The track was covered in puddles. As the rain tires spun, they threw a massive spray of water up behind them.
The white go-kart driven by Wu Shi was like a beacon of light under the gloomy sky, tearing through the hazy rain with a WHOOSH.
SCREECH!
SPLASH!
The track conditions were far worse than imagined; all the braking points had changed.
Wu Shi gripped the steering wheel tightly, completely immersed in his feel for the kart and the track.
He accelerated down the straight, eased off the gas early before the turn, let the drag reduce some speed before hitting the brakes, and then entered the corner.
SCREECH! SCREECH!
But his speed was still too aggressive, and the kart instantly started to slide.
SKRRRT!
The entire go-kart began to spin.
"He's lost control!"
"It's over! Driving that fast in the rain, does he have a death wish?! Whose kid is that?!"
"Get the rescue team ready!"
"Daddy, Daddy! The car is spinning in circles!" Xiao Yezi shouted, as if she were watching something fun.
"Zhongming! You're just going to let your own son drive this thing? Huh?!" Ye's Mother suddenly shrieked.
Xiao Yezi froze. Even though her mother wasn't yelling at her, she clutched the hem of her skirt and silently watched the track, all her previous liveliness gone.
"He wanted to race."
"He wanted to race, so you just let him? Are you his father or not?! Aren't you afraid he'll crash and kill himself?! I'm asking you, Ye Zhongming, are you his biological father or not!"
Although Ye's Mother tried to keep her voice down, it was still loud enough to make many people turn and stare.
"That's enough!"
Ye Zhongming turned his head, his face devoid of expression. "You think you're doing this for his own good? For his own good, you want him to do everything your way? He is his own person! He is Ye Zhaohui! Not you, Shi Wanyu!"
"Huh? Why not? I'm his mother! He's my flesh and blood! You don't care, you don't give a damn, fine! That's fine! I'll take him to the United States, and don't you dare try to stop me this time!"
With that, she left the viewing hall without a backward glance.
Ye Zhongming was silent. Xiao Yezi tugged on her father's clothes.
"Ningning," Ye Zhongming patted his daughter's head.
"Holy shit! He saved it!" a sudden shout came from the crowd.
Ye Ningning saw it.
The white go-kart was about to spin off the track, but just as it was about to face forward again, the chassis strangely hitched before rapidly turning back.
The fully locked tires also abruptly released as the kart's body turned forward. The out-of-control force was channeled down, and the kart regained control.
"Incredible! How did he even save that?"
"I think it was just dumb luck."
"Well, it's a good thing. It's a warning for the drivers behind him."
The commotion off-track couldn't affect Wu Shi. He silently summarized the event:
'Even though I can fully sense the kart's condition, my brain can't support the calculations. Or rather, my selective focus caused me to ignore a key detail, leading to the loss of control.'
Just now, it was because a tire on one side ran over the white line. The completely different coefficient of friction compared to the tarmac caused the vehicle to lose control.
He should have paid attention to that. His original plan was to let the rear wheels of the go-kart slide over the white line, relying on the stronger friction of the surface beyond the line to regain grip.
But the reality was that the slide had already started the moment the tires touched the white line. Although he cut the throttle input in time, the vehicle's drivetrain responded much slower than his thoughts.
'I still didn't consider it thoroughly enough. And I need to change my line. I have to make use of the areas with the most grip.'
Wu Shi's gaze grew even more determined. He felt no lingering fear from the spin, even though his heart was still pounding.
WHOOSH!
"He's not slowing down! This lap is already invalid, what is he doing?"
"Yeah, has he gone crazy?"
"Daddy, how come he's the only one going so fast?"
"Daddy doesn't know either, but your brother definitely knows. We'll have him tell you when he gets back." Ye Zhongming stared blankly, his heart, which had been shaken by Shi Wanyu, once again firming up.
'That's right. Even a child knows that one slide doesn't mean it's all over. How could I think of running away from a temporary setback and danger, just like that crazy woman?'
Yes, Shi Wanyu's anger didn't stem from her son participating in a dangerous track sport, but from his own business failure. The risk of total ruin was making that profit-obsessed woman want to flee as quickly as possible.
As Wu Shi sped through the final few corners, the pack of karts that had just passed the halfway point of their second lap also began to accelerate. They needed to sprint on this last lap to set a valid time.
'Faster! Faster! Speed is everything!'
Wu Shi's kart roared to life again, like a beast full of rage, tearing through the rain.
VROOOM!
The rain was smashed into a mist, and water churned and flew into the air.
The kart quickly arrived at the same corner. This time, Wu Shi still let the tires cross the white line. The only difference was that he eased off the gas a few tenths of a second earlier and applied the throttle a few tenths of a second later, and a little more lightly.
"He's going to lose it again!"
"That's almost exactly what he did last time!"
"He could get the fastest lap even if he played it a bit safer!"
"Why is he pushing so hard?"
VMMMM!
The roar of the two-stroke engine tore through all the doubtful chatter. A streak of white light broke through the curtain of rain and charged toward the next corner.
"He actually made it through!"
"How... how did he do that?!"
"A genius! An absolute genius!"
"It was the same in Peng City! Turn One, no one else could possibly take it like he did!"
Whether in the pit lane or the viewing hall, the shocked voices of the crowd were incessant.
Having overcome a major hurdle, Wu Shi continued to press forward, continued to push toward the limit!
A Rain Battle. This was what he had always hoped for and craved. Only in a torrential downpour could the advantages and disadvantages of the karts be minimized, revealing the true skill of a driver.
He had sworn to become the strongest driver. How could he possibly fear a curtain of rain?!
Go!
He would find the limit in the rain, and then sprint toward the next one!
WHOOSH!
SPLASH!
Through the next two sets of combination corners, the entire kart drifted gracefully through the turns in a sliding posture, as if it were a car in a simulator, not even touching the ground.
"A beautiful sight to behold!" an old coach exclaimed with emotion.
"Eh?! Am I late?" The reporter from Big Eye News took off her rain hat. Seeing everyone captivated by the action on the track, she thought to herself, 'What a shame.'
Squeezing to the edge of the fence, she only saw a white figure WHOOSH across the finish line, drenching the onlookers with a splash of water. Yet, no one moved to leave.
"He's too good."
"I never thought watching go-karts could be this thrilling... It's just..."
Just then, the time appeared on the light-up screen.
44.338.
"HISS! A lap time in the rain!"
"That's just ridiculous!"
"Is he even human?"
The reporter blinked her big, innocent eyes, not quite understanding what everyone was getting so emotional about.
'It doesn't look like it's going that fast, so why is everyone so excited?'
'Maybe I should interview a few people. But my company never paid much attention to this beat before, so I don't have any past materials for reference. How am I supposed to know who the experts are?'
'But I've got to do my best! This is my first major assignment, I have to shoulder the responsibility!'
'Whew!'
On the track, Wu Shi let out a breath of relief. 'A stellar lap!'
'Hahahaha!'
He laughed out loud. This was the feeling.
Chasing speed and the absolute limit, battling the tires and the tarmac, hovering on the edge of control, and always moving forward!
This is what racing is all about!