Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Gu Nianzhi’s custom red Ferrari luxury sports car was like a beautiful landscape against the dreary winter morning. The day was still early, so the majority of the Hua Xia Empire was still deep asleep. There weren’t many cars or pedestrians on the streets. There were only a few breakfast restaurants that had just opened for the day. Gu Nianzhi drove her sports car to the restaurant she was familiar with. As usual, she parked to buy breakfast before quickly eating it in inside the car.
The Mercedes that Ishihara Taro rode in did not tail Gu Nianzhi’s car. Instead, it quickly took a shortcut to drive directly towards the highway entrance. A small, long-haul truck stop was near the fork to the highway entrance. This was were cheap motels and fast-food restaurants aggregated to especially provide a place for long-haul truckers to rest and eat. After they ate to their fill, they would drive their large 18-wheel trucks and get in line to enter the highway.
Because most of the drivers worked long distance hauls, nearly all the drivers there were driving in a fatigued state. Their eyes were red from working overnight, so they could only rely on cigarettes, strong brewed tea, or black coffee, as well as drinks containing banned drugs to energize their heads.
Ishihara Taro’s Mercedes drove there, and he asked his driver to go buy some fast food for him. In the meantime, he walked around. It wasn’t the first time he had wandered around there, but he drove a different car each time and changed his outfits as well. He also wore sunglasses, so no one recognized that he was the same person.
The driver came back with breakfast, and Ishihara Taro followed him into the car. He only took one glance at the bag of food before throwing it aside. He would never eat the food there. “Let’s go. Get on the highway.” Ishihara Taro calmly gave his command.
The driver pressed down on the accelerator to drive out of the service area, and their car happened to pass through where the long-haul trucks parked for repairs. Not far from them, an 18-wheel tanker seemed to be having tire issues. The driver was using a jack to change the tire. Changing tires was a common sight in areas where long-haul trucks gathered.
An older woman working in the parking area was hurrying over while carrying a bucket of water. Ishihara Taro glanced at his watch and thought, “The time is now.” His pale, slim fingers reached outside the Mercedes to flick out a shining, gold coin.
The older lady carrying the bucket of water saw a ray of golden light flash across her eyes, so she instinctively took a step backwards, and the bucket in her hand was flung forward! The water inside the bucket instantly rained down, and it all splashed on the driver who was changing tires not too far in front of her!
Being drenched in a bucket of cold water in winter would chill a person to the bone, so no one would be generous enough to not raise a fuss. The driver’s hand slipped and loosened his grip on the wrench, so the tire wasn’t installed as tightly. However, he didn’t even notice this as he raised his arms to wipe the water off his head and turned around to viciously scream at the older lady, “Motherf*cker! Why don’t you go to hell! Why are you squirting water early in the morning?! Didn’t your man satisfy you last night?! Why are you acting coy out here?!”
Most people couldn’t take it when they were insulted by a long-haul truck driver. Also, this driver seemed to not be in his right mind, so he got very excited as he shouted. His eyes were bright red and looked almost like a rabbit’s.
The older lady jumped up in anger. She pointed to the driver and began to scream back at him. The repair area workers saw that things were bad, so they quickly ran over to maintain order. In the end, they managed to separate the driver from the older lady.
The driver threw down his wrench and took the jack back to throw inside the truck. Then he used a towel to wipe off his face and gave the older lady the middle finger before cursing as he got into the truck. He slammed the truck door shut.
Taking off his wet jacket, he pulled out a coat from the junk box inside the truck and wrapped it around himself. Then he took out a canned drink containing banned drugs and downed it completely in one gulp. He instantly felt energized.
Fiercely slamming on the accelerator, the 18-wheel tanker rumbled deeply before rushing out of the long-haul truck stop and heading to the fork in the road leading to the highway entrance.
He didn’t expect the tire to not be installed tightly because he was interrupted as he was putting it on earlier. Suddenly, a bright red and very flashy luxury sports car sped before his eyes. The driver got excited as soon as he saw the bright red color. His foot subconsciously stepped hard on the accelerator as he followed behind it. The black Mercedes following this 18-wheel tanker maintained an even speed and got on the highway onramp as well.
The bright red luxury sports car ahead was naturally Gu Nianzhi’s car. As usual, she had breakfast on the side of the road before coming over. As soon she got on the highway, she saw an 18-wheel tanker following close behind her. There was also a black Mercedes that followed behind the tanker.
