Chapter 9 Cheating
"Investigate driver number 315!" the track judge said to the race decision center over the radio.
"Holy crap! What are they doing?" one coach exclaimed.
"What is your son doing?" the mother asked again.
"I...I don't know either, maybe it was an operational error," the parent of student number 315 shook their head.
"A mistake? How could that be!" someone nearby said.
Parent number 315 remained silent.
"Wu Shi is in danger. Based on the circumstances of the collision, he will be penalized at least five seconds."
"It's a pity that the championship we could have won in the first round was ruined by a mistake."
The coaches and parents were quite surprised by what happened.
"That's outrageous! He must have done it on purpose!" Louise exclaimed.
"Let's wait for the competition's punishment."
Martina patted her daughter's back, her gaze sharp. She had to admit, such petty tricks were indeed infuriating! Hopefully, Wu Shi wouldn't let it affect his mindset.
A good mindset is essential for top drivers; otherwise, they can only be considered second-tier drivers. Even if their driving skills are excellent, they cannot be considered top drivers because there are too many unexpected events on the track. Even if a person is good and their car is good, they cannot guarantee that they will not be upset by unexpected events.
If your mind is in turmoil, you won't be able to drive well.
Click click click~
Wu Shi heard the sound of the crashing bumper sliding down. He knew he couldn't escape the five-second penalty. With the penalty time added up, he estimated he would be ranked sixth or seventh.
The champion of the preliminary and final rounds gets 10 points, while the sixth-place finisher only gets 3 points. Even if the champion wins the final round, he only gets 15 points, which is definitely less than the champion of the preliminary and final rounds and the runner-up of the final round!
"Since that's the case, why don't we put some effort into it?"
His mindset remained unchanged. He glanced back and saw that Zeng Tianyi was very close to him. If he made even a slight mistake, he would be overtaken.
Rustling sound!
"The racing line has changed!"
"Have you changed your running style? Or has your mindset been affected? Have you started to become impatient for quick results?"
The coaches didn't quite understand it, since the best way to eliminate the five-second penalty was to learn the qualifying race method.
However, Wu Shi did not run according to the qualifying race method at this time, but was more aggressive!
Yes, at this moment, Wu Shi felt that there was only the road in his eyes, and his body seemed to have become one with the car. The current steering was not like his hands were turning the steering wheel, but the steering wheel was driving his hands.
The vehicle's fairing senses the airflow, the chassis withstands the vibrations, the tires screech against the ground, the engine roars, the crankshaft twists, and even greater power is unleashed.
Rustling sound!
With a sudden, late braking maneuver, the vehicle seemed to be thrown into the curve. The car, which should have been out of control, struggled on the verge of chaos, ultimately relying on its remaining grip to propel it out of the curve.
Click click click!!
The car sped past the shoulder, the track was completely used up.
sieve!
After just four turns, Wu Shi had already pulled ahead of Zeng Tianyi by 0.3 points.
'How could this be!'
Zeng Tianyi gripped the steering wheel tightly; he felt despair.
Why? Why did I still fall behind even though I was driving the car at its absolute limit?
The car's performance? Impossible! It's all based on general regulations, impossible!
Zeng Tianyi gritted his teeth, determined to give chase. Ling Kang had already proven that Wu Shi's method of opening roads was not something they could imitate.
If they imitate this, there will only be one outcome: loss of control!
He looked back and saw Ling Kang following closely behind. He couldn't afford to make a mistake; securing the runner-up position was the most important thing!
He can't lose his mind!
Wu Shi suddenly accelerated, probably to make up for any possible penalty time.
sieve!
On the next lap after the collision, on a clean track, a terrifying lap time appeared on the screen.
43.002!
"Wow!"
Holy crap!
"The timer is faulty!"
"Is this really the Junior Group A category?"
The crowd gasped. How could anyone achieve such a speed?! No one had ever set this lap time with an NCJ-A class standard car in all these years!
