, so thrilling!"

"He's doomed. That Pei Yi, his time was three minutes, it's impossible to go faster!"

"JC is craftily reclaiming points. The cruelty lies here. Who wants to lose money, right?!"

Pei Yi was stunned, never expecting the system to pull this on him. No wonder Lu ZaiChuan said going too fast wasn't good. Was the system protecting him? Giving him a heads-up about the game's secrets? Or was Lu ZaiChuan just more stable?

Chen Mo came over, "Many are asking for your response."

Pei Yi saw his panel, shared by Chen Mo. It was a live broadcast, a collective race, with his name flooding the comments, mostly mockeries,

"I told you he couldn't do it. All talk and no action. Champion, huh? Whether he can even finish the game is the question."

"Sitting here watching how he loses the race (sinister face)."

"Too scared to respond, has he chickened out?"

Pei Yi walked up to Chen Mo's panel, scoffed, "The race isn't over, and you're already writing my eulogy? It's just a warm-up race, a game of speed and passion. It won't beat me, just you wait and see."

With that, he turned and walked away.

When his family went bankrupt, people mocked him just the same, yet he still reclaimed the youth championship title. So what's the big deal now?

Returning to his room, he found Lu ZaiChuan waiting there. Pei Yi didn't even look at him and went to close the door.

Lu ZaiChuan stepped forward, stopping the door, "I've warned you, but you made a mistake. You've only participated in one JC race, yet you're overly confident, thinking you're the champion. That's too arrogant. You don't understand JC's style or what the system is about. It's normal for you to lose this round."

Pei Yi angrily responded, "The second race hasn't even started, how do I know I can't surpass myself?"

"3 minutes 15 seconds, you think you can surpass that? Even if you could, can your car? That's not a professional racing car, 3 minutes is already the limit."

"I can, and it's none of your business!"

Lu ZaiChuan chuckled, "Even in professional racing, with your attitude, you wouldn't win a championship. Do you know why? You're too conspicuous, overly revealing your talent in racing. Many will hunt you down at any cost. On the battlefield, no one will show mercy."

"Me, too conspicuous? Who's hunting me? I don't see anyone."

"I thought you'd see. But now, I can't be sure. You might not even make it to the race two days from now, facing the risk of losing points. Being hot-headed is not suitable for survival in JC. I advise you..."

Before he could finish, Pei Yi punched him in the left cheek. Lu ZaiChuan covered his face, incredulous, "I'm trying to help you, and you hit me?"

"When did I ask for your advice? I don't need you to point out my mistakes. I have none."

Lu ZaiChuan laughed lightly, "No mistakes? Youth champion, you'll soon see what your mistake is."

He turned and walked away, pausing to think. When he looked back, the door was already closed.

By the afternoon race, Pei Yi fully understood what they meant by Lu God's stability — his consistent performance. In the morning's single-lap speed, he could have gone faster, but he didn't. The first lap was 4 minutes 59 seconds. The second lap, 4 minutes 58 seconds. The third lap...

Improving by one second each time. After nine laps, he had nine points.

Once he finished, he firmly held the top spot in the rankings.

[Player Lu ZaiChuan, 16 points. Currently ranked first in Group A. 1/115]

In contrast, Pei Yi's meager 3 points put him worlds apart from Lu. But damn it, he just couldn't accept defeat.

As soon as Lu ZaiChuan finished his run, many players gathered around him.

"Lu God. There's no doubt you'll make it to the main race, you ran so steadily!"

"Unexpected, Lu God, you race so well."

"Of course, racing is for the wealthy, not something a common laborer can afford."

Lu ZaiChuan smiled, glancing at Pei Yi and his friend quietly leaving.

The second race was in reverse order, so Pei Yi was last. He still encouraged Chen Mo when it was his turn.

"Relax, try it on the curves, you should be fine."

Chen Mo nodded. A player from Lu ZaiChuan's group had a severe crash, resulting in black smoke all over. The car was wrecked. Race cars are relatively simple in structure, and driving slowly shouldn't cause accidents, but now, in pursuit of self-improvement and speeding, without any buffer zones, disaster was brewed, forcing retirement.

Leaving like this, they only gained 2 points.

Watching that player carried away on a stretcher, Brother Guang mentioned, "Falling below zero points results in system backlash, losing consciousness, becoming an NPC, sent wherever needed. Many have gone mad or committed suicide. It's quite common in JC. So, the NPCs you see might be those driven insane by the system, more terrifying than ghosts, neither human nor ghost."

Pei Yi remembered the horde of zombies, the woman crawling backward, the old lady in room 504... Were they human or ghosts?

"That's why in the S1 league, there aren't many old players with low points, mostly newcomers like you and gods with over 500 points like Lu God. Only 20,000 players are visible, but JC has more, just one dungeon holds over a hundred thousand. Yet, only 30% have more than a hundred points, surprising, right?"

Chen Mo asked, "Then, Brother Guang, how did you reach over three hundred points?"

"By being cautious," Chen Mo looked towards Lu ZaiChuan standing out from the crowd, "In JC, self-preservation is key. If not fully confident, better to forfeit than to compete blindly."

Pei Yi fell silent for a while, not realizing he had confronted such a formidable person yesterday. If over three hundred points could make one a god, then what was Lu ZaiChuan with 6000 points?

A god-slayer?