Chapter 24: A Race Between Life and Death 10

Chapter 24: A Race Between Life and Death 10

Lu Zai Chuan leaned back lazily, as if losing didn't matter to him. Even if he lost the ranking match, he would just lose some points, but if Pei Yi lost, he might lose his qualification to compete.

It's about who is more desperate.

"Do you now realize how you were driving earlier?"

Pei Yi widened his eyes, "Nonsense, was I driving like that? You were braking all the time."

Lu Zai Chuan shrugged, "There were so many people on the road, I had to keep braking."

"Can't we just drive properly?"

"No. I can drive both fast and steady, but clearly, you can't. You seek speed but lack stability."

Pei Yi said, "I took less time than you!"

"So, we can't agree then. Should one of us stay behind and wait?"

Pei Yi, speechless, knew this wasn't acceptable. He couldn't lose! Well, for the sake of money, he's always been willing to bow his head, as he did with that fat boss before, and now he could do the same with Lu Zai Chuan, "Well then, you drive, and I, I, I'll do the shooting."

"Admit that I drive better than you?"

Pei Yi hummed like a mosquito. He believed that staying away from someone with the surname Lu was an unbreakable rule. Lu Zai Chuan was ten thousand times more annoying than his fat boss!

Reluctantly, he got back into the car, waiting for Lu Zai Chuan to start the engine again. After they set off, he had to admit, his claim of being able to drive fast and steady was true. If his terrifying ability lay in his insane acceleration, perfect line tracking and lane changing, this man's strength was in his precise control of speed, always just a bit higher than the opponent.

For instance, if others scored 88, he would score 89. If they scored 98, he would score 99. Not a point more, not wasting any bit of his energy.

"Not talking now? Weren't you very bold last night?"

"Boring." He didn't even bother to respond. "Hurry up, you're so slow."

Lu Zai Chuan chuckled, "We control our pace to ensure safety, not just to compete in speed. If it weren't for your interference, I could have easily taken first place."

"So it's my fault now?"

"Pretty much."

In the midst of their conversation, they had already caught up to the opponent's car. Pei Yi's gaze darkened as he saw the opponent's flashy car zoom past. At the critical moment, he leaned in, shouting, "Step on it!" while grabbing Lu Zai Chuan's hand to steer the wheel, the car spinning 360 degrees in place.

The opponent probably didn't expect Pei Yi's maneuver, unsure of where to shoot, and with the speed too fast to hit their mark.

After spinning the car around, Pei Yi changed direction and charged at the opponent, the speed terrifyingly fast, demonstrating how direction could leverage the force of inertia to such powerful effect. And as the opponent charged to the left, Pei Yi sharply turned the wheel right.

Three shots rang out, and both players on the Black side were hit.

The system announced, "Team 5, Player Pei Yi and Player Lu Zai Chuan (Red) vs. Player Wen Kai and Player Dai Gangyi (Black), Red wins, time taken: 12 minutes 24 seconds."

Pei Yi let go of the steering wheel, leaned back in his seat, "Call me Brother Pei. I'll teach you how I navigated just now." This was a racing technique used to confuse opponents, especially effective for overtaking on the inside track.

Lu Zai Chuan turned off the ignition and scoffed, "Working with someone like you is really frustrating. If it wasn't for me going along with your recklessness, and our opponents being so weak, you could have been shot in the head. We're supposed to be a team, yet you completely ignored my presence."

"But we won, didn't we?"

Lu Zai Chuan walked away. He preferred to win securely and steadily, withdrawing once it surpassed his capabilities, opting for a better opportunity next time. But Pei Yi was different; he played too recklessly.

By the time they emerged, they had already returned to the racecourse, and the results were out.

For the first time, Lu Zai Chuan felt uncertain upon hearing the results. Among twenty-four teams, they ranked fifth. Surprised by the score, Lu Zai Chuan reflected on the 12 minutes they spent, at least 10 of which were spent arguing. Without the quarreling, they surely could have secured a higher position than fifth.

The second half of the competition would include the top five scorers, along with one team that had a bye, making up six teams in total. Essentially, they barely made it into the finals. These six teams would be divided into three pairs, with advancement to the main event determined directly by their time scores.

As soon as he emerged, his team crowded around him.

"Lu God, that's some tough luck! To be paired with Pei Yi, and still showing off driving skills at this time."

"Luckily, you probably won't be competing with him in the upcoming race."

"Actually, that was pretty cool! A 360° turn is something ordinary people can't do."

Lu Zai Chuan glanced at the person who spoke, and the person immediately shut up and lowered their head. From childhood to now, Lu had never been taught how to drive by someone grabbing his hands. In the heat of the moment, he had just gone along with it, now filled with regret for having done so.

The system announced their score: 2 points.

He looked at Pei Yi, who was overjoyed about scoring 2 points.

[Current survivors: 12/50. The high-speed car racing finals will start in ten minutes. Divided into three groups, the shortest time advances to tomorrow's main event. Players, please check which side you are on and prepare accordingly.]

