Chapter 268: Race Over — and Dominic's Bad Idea
"Alright, folks — I know that fight sequence just now was absolutely electric, but let's not forget, this is still a RACE!"
"And now — the moment we've all been waiting for! After a night of nonstop, nerve-shredding competition, we finally have our champion! Taking first place — Hell's Kitchen's own pride and joy, Team Pietro! Held the lead from start to finish, and earned every bit of it!
Let's hear it, everyone — a huge round of applause for our champions! They walk away with a two-million-dollar grand prize, plus a personal reward from the Lord of Hell's Kitchen himself!"
Hell's Kitchen's crowd exploded. Weapons waving in the air, screaming, cheering, the whole neighborhood ready to tear itself apart with excitement.
"NICE ONE, PIETRO! You're our HEROES! You kept that trophy right here where it belongs — we are SO proud of you guys!"
Phew. Finally got that mission checked off for my sister, Pietro thought privately. He knew full well that if he'd come back without first place, Wanda would've torn into him without mercy. He'd genuinely been prepared, if it came down to it, to just pick the whole car up and carry it across the finish line with his own powers if he had to.
Not gonna lie, this lightning thing is actually really useful, Pietro thought smugly to himself. He'd been quietly using his Rumble-Rumble Fruit ability to boost the car's speed the whole race — nobody in the crowd had caught on, but it had genuinely been the deciding factor in their win.
Off in the audience, Wanda watched the podium ceremony with a radiant smile. She knew exactly how hard-won this victory had been, and exactly how much effort Pietro had poured into securing it. Now, finally, her wish was hers to claim — a date with Ethan.
Where should we go? Disneyland, or Universal Studios? Wanda wondered to herself. She was, after all, still a young woman in her twenties, and the romance of a real date had her genuinely excited.
Honestly, though — didn't much matter where they went. As long as Ethan was there, she already knew it'd be a night to remember.
"And right behind them — second place is decided! Takumi Fujiwara, out of the Fujiwara Tofu Shop! This young driver won hearts all night with his singular driving style and that legendary AE86.
I have a feeling a lot more people are going home tonight newly obsessed with that little car," Xuan Yin announced, voice bright with genuine enthusiasm.
The crowd gave Takumi a warm round of applause and cheers of their own — no championship trophy, sure, but his run had left an impression all its own.
"That AE86 is SO cool, I'm buying one when I get home."
"Who cares about the AE86, if you're buying a car buy a Mercedes."
"Girls these days would rather cry in the passenger seat of a Mercedes than laugh in the passenger seat of an AE86 — and honestly, look at who's riding shotgun with Takumi. Case closed."
Inside the car, Itsuki, having just found out they'd taken second, grabbed Takumi's shoulder and shook him with pure excitement. "WE GOT SECOND, TAKUMI! We just won A MILLION DOLLARS! You're INCREDIBLE, man, you actually DID it!"
Takumi himself could barely process it. He sat there, staring blankly at the wheel, still not quite believing second place was real.
Then he shot a glance toward Pietro's car, a flicker of frustration in his eyes.
Next time, he silently vowed, I take first.
Tonight had been a full-on celebration for some — and for others, a very different feeling entirely.
"You have GOT to be kidding me! FOURTH PLACE?!" Dominic bellowed, face dark as a storm front rolling in. His eyes locked murderously on the two bald figures up ahead.
"It's THOSE TWO. It has to be them — those two bald idiots sabotaged me, that's the only explanation. First place should've been MINE! This whole thing is RIGGED! There's no way the Lord of Hell's Kitchen let those two nobodies take first and second over ME!" Dominic's roar echoed across the field.
He couldn't accept it — fifth place, when everyone on his crew's entries had gone down too. In his mind, there was only one explanation: Hell's Kitchen and its boss had teamed up specifically to shut him out.
Dominic felt nothing but rage and denial. He had Family behind him — how could he possibly have lost across the board like this? That didn't fit. That couldn't be right.
He kept telling himself it had to be a conspiracy — Hell's Kitchen and Ethan working together to sabotage him deliberately, denying him the win he'd earned.
Off in the distance, Ethan felt the weight of Dominic's hostile glare land on him and frowned slightly. Curious, he quietly peeked into Dominic's thoughts, and his expression twisted into something between amusement and disbelief.
I never cheated, Ethan thought, exasperated. I literally just stood there being decorative the entire race. This one's really on him.
Ethan knew exactly why Dominic had lost — plain bad luck and a driving skill level that simply wasn't up to par, nothing more. He shook his head, thinking privately, Man really got outdriven by a high schooler and can't take it. His actual technique just isn't there.
Ethan wasn't remotely concerned about Dominic's anger or any potential retaliation. He already knew perfectly well that a "Family Man" like Dominic would go looking for payback eventually — after all, Ethan knew exactly what this particular family specialized in: robbery and grand theft auto.
But Ethan also knew something Dominic clearly hadn't figured out yet — this wasn't the kind of gang turf Dominic was used to hitting. Hell's Kitchen's residents were armed to the teeth and dangerous in their own right. If Dominic actually tried something here, walking back out would be the hard part.
Right now, Dominic was already turning over some fresh bad ideas in his head. If he wasn't walking away with first place, he'd just have to get his weapons a different way. He'd noticed plenty along the race route — no shortage of Hell's Kitchen residents packing serious hardware.
Hit up a few places, grab what I need, and get out before anyone notices, Dominic thought, a sly glint of scheming in his eyes.
What he didn't know was exactly what kind of consequences that decision was about to invite. Hell's Kitchen's residents weren't easy marks — they had their own rules, their own order, and anyone stupid enough to stir up trouble here wasn't going to get off easy.
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