Chapter 1/14
Tang Wan's offer was actually quite appealing to him.
Firstly, Ning Guodong and Webber wouldn't bear any losses, but would get an opportunity to take home yet another car instead.
Moreover, Webber's car was able to race a Ferrari 599 GTO. Although he won mainly due to his driving skills, it also meant that it was incredibly difficult for ordinary sports cars to defeat his. Thus, if Yang Chen wanted a higher chance to win the race, he had to pick a more domineering one.
When Webber heard the news, he happily accepted the challenge. He wasn't a fool after all. Why wouldn't he accept such a good deal?
Ning Guodong was also waiting to watch Yang Chen embarrass himself. He said, "Alright then. Since you're racing, pick a track and a car."
Knowing that he couldn't slip away, Yang Chen had to show his ability since he had promised to help Tang Wan.
"You may pick any car you want from the garage. Don't hold back," Tang Wan said generously, and sent a waiter to lead him to the garage.
Yang Chen hesitated for a while before asking, "What kind of track will we be racing on?"
Tang Wan turned her head to look at Ning Guodong. The track was decided by the challenger. The club had an enormous land which had various types of tracks, so she wasn't sure which one was chosen.
Ning Guodong smiled and answered, "The general layout is a simulation of the city. Don't worry, you guys will not be competing on the Formula 1 track that my friend excels in."
Yang Chen ignored Ning Guodong's sarcasm and turned around before leaving.
After Yang Chen walked away, Tang Jue rubbed his hands together as he asked out of concern, "Elder Sister, is Brother-In-Law fine? Why would he only ask for the track and not the make of the opponents car?"
"Why didn't you say anything earlier?" Tang Wan suddenly noticed Yang Chen didn't ask about what car he would be competing against.
"I didn't remember just now… Do you want me to tell Brother-In-Law now?" Tang Jue asked before winking.
"I told you he isn't your brother-in-law! If you refuse to stop your nonsense, I'll send you back to Beijing!" Tang Wan yelled with her eyes wide open.
Tang Jue chuckled before he continued to act like a spoiled kid. "Elder Sister, Little Tang Jue is your favorite. Why would you send me back to Beijing? Hehe…"
Tang Wan was pissed and yet pleased as she looked at her foolish, big-bodied younger brother. At last, she shook her head and remained quiet.
Before long, Yang Chen drove the car of his choice over to the front of the rest station.
Tang Wan and the others including Ning Guodong went to the entrance, and were all stunned for a moment.
It wasn't because the car picked by Yang Chen was unique, but… it was too average!
Yang Chen had chosen a sapphire-blue Lotus Evora and slowly came to them.
"Are you sure this is the car you wish to race with?" Ning Guodong asked with a strange smile.
"Can I not choose this car?" Yang Chen rubbed the exquisite steering wheel of the Lotus. "I find it quite appropriate."
"Although Lotus is considered to be on par with Ferrari and Porsche, this Evora you picked is… Sigh…" Ning Guodong shook his head.
Before Ning Guodong explained why, Tang Jue who had lost his patience yelled, "My great brother-in-law! Please stop joking around! I don't blame you if you want to save money for Elder Sister. But you should've at least chosen a dependable one! Although Evora is made by Lotus, it's using the engine of a Toyota Camry! I've lost my Ferrari GTO, but you're driving the equivalent of a Toyota Camry against a supercar! How are you supposed to race?!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a car honk resounded from another side. Shortly after, a yellow car swiftly arrived in front of them.
The mad lines together with the wide car body and the golden logo allowed the car to exude the aura of a beast.
Yang Chen opened his mouth to whistle as he admired the beauty in front of him.
Webber put down the window and pointed a thumbs-up sign at Yang Chen. He spoke in English, "Koenigsegg CCXR, 4.8-litre V8 engine, zero to a hundred in 3 seconds."
This was no different from people who would sword fight in the past—they would introduce their weapons at the start.
Yang Chen replied in English, "Lotus Evora, 3.5-litre V6 engine, the one used in a Toyota Camry, zero to a hundred in 4.9 seconds."
Webber let out a friendly smile in affirmation to Yang Chen's data. Yang Chen was at least competent racer which put some thought into picking his car. Being a professional racer, Webber was clear about the performance and disadvantages of numerous cars. He wasn't sure that he could win just because his Koenigsegg could accelerate faster.
Tang Wan stopped Tang Jue who attempted to ask Yang Chen change his car. She walked toward Yang Chen's car and said relaxedly, "Follow Mr Webber to the starting point. There'll be professionals in charge of the race operations."
Yang Chen nodded. He wanted to roll up his window but was stopped by Tang Wan. "Eh," Tang Wan hesitated for a while as she bit her lower lip, "Be careful. Don't do anything too dangerous."
Yang Chen smiled bitterly. Does she think I'll lose for sure as well? I thought she was confident with my ability.
