"Investigate racer number 315!" the track marshal said into the radio to race control.
"Holy shit! What the hell was that?" a coach swore.
"What is your son doing?" the mother asked again.
"I-I don't know either. Maybe it was a mistake," racer #315's parent said, shaking their head.
"A mistake? No way!" someone nearby said.
Racer #315's parent fell silent.
"Wu Shi is in trouble. Based on the collision, he's looking at a five-second penalty at least."
"What a shame. He was on track to win the first race, but now that's been screwed up for him."
The coaches and parents were quite surprised that something like this had happened.
"That's too much! He definitely did that on purpose!" Louise shouted.
"Let's wait for the race penalty."
Martina patted her daughter's back. Her gaze was sharp; she had to admit, such a petty trick was infuriating! 'I hope Wu Shi's focus isn't shaken,' she thought.
A top-tier driver must have a strong mentality. Without one, they can only be considered second-rate, no matter how good their skills are. The track is full of surprises; even the best driver in the best car isn't immune to getting screwed over by some dirty trick.
Once your mind is in chaos, you can't drive well.
KLAK KLAK KLAK~
Wu Shi heard the sound of his anti-collision bumper scraping after being dislodged. A five-second penalty was now unavoidable. Factoring that in, he estimated he would drop to sixth or seventh place.
First place in the pre-final was 10 points, but sixth was only 3. Even if he won the final for 15 points, his total score would still be less than a driver who won the pre-final and took second in the final!
'In that case, I guess I'll have to get serious, huh?'
His mindset hadn't changed. He glanced back and saw Zeng Tianyi was right on his tail; the slightest mistake and he'd be overtaken.
WHOOSH!
"His racing line has changed!"
"Did he change his driving style? Or has his focus been broken? Is he getting desperate?"
The coaches didn't quite understand. After all, if he wanted to make up for a five-second penalty, the best way was to use a qualifying lap strategy.
But Wu Shi wasn't driving like it was a qualifying lap at all. He was being even more aggressive!
Yes, at this moment, Wu Shi felt as if his eyes could only see the road, his body had merged with the kart. The steering wasn't a matter of his hands turning the wheel, but the wheel pulling his hands along with it.
The kart's fairings felt the airflow, the chassis absorbed the vibrations, the tires screeched against the ground, and the engine roared as the crankshaft turned, unleashing even greater power.
WHOOSH!
He braked impossibly late, throwing the kart into the corner. It should have spun out, but it teetered on the edge of chaos, ultimately using the last bit of grip to launch itself onto the exit path.
SCRAPE! SCRAPE! SCRAPE!!!
Driving over the kerb, the kart rattled as he used every inch of the track.
WHOOSH!
After just four corners, Wu Shi had already pulled a 0.3-second gap on Zeng Tianyi.
'How is this possible!'
Zeng Tianyi gripped the steering wheel, a sense of despair washing over him.
Why? Why was the gap still widening when he was already pushing his kart to its absolute limit?!
'Is it the kart's performance? No way! They're all spec karts, it's impossible!'
Zeng Tianyi gritted his teeth. 'I have to catch him... No,' he thought. 'Ling Kang already proved that we can't imitate Wu Shi's driving style.'
If they tried to copy him, there would be only one result: they'd lose control!
He glanced back. Ling Kang was right behind him. He couldn't afford a mistake; securing second place was what mattered now!
He couldn't lose his head!
'Wu Shi's sudden burst of speed must be to make up for the potential penalty,' he reasoned.
WHOOSH!
On the first clean lap after the collision, a terrifying lap time appeared on the board.
43.002!
"Whoa!"
"Holy shit!"
"Is the timer broken?!"
"Is this really the Junior A-group?"
The crowd was in an uproar. How could he post a time like that! In all these years, no one had ever achieved such a lap time in a spec NCJ-A group kart!
"He's too strong. And he's a newcomer, right?"
