Chapter 27: A Race Between Life and Death 13

Chapter 27: A Race Between Life and Death 13

While he was contemplating, the race had already started. Liang Qing indeed did not disappoint him.

An average speed of 80 mph, any faster would be an insult to speed control, sometimes even dropping to 60 mph.

In contrast, others were speeding at 120 to 150 mph. No faster, considering it was a night race that soon encountered heavy fog.

Pei Yi then checked Lu Zai Chuan's live broadcast, which could be described in one word—hot.

The screen flooded with messages of "Lu God, I love you," flowers being sent in tens of thousands. The viewership continuously hit new highs, counting in the millions. He occasionally sent a message to cheer him on, which quickly got drowned out.

Many avid JC fans lined the sides of the track, with thousands applying to enter the game to watch the race live.

Seeing his popularity, Pei Yi felt almost surreal. Was this the same Lu Zai Chuan he spoke with last night? Just a person.

They made him out to be a god.

Lu Zai Chuan competed on the same stage as Qin Yun. The two seemed to be old rivals, not visibly competing but aiming for stability, as they both already had S1 qualifications. Now, their goal was simply to earn more points.

These two firmly left the other eight groups behind, maintaining speeds around 200 mph. Any faster would increase the risk of crashing.

This caution came after a player from the second group accelerated to 250 mph, briefly speeding up but failing to navigate properly amidst obstacles placed by the system on the road, crashing into a guardrail with a loud bang, splitting the car in two, and getting eliminated. Thus, losing not only the S1 qualification but also having all points reset to zero.

After this incident, all nine groups slowed down.

High-speed accidents are terrifying. Even with strict safety measures, a severe crash can deform the car, trapping the driver inside, potentially leading to a serious fire.

Just after midnight, Lu Zai Chuan and Qin Yun's vehicles entered the pit stop for tire changes and repairs, handing over to the second drivers.

Pei Yi also headed to the pit stop, alongside his substitute, Mao Beibei, who also liked to live stream but with a completely different style. His focus was on analyzing professional gaming knowledge, which didn't match his appearance.

"I think this game mimics a 24-hour endurance race. If you're going to play, play big—why settle for 12 hours? So boring.

"Hmm, Lu God is first, Qin brother second, they've already come in. I'll ask them about their experience later and feedback to you!"

Mao Beibei didn't spare him a glance, eagerly going to find his leader.

Speechless, Pei Yi checked Mao Beibei's live broadcast ranking, also high. "..." Looks can be deceiving.

It seems his broadcast needs a unique style too.

He opened his broadcast, about to say something when he noticed the viewer count climbing, possibly because they knew he was about to start racing.

"Hahaha! I say Pei Yingtai, just prepare to lose, your teammate 'Liang Shanbo' has only made it halfway."

"Hahaha! This is hilarious, what luck! Liang the Beauty probably wasn't thrilled to team up with Pei Yi. I just saw him driving while live streaming, and his broadcast is really funny!"

"Yes, yes. I came here from watching that, so entertaining! The guy's skills are average, but his live streaming is pretty good. I'm just here to see Pei Yi make a gloomy exit from the race."

Pei Yi, "...", angered.

"Who's making a gloomy exit? Are you all blind, just waiting to see me lose?" The reason for the surge in viewership was now clear.

"Oh, getting mad, huh? It's okay to lose, ha, better not make it into S1. After all, S1 isn't for everyone, only the top 20 players in points make it in."

"Riding on Lu God's coattails to the main race, without Lu God, you can only gracefully admit defeat."

"This Pei Yi, good for nothing except for talking back. From now on, let's call him the God of Retort."

Pei Yi: "..." About to respond when he saw Lu Zai Chuan holding a helmet, dressed in a red racing suit, striding over with long legs. The viewers in his live stream probably saw this scene and immediately erupted.

"Damn, so cool, getting a close look at Lu God. He looks so handsome in that racing suit, even more so with the helmet on."

"Why is Lu God looking for Pei Yi?"

"Are they really going to team up? Ahh! No, Pei Yi doesn't deserve it!"

Pei Yi turned off the screen, "Looking for me?"

Lu Zai Chuan said, "I can't reveal too much, the system would find out. Just do your best."

"Thanks."

Pei Yi looked at him suspiciously, there must be a catch to this unexpected encouragement. It wasn't until the drivers from the first eight groups had gradually left, and Liang Qing from his group hadn't shown up yet, that he realized where the problem lay.

No wonder so many JC viewers came to his live broadcast specifically to laugh at him.

How big is the gap, really?

Three hours after the other groups had started, Liang Qing finally arrived late, leaving Pei Yi with nothing to say. This person was targeting him.

After changing into his racing suit and holding a helmet, Pei Yi saw Lu Zai Chuan still standing there and paused, "You haven't left?" That earlier encouragement was meant as consolation.

"Even without S1, participating in regular instances, you can still rise, just more slowly."

"How slow?" Pei Yi asked.