Gu Nianzhi curved her lips as she glanced at her watch. It was already 6:30am. Opening the GPS in her car, she checked the Imperial Capital’s traffic conditions. She had also put in much effort in her battle against Ishihara Taro. Gu Nianzhi knew that Ishihara Taro had already begun his countdown when she saw the 18-wheel tanker. Then that was also when she would begin her own countdown.
Gu Nianzhi didn’t have a habit of loitering. She put on her Bluetooth headset and made a call. “Hello, is this Lava Cake Main Shop in East City? Yesterday I ordered 11 mini lava cakes with raspberries and vanilla ice cream from your shop. Can you immediately deliver them to Professor He Zhichu at B University? His phone number is…” Gu Nianzhi spoke very quickly then reminded them diligently, “You must deliver them by 7:30am. It’s best if you’re there just on time.”
The 11 mini lava cakes with raspberries and vanilla ice cream cost several hundred RMB each, so 11 cakes had cost her a pretty penny. Although expensive, this was well worth it. Gu Nianzhi gripped her steering wheel and only got on the highway once she received the store’s firm response.
There weren’t any cars on the highway at 6:30 in the morning. As usual, there were many long-haul trucks around this time and a few occasional private cars. They drove very slowly and didn’t cut the trucks off.
Gu Nianzhi need to go to her thesis defense, so she needed to arrive earlier rather than later. As a result, she didn’t allow others to pass and drove even faster than the big trucks and tankers.
Ishihara Taro couldn’t help but smile when he witnessed this scene from a distance. Everything was really happening exactly like his calculations!
…
In East City, the Lava Cake Main Shop sent out a delivery tricycle that also headed towards the highway to deliver 11 cakes to B University. No one typically ordered cake deliveries this early in the day, so when this delivery tricycle suddenly rushed out from the corner, the driver of Ishihara Wakashi’s white BMW frantically slammed on the brakes and brushed right past the delivery tricycle. He even thought that the delivery tricycle had scratched his car. He pressed hard on the accelerator to follow the delivery tricycle and shouted at its driver, “Are you blind!? Can you even afford to pay if you scratched my car?!”
The delivery guy on the tricycle knew he hadn’t actually scratched the BMW, so he was angry about being yelled at for no reason. He peddled the tricycle and took up the main driving lane by riding slowly. He didn’t allow Ishihara Wakashi’s BMW to speed up at all.
“I think this punk wants to die!” Ishihara Wakashi’s driver was also Japanese, but he had lived in the Hua Xia Empire for many years, so he spoke Chinese fluently. He had even developed a local’s dialect and accent. “Get the h*ll out of my way!”
He wanted nothing more but to to slam on his accelerator and crush the delivery tricycle under his tires. However, Ishihara Wakashi suppressed his anger and commanded, “Don’t get angry at this kind of person. Hurry up and get on the highway to the airport.”
Originally, they didn’t need to get on the highway, but because of the delay caused by the little tricycle, the driver got on a nearby highway in order to make it on time. This highway just so happened to be the two-way highway that Gu Nianzhi and Ishihara Taro were both on.
Gu Nianzhi made sure everything was timed perfectly and even considered the car’s delay caused by the dispute between the two drivers.
Ishihara Wakashi’s BMW had just gotten on the two-way highway when something happened to Gu Nianzhi. The 18-wheel tanker close behind her suddenly began to sway. It drove crookedly all over the highway like it was out of control. At times it drove on the white line, then occupied the express lane, then after a while it made a 180-degree turn on the road. It was nearly spanning the entire highway, completely blocking it off.
Gu Nianzhi saw that the traffic behind her had nearly stalled due to that 18-wheel tanker. She lightly removed her foot and did not continue to press down on the accelerator.
At that moment, the 18-wheel tanker finally corrected itself and stopped crossing lines chaotically. But then something happened to one of its tires. As it drove, one tire suddenly flew out from under the car and happened to hit the roof of Gu Nianzhi’s bright red sports car!
…
Huo Shaoheng was in his office with Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong. They were anxiously watching the surveillance footage. They had been tracking Gu Nianzhi’s movements ever since she got in her car that morning and left the Hepingli District.
When they saw an 18-wheel tanker suddenly deviate from its normal lane on the highway and begin to fish-tail at high speed, all three men immediately stood up together.
“What is Nianzhi trying to do?! Call her! Hurry up and call her!” Yin Shixiong was the first to cry out, so anxious he paced in circles.
Zhao Liangze appeared very worried as he grabbed his phone and unlocked it to dial the number.
“Stop!” Huo Shaoheng barked at them. “What kind of situation is this?! Why would you call her?! Did you think about what the consequences would be if Nianzhi got distracted?!”