On seeing they were on the Black side, Lu Zai Chuan realized they needed to escape. It seemed simple, but it wasn't. First, their escape would be within that same district, with many potential obstacles. Secondly, they would only win once all the Red side was eliminated.

This meant to achieve a good result, they must take the initiative to eliminate the opposition.

If he were with someone else, he would be confident, but with Pei Yi, he was not. It wasn't that he wasn't strong, but rather that the two were not on the same wavelength, completely unable to synchronize. The main event was no joking matter, especially when aiming for first place.

He decided to have a serious talk with Pei Yi.

Before he could approach, Pei Yi came over himself.

"Let's work together properly next time and advance to the main event."

"Change of heart?"

Pei Yi: "..." Change of heart? He's stubborn, unchanged for ten thousand years. It's just that he never goes against money. Here, points mean money. He might struggle with trivia questions, but he'll definitely grab any points he can.

As for the 2 points he gave up on a whim, he regretted it.

"Do you agree or not?" he asked, reaching into his pocket for a cigarette, preparing to smoke.

Seeing Pei Yi light up a cigarette, Lu Zai Chuan couldn't help but frown, "Okay, but let me make it clear, you have to follow my lead."

"..." Pei Yi thought that was highly unlikely. But what else could he say? He needed him, so for now, he'd agree.

"Then later..."

Lu Zai Chuan said, "We'll talk about the rest later. This time we're up against your friend, what's his name, Chen Mo? Do you have any info on him?"

Pei Yi frowned, "Why?"

"There are no friends on the battlefield. Do you want to get killed?"

Pei Yi responded, "That's true, but is there a need to go all out?"

"Then he's your friend, not mine," Lu Zai Chuan said with a cold laugh. "Go ahead and show mercy. Just don't cry when you lose."

Pei Yi was speechless. Who said he was going to show mercy? The competition is ruthless; it's kill or be killed. Sorry, brother.

After the game started, the system relocated the land racers to a highway surrounded by a wild and untamed wilderness. The navigation showed a straight highway that stretched endlessly.

As for their attire, they were dressed in black suits, complete with ties and black sunglasses, perfectly embodying the image of cool gangsters, except they were exceptionally handsome and suave.

"You driving or me?" Lu Zai Chuan asked.

Pei Yi was silent for a moment, looking at Lu Zai Chuan's crisp suit, and decided not to overreach, "You decide."

Lu Zai Chuan got in, buckled up, and said lightly, "Follow my lead."

The system counted down 1, 2, 3, and their car roared off, a most ordinary private vehicle.

Soon, the sound of police sirens wailed from behind, woowoowoo. Then, Chen Mo and another player's car caught up, with three police cars in pursuit. Apart from one real player, the other two were system-generated obstacles.

"Faster. They're catching up!!" Pei Yi said. Unlike the previous urban setting, which was crowded and inconvenient for driving, this rural setting was disadvantageous for the Red side, attributing their selection to bad luck.

But now, the open terrain worked in their favor.

Pei Yi regretted his impulsive decision to let Lu Zai Chuan drive. While pondering this, he opened the sunroof, stood up, and fired several shots back. With each shot he fired, the four police cars behind also raised their guns and shot at them.

Suddenly, one of the police cars sped up, coming up head-to-head and aligning beside them, shouting through a megaphone, "The vehicle ahead, please stop immediately. Please stop!"

Lu Zai Chuan glanced at the rearview mirror, swerved sharply, and flipped the NPC police car over.

At this display of bravery, Pei Yi immediately shut up.

"Oh, quite fierce, aren't we?"

Lu Zai Chuan's expression remained cold and unyielding, not responding. With a quick glance, he saw another police car recklessly charging forward. Lu Zai Chuan suddenly braked, causing the NPC car to crash into them and stall.

Pei Yi: "...Wow. Pretty cool."

After dealing with two cars in succession, the remaining police car got wise. It didn't press too closely or charge straight on but followed from a slight distance, shooting at them.

Pei Yi said, "Turn right, shake him off."

As the Red team's car got increasingly closer, Lu Zai Chuan suddenly turned right sharply, executing a 180-degree turn to block the road. The Red team, taken completely by surprise, slammed on the brakes and swerved, crashing through the guardrail and flying off the road. A loud crash was followed by the car bursting into flames, with black smoke billowing into the sky.

The instigator, Lu Zai Chuan, accelerated, shooting forward like an arrow.

Pei Yi, holding the overhead handle, swallowed hard, "Oh, quite the character."

Lu Zai Chuan gave him a cold, silent glance. The sheer speed had scared him, his face pale and comical, a faint smile playing on Lu's lips.

In just about 5 minutes, the system announced:

[Players Lu Zai Chuan and Pei Yi have won, with a time of 5 minutes and 20 seconds]

A little while later, all players finished.

[The winners of the third "High-Speed Racing" match are players Lu Zai Chuan and Pei Yi, welcome to the main event. Points awarded: 5. Other players may check their scores.]

[Player Lu Zai Chuan, current total points: 23, ranked 1/100]