This time, Lu Zai Chuan was the one taken aback; how would he know without experiencing it?

Pei Yi chuckled lightly, "Do you know the significance of qualifying races in racing? It determines the pole position for the main race. For professional racers, a second's difference in lap time is huge. —Getting a good start is crucial for a racer. It's the first step in creating a gap. If you start slow, there's no other way to catch up later except by pushing to the limit. So, I have to give it my all now."

Lu Zai Chuan: "But night driving is challenging; better to keep it steady."

"Hmm."

As he turned to leave, Lu Zai Chuan called out, "Pei Yi."

Pei Yi looked back.

"I sincerely want you to be my teammate. I hope you make it back alive. Losing doesn't matter; there's always next year's S1 to fight."

That sounded almost like a farewell.

"Thanks," Pei Yi said, then headed towards the door.

When it was time to switch with Liang Qing, he was still chatting about his live broadcast while getting out of the car.

"Hey, buddy," Pei Yi patted his shoulder.

"Huh?" Liang Qing turned around.

Pei Yi threw a punch at him.

An alarm sounded overhead, [Warning, player Pei Yi, player Pei Yi, assaulting another player is prohibited!]

The punch was fierce. Liang Qing, nearly two meters tall and built like a bull, was forced to retreat more than ten steps.

Lu Zai Chuan had just sat down when he heard the commotion ahead. Rushing over, he saw the two scuffling, with Pei Yi pinning the man down, removing his headset, and cursing, "You're driving at 80 mph while others are at 200, you playing with me? You might not care about points, but I do. Are you even human, huh?"

Though Liang Qing looked strong, he was actually a coward, and Pei Yi, who had training, overpowered him. Liang Qing quickly pleaded, "I'm not human, please stop hitting me."

"Louder!"

"I'm not human."

"Did you do it on purpose? Tell me."

"Yes, I was wrong. Please, Pei Yi, let me go."

"Good, this isn't over. If I can't catch up with them, you're dead. You hear me? Dead!"

At this point, the staff rushed over.

"Pei Yi!"

Lu Zai Chuan hurriedly pulled him away, exasperated, "Do you know assaulting someone will deduct points?"

"Let them deduct. It's not like they're not allowed to." Anyway, he was already out of the race. Besides, he still had 16 points. Though not ideal, he was the type who wouldn't learn until he saw the coffin.

Lu Zai Chuan angrily said, "With this attitude, you're not fit to be a teammate."

Pei Yi scoffed, "Then find someone else." He put on his helmet and turned to drive away.

Already over two hours late, and the fight took another 20 minutes. With just over three hours left, he was at least a thousand kilometers behind the leader.

Pei Yi got into the car and buckled up.

The system announced, [Player Pei Yi, for assaulting another player, 2 points deducted. Current total points: 14.]

Angry, Pei Yi slammed the steering wheel several times. Amidst the beeping, his car, like a black sword, charged into the dense night fog.

After Pei Yi left, Liang Qing spat, "What a joke, I'll make you lose so bad, trash, thinking you deserve to be in S1!" He bent down to pick up his headset, only to find a pair of long legs stepping on it.

Liang Qing looked up to see Lu Zai Chuan's cold, silent face, swallowing hard, "Lu... Lu God."

Lu Zai Chuan sneered and turned to leave.

Liang Qing called out, "Lu God, Pei Yi worthy to team up with you?"

Lu Zai Chuan turned back with a sneer, "Rather than you, at 80 mph?"

"I was... Ah. I can speed up to over 150 mph if you wish, Lu God," Liang Qing offered, ready to abandon his current team leader for Lu Zai Chuan with just a word.

Lu Zai Chuan glanced at him scornfully, "You're not worthy."

With that, he left.

Liang Qing muttered to himself, "I'm not worthy, but that Pei kid is?" He opened the live stream to Pei Yi's channel. Within just ten minutes, the screen was flooded with exclamation marks.

To his astonishment, Pei Yi's dashboard showed the red speed line at 250 mph, still accelerating.

With 1000 km remaining, even at 250 mph, it would take about 4 hours, impossible to catch up.

Especially since the road wasn't smooth sailing, with occasional obstacles players had to dodge, bad weather, and even other players occasionally messing with you. Only the top five finishers would earn points, indicating only the first five would get points.

This isn't a computer game, but reality. A crash could mean a real loss of life, a risk no one dares to take.

But Liang Qing's eyes widened in disbelief; indeed, the speed had reached 250 mph, the car racing like a bolt of lightning on the silent road.

Others might need two laps for such a feat, but he achieved it in one. The gap between amateur and professional racing is vast.

A single brake application differs by only 0.4 seconds, but what about ten brakes, or over twenty?

And then there's handling various situations, it's not just about speed, but driving skills.

The most professional of skills.

The man in the helmet, with only his eyes visible, was calm and focused, his gaze filled with an emerging thirst for blood, like a bloodthirsty wolf, inadvertently making one think,

This person seems to be truly risking his life...