“But Nianzhi…!” Yin Shixiong and Zhao Liangze replied in unison as they pointed to the surveillance footage on the large screen. “This looks like a bad situation!”
Folding his hands behind his back, Huo Shaoheng sighed discreetly before slowly saying, “Wait some more. We have personnel tailing her.” Huo Shaoheng had dispatched his top elite forces to tail her. They were no longer the special field personnel masquerading as passersby. If anything went wrong, these people were completely able to protect Gu Nianzhi and allow her to safely retreat. From the looks of the situation on the highway, he hadn’t made the wrong decision.
Huo Shaoheng lifted his hand, so Zhao Liangze and Yin Shixiong both sat down unwillingly. Propping their chins on both hands, they leaned forward as they anxiously stared at the large screen. It was like they were watching a blockbuster movie as they enjoyed seeing Gu Nianzhi’s “race against death.”
…
Gu Nianzhi anxiously squeezed the steering wheel, the sweat from her palms soaking her gloves. The 18-wheel tanker behind her finally got into trouble. This wasn’t a typical accident but the death trap of a missing tire. However, she didn’t feel afraid and didn’t retreat. Sitting ramrod straight, she continued squeezing in the gaps between other cars.
The supherb capabilities of the bright red Ferrari sports car were completely unleashed.
As soon as her foot stomped hard on the accelerator, the sports car rumbled deeply and shot forward to avoid the tanker that pressed closely behind.
The tanker wasn’t actually trying to follow her, but because her sports car was red, and the driver knew there was an issue with the tanker, he was facing extreme fatigue and stress. He had also consumed the drink containing banned drugs, so his mind was numb. He was instinctively going ahead and following the red target. Just like a bull in a bull ring, he only recognized the color red.
Ishihara Taro had obviously considered this point, so he especially arranged such a death trap according to Gu Nianzhi’s car. Gu Nianzhi understood this and sneered. She turned her steering wheel to the side, and the bright red sports car easily changed lanes.
As for the 18-wheel tanker, it was missing a tire and had a very long, large chassis. That meant it couldn’t change lanes as easily. However, the frightening and animal-like instinct caused the tanker driver to continuously stare at Gu Nianzhi’s bright red sports car and forcibly change lanes with her.
Gu Nianzhi was driving more and more smoothly in the front. She continued to speed ahead, brake, change lanes, and drive in zig zags.
A long time seemed to pass, but it had actually been less than ten minutes. The tanker behind her finally couldn’t continue anymore. The driver desperately wanted to brake, but how could a tanker missing a tire brake that easily?
Also, snowflakes were beginning to drift from the sky, so the snow on the ground was quickly pressed down by the vehicles’ tires. However, the snow gradually accumulated, so it amassed as mud and thin ice on the ground. This made braking even more difficult.
Gu Nianzhi continued driving forward, her eyes constantly peering at the other side of the highway. When she saw the white BMW finally drive over from the other direction, Gu Nianzhi gently lifted her foot off the brakes and fiercely slammed it on the accelerator.
There was a thin median strip in between the two sides of the highway. The highway on the other side of the median headed toward East City. B University was on the west side of the city, so Gu Nianzhi was on the side heading to West City. Her mind continuously calculated time as she stomped on her brakes.
Seeing her car gradually slow down, the bright red back end was growing closer and closer to the tanker behind.
The three men watching the surveillance footage on the large screen in the Special Operations Forces headquarters base anxiously stood up again. This time, even Huo Shaoheng couldn’t help but pick up his phone to give orders to his elite team members.
At that moment, everything seemed to be a dream. On the screen, they watched the bright red Ferrari fiercely accelerate just as the tanker behind was about to collide with it. With a whoosh, the speed was so fast that it only left a residual image on their retinas.
In one split second, they watched the 18-wheel tanker finally apply the brakes hard. The entire truck spun out on the highway once again and slid until it was horizontal! Missing a tire, the tanker rumbled as it crashed towards the thin median strip and cut the two-way highway in two halves.
At the same time, a black Mercedes that had been closely following behind the tanker on this side of the highway and a white BMW that was speeding from the opposite side of the highway hit the back of the 18-wheel tanker all at once, one in the back and one in the front, one from the left and one from the right!
There was a deafening boom! Black smoke rose from the tanker and soon after, blazing flames filled the entire sky.
A series of explosion-like sounds burst from the tanker’s back end, and the tanker driver half rolled and half crawled out from the front of the car. He saw that the two cars that collided into the tanker’s back end at the same time had instantly been burned down to their frames by the fierce fire…