He came to the starting point with Webber, with the latter rolling down the window and asking, "Do you need to familiarize yourself with the track?"
Yang Chen shook his head. "You're a guest here as well, I'll pass."
Yang Chen roughly looked at the map of the track displayed by the road, and memorized the pattern in his mind.
The professionals working at the club swiftly concluded their preparations for the race. One gunshot and two screeching tyres later, the sports cars shot through the starting line like sharp arrows.
Since the track was a simulation of city roads, they quickly reach fifty to ninety-degree turns.
The Koenigsegg was obviously much faster than Yang Chen's Lotus. The sound of the engine was just like a roaring tiger. In the blink of an eye, it distanced itself from Yang Chen's car.
Yang Chen wasn't worried. He tried his best to catch up behind the car. At the turning corner, he pulled his handbrake and swiftly drifted!
Webber on the other hand didn't use any drifting techniques. It wasn't because he didn't know how to, but drifting wasn't exactly his forte. He was a Formula 1 racer which meant that drifting wasn't a very big part of his career.
Thus, through every corner, Yang Chen would catch up slightly to Webber. Gradually, the distance between the two had significantly shortened…
Ning Guodong, Tang Wan, and the others at the rest station witnessed the process on the huge screen. When the Lotus miraculously got closer to the car in front, Ning Guodong and Tang Jue thought they were dreaming. Tang Wan was the only one who had a smile on her face.
This man has always been so unfathomable. He's looked so underwhelming since the day I met him, but he's always been so dependable on critical moments.
"Are you kidding me! A Camry is capable of defeating a Koenigsegg?!" Tang Jue shouted in astonishment. Even he forgot who he was supporting.
At the same time on the track, Yang Chen was so close to Webber that he was basically touching the Koenigsegg when he drifted. It was an extremely dangerous maneuver as he could have hit the door of the Koenigsegg at any point in time!
Webber's forehead was currently covered with cold sweat. He's basically drifting at every turn. There are only two possibilities: he's so confident in his drifting ability, or he isn't afraid of death at all! Doesn't he know that he could end up in a severe car accident in some of these turns?! Also, why is he blocking me beside my door intentionally?! Webber thought.
No matter what, Webber hadn't been able to throw of Yang Chen who had been clinging onto him like a demon.
When the two cars neared the finish line, everyone watched as the Lotus crossed the finish line leaving a trail of dust and several hundred metres of distance behind him!
Ning Guodong who was standing in the resting area almost had his jaw touching the ground. He opened his eyes in shock, while he refused to believe the sky-turning result.
Tang Jue, however, started screaming and shouting like a howling wolf at midnight, causing Tang Wan's to eyebrows to furrow. Fortunately, Tang Wan was in a good mood, so she didn't remember to kick her younger brother.
The two cars returned to the rest area. Webber got off his car and approached Yang Chen's car. They both shook hands in a sign of acknowledgement.
"Congratulations. You're the best Asian driver I've ever seen," Webber said with a smile. Victory and loss were both extremely normal to soldiers, so he didn't mind it too much.
Yang Chen shook his hand and said, "My victory can only be credited towards the track being a city road. You guys at Formula 1 are used to turning large corners, which allowed me a chance at victory. If we talk about the precision of control, I'm still much more inferior to you."
"Losing is losing. You made me witness such magical drifting techniques today," Webber praised.
Tang Wan and the others walked over. Smiling, she said to Ning Guodong, "Mr Ning, I'll have my brothers car back."
Ning Guodong nodded before asking Webber questions like how he felt about the race. He was completely unwilling to look at Yang Chen.
Tang Jue licked his lips and walked to the Lotus behind Yang Chen and touched it before kissing the door a couple times, leaving a lot of saliva there. "Haha, this cheap Camry really managed to win the Koenigsegg! This is too magical! We should invest into more Camry cars in the future!"
Yang Chen smiled faintly and replied, "Although this engine belongs to the Camry made in North America, Lotus had its unique electronic control unit. Having gone through various adjustments, the exhaust system had been redesigned as well. So the two cars are in completely different levels. Although the Evora can go around 200 kilometers per hour max, while the Koenigsegg can go more than 300, such speeds don't play a part in tracks such as this one. There's no use going that fast. On the contrary, the central engine design of the Lotus together with its lighter body became a huge advantage."
Tang Jue was deeply confused. At last, he whispered, "Brother-In-Law, which car manufacturer do you work for?"
"Firstly, I'm not your brother-in-law. Secondly… your elder sister wants to kick you again."
As soon as Yang Chen finished speaking, Tang Wan kicked Tang Jue on his buttocks. The furious Tang Wan had her face greatly reddened. Her brows and eyes held killing intent when she gazed upon her foolish younger brother. The usual kindness and charm had completely vanished from her face. She currently held the position of an elder sibling educating a younger one.
Ning Guodong darted a glance at Yang Chen while hatred intensified in his eyes.