"This guy is too strong. Is he a newcomer?"
All eyes on the track were focused on the seemingly ordinary race car that was constantly pushing its limits. All the coaches realized that this kid was definitely extraordinary.
Coaches have already started inquiring about his situation.
Mr. Chen swallowed hard, realizing that he seemed to have invested in an extraordinary company.
"Ms. Martina, he's very strong, isn't he? From your European perspective." He couldn't help but ask.
"Yes, that's impressive. His car seems to be gliding through the curves, with the grip pushed to its limit. Most importantly, he hardly needs to correct the steering wheel, which is the most terrifying thing!"
Martina nodded, deciding to have a serious talk with Wu Zhenlin; she couldn't let the first year be wasted here.
One lap after another.
43.111
43.166
43.123
Wu Shi led the race at an extremely steady pace, and after just five laps, he eliminated the five-second penalty!
It's not that Zeng Tianyi and Ling Kang didn't chase, but their fastest lap time was still over 44 seconds, which is already pushing their limits and wearing out their tires considerably!
How far are we from second place?
Wu Shi spoke subconsciously, then realized after a while that this was a go-kart race, not a TR (traffic relay).
He could only look back and see that the pursuers were just around the bend; it was about time.
However, he only slowed down slightly to make sure his tires were enough to finish the race. He also had a spare tire, so he didn't need to worry about it during the final race.
Although the speed was slowed down, the time for each lap was still around 44 seconds, which is much better than the fastest laps of Zeng Tianyi and Ling Kang.
On the field, Lin Cong was unaware of the situation. All he knew was that Wu Shi had widened the gap considerably between Zeng Tianyi and Ling Kang in the back.
'Where's the last person? Bump those two down!'
His face was grim. If he couldn't get first place, he had to get second or third! Otherwise, he would still be at a disadvantage at the start of the final race!
Outside the venue, Lin Cong's mother looked even more displeased; she had spent all the money but received nothing in return.
She glanced at parent number 315. It was all his child's fault for not hitting the target properly; it had absolutely no impact on the race! He wasn't going to pay the remaining balance!
"Pah! What bad luck!" she glared resentfully.
Rustling sound!
On the twelfth lap, Wu Shi turned the last corner, saw the checkered flag being waved by the racers ahead, and crossed the finish line!
'Phew, I didn't expect that, I got tricked.'
Wu Shi had seen a lot of dirty tricks in his previous life during the European go-kart era, so he just sighed and didn't intend to pursue the matter further.
After the vehicle slowly circled around, he drove into the repair area, where staff immediately came forward to register his information and even prepared a shovel to scrape rubber off his tires and put it into a box.
As soon as Wu Shi unbuckled his seatbelt, Louise ran over, grabbed his arm, and tried to help him stand up.
"It's alright, I'm not that tired." Wu Shi waved his hand, got off the car, and took off his helmet.
"Wu Shi, very good!" Louise used simple English, afraid that Wu Shi wouldn't understand her congratulations!
"Thanks."
"Wu Shi, it seems we need to have a serious talk with Zhenlin. You must bring your talent to Europe as soon as possible!" Martina said as she arrived.
"Xiao Wu, you're awesome! Hahaha! I'll take you to the Diwang Building for the big meal after the finals!" Boss Chen said happily.
"Okay~ I want to eat coconut chicken," Wu Shi said happily.
"No problem! Choose whichever you like!" Boss Chen waved his hand.
At this time, other drivers also entered the pit area one after another.
"Wu Shi!" Ling Kang pulled Zeng Tianyi along as they ran over, saying, "Don't forget, you promised to teach us. I'll go talk to my mom about it later and pay your tuition!"
"Wu Shi, I'm really curious, how are you so strong!" Zeng Tianyi's eyes were full of doubt.
On the other side, Lin Cong, who had hurriedly gotten off the bus, shouted after learning the results, "He cheated! He definitely cheated! He must have used a more powerful engine!"