All eyes were now fixed on the unremarkable-looking kart that was constantly pushing the limits. Every coach realized this kid was something special.
Some coaches were already starting to ask around about him.
Boss Chen swallowed hard, realizing he seemed to have invested in an extraordinary kid.
"Lady Martina, he's... he's very strong, isn't he? From your European perspective," he couldn't help but ask.
"Yes, very strong. His kart seems to just glide through the corners, using every last bit of grip. Most importantly, he barely needs to make any steering corrections. That's the most terrifying part!"
Martina nodded. She decided she had to have a serious talk with Wu Zhenlin. Wu Shi couldn't afford to waste his first year here.
Lap after lap.
43.111
43.166
43.123
Wu Shi led the race with incredibly consistent times. After just five laps, he had already negated the five-second penalty!
It wasn't that Zeng Tianyi and Ling Kang weren't trying to catch him. Their fastest laps were in the low 44s, and that was already pushing their karts to the limit, which was incredibly hard on the tires!
"What's the gap to second?"
Wu Shi asked out of habit, only realizing a moment later that this was a karting race; there was no team radio.
He had to look back himself. The nearest chaser was a full corner behind him. That was about right.
He slowed down just a little, enough to preserve his tires for the rest of the race. He had a spare set, so he wasn't worried about the final.
Even though he had slowed, his lap times were still hovering around the 44-second mark, far more impressive than the fastest laps from Zeng Tianyi and Ling Kang.
On the track, Lin Cong didn't know the specifics. He only knew that Wu Shi had pulled a considerable lead on Zeng Tianyi and Ling Kang.
'Where the hell is that other driver? Just ram the front two already!'
His face was grim. 'If I can't get first, I at least need second or third! Otherwise, I'll still be at a disadvantage for the final's starting grid!'
Off the track, Lin Cong's mother looked even more furious. She had paid the money but gotten nothing in return.
She glared at the parent of racer #315. 'It's all his kid's fault for not hitting him properly. It had no real effect on the race at all! He's not getting the rest of the payment!'
Pah! What rotten luck! Resentment filled her eyes.
WHOOSH!
On the twelfth lap, Wu Shi came around the final corner and saw the race official waving the checkered flag. He crossed the finish line!
'Whew. Didn't expect to get set up like that.'
In his past life, Wu Shi had seen plenty of this during his karting days in Europe. He knew all about these dirty tricks, so he just sighed and didn't plan on making a big deal out of it.
After a slow cool-down lap, he drove into the pit area. A staff member immediately came over to record his information and, with a specially prepared scraper, shaved off a piece of rubber from his tire and placed it in a box.
Wu Shi had just unbuckled his seatbelt when Louise ran over, grabbing his arm to help him up.
"I'm fine. It wasn't that tiring," Wu Shi said, waving his hand as he got out of the kart and took off his helmet himself.
"Wu Shi, very good!" Louise said, using simple English, afraid he wouldn't understand her congratulations!
"Thanks."
"Wu Shi, it seems I really need to have a talk with Zhenlin. You must bring your talent to Europe sooner rather than later!" Martina said as she approached.
"Xiaowu, you're fucking incredible! Hahaha! After the final, for the celebration dinner, I'm taking you to Diwang Mansion!" Boss Chen exclaimed happily.
"Alright! I want to eat coconut chicken," Wu Shi said cheerfully.
"No problem! Anything you want!" Boss Chen said with a wave of his hand.
Just then, the other drivers began to enter the pit area one by one.
"Wu Shi!" Ling Kang came running over, pulling Zeng Tianyi along with him. "Don't forget you promised to teach us! I'll go talk to my mom later about paying you a teaching fee!"
"Wu Shi, I'm really curious, how are you so strong?!" Zeng Tianyi asked, his eyes wide with bewilderment.
Meanwhile, Lin Cong, who had hastily gotten out of his kart, heard the results and shouted, "He cheated! He definitely cheated! He must have used a more powerful engine!"