DTTM 51

Chapter 51: As You Wish

Since it was familiar terrain, I didn’t spend too much time writing down the route and returned to the waiting room in just half an hour.

When Zong Yanlei heard about the pedestrians on the track and the penalty mechanism, he frowned slightly: “Deprive someone of their sight?”

“Every time you hit a pedestrian, the navigator loses 10% of their vision.” I touched the eye patch on my right eye, which was covered with various gold ornaments, and said, “But in fact, once the vision loss reaches 50%, you can basically not see the road signs anymore.”

“Then avoid pedestrians?” Tan Yunmei continued to twist a red flower rope with her slender fingers.

“The speed will slow down.” Zong Yanlei quickly figured out the key point.

“Ugh, I hate controlling the speed the most.” Tan Yunmei handed the flower rope to me. “Jiang Man, you’re so smart, think of a way.”

“Then don’t control the speed, drive as fast as you want.” I examined the rope in my hand, hooked my fingers around the taut red lines on both sides, and with a light flick, the red rope instantly changed into a new shape between my fingers.

“How can you navigate without your eyesight?” Zong Yanlei’s voice was deep, and his brows furrowed even more.

When faced with an extreme choice between two options, his decision differed from mine.

“There was a completely dark section of road during the opening race, and we coordinated very well.”

The opening race started in the dark. Black Diamond’s main and secondary cars had been secretly following us all the way, using our headlights as cover. When Zong Yanlei noticed, he simply turned off his own lights, leaving me to continue leading in complete darkness. In that race, neither Black Diamond’s main nor secondary car finished, while I, with a stake piercing my shoulder, helped Zong Yanlei reclaim the top spot.

“That was just a short stretch of road, but today… it’s a full 300 kilometers.” Zong Yanlei tapped the fully open notebook on the table, which contained a rough track map that I had just drawn. Or rather, it couldn’t be called a track map; it was more like a city route map of Zengcheng.

Five bright red dots on the map stood out prominently; these were the mandatory checkpoints for this race. There was no fixed order for their placement; the teams must plan their own optimal routes to reach all checkpoints. Missing any checkpoint will result in the race being considered “not finished” even if a team was among the top ten to cross the finish line, and their result will be immediately invalidated.

Aside from the start, finish, and five mandatory checkpoints, the course could traverse city streets, alleys, overpasses, and even tunnels. According to the course design, regardless of the chosen route, completing all five checkpoints would require a total distance of at least 300 kilometers.

“I can do it, but…” Tan Yunmei took the rope from my hand and then tangled it into a knot. I ignored her and softened my tone, smiling slightly at Zong Yanlei, “It really requires the cooperation of the driver.”

If I constantly contradicted him, it would only trigger his aggression; my resistance would only strengthen his. But if I changed my perspective and presented the situation as something that absolutely couldn’t be done without his help, and that I’m seeking his assistance, then the outcome will be completely different.

As expected, upon hearing this, Zong Yanlei slightly raised his gaze from the map and immediately took the bait.

“Since that’s the case… I’m willing to cooperate. Tell me how.” He leaned back in his chair with an almost arrogant expression. It seemed that he could do anything he wanted.

“First of all…” I laughed and began to explain in detail.

The Sun God team held the lead with 44 points. Although Zong Yanlei won two races, Western Fantasy, thanks to their solid performance in the first two races, was closely trailing with 37 points. A mere 7-point difference could be erased by a single mistake in a corner in the GTC format.

The next three stops were crucial; we couldn’t afford to make any mistakes.

Our tactics needed to be more aggressive, more reckless, and, if necessary, ruthless.

“I’m back…”

Having explained most of the details to the two drivers, Yi You’s track scouting time was just coming to an end. For someone like him, born and raised in Baiyujing, memorizing all the routes in an unfamiliar city within two hours was an impossible task.

He crawled weakly out of the metal door, his cheeks sunken, looking as if the city racetrack had completely drained him.

Tan Yunmei quietly squatted down in front of him. She tied his hands with the red rope that she had already combed, then slowly dragged him to the table.

“You have one hour left.” Tan Yunmei loosened the red rope, clapped her hands, and sat down again.

“We need to hurry,” I said, glancing at the wall clock.

Zong Yanlei took a sip of tea and, seeing that Yi You still hadn’t moved, coldly ordered, “Hey, stop playing dead and get up.”

Upon hearing his voice, Yi You sprang up from the floor like a wind-up toy suddenly wound tight.

“I’m alive! I’m alive!” He placed his chin on the edge of the table, revealing only his golden head. “So, what’s the strategy?”

“It’s very simple,” I smiled, holding my route book up in front of him. “Memorize all the routes.”

“…” Yi You looked at me with a completely blank expression.

“You can solve the number sliding puzzle faster than I can. You’re capable.” I continued smiling, pushing the book a little closer. “The time has come to prove your strength to haters. Or…are you afraid?”

I deliberately provoked him.

“That’s impossible!!”

He was successfully provoked and suddenly stood up from the ground: “Ridiculous! I’ve never been afraid!”

With his hands clasped together in front of him, his expression was resolute and furious, resembling a warrior ready to perish together with the enemy.

An hour later, after intense memory training, Yi You had memorized almost all of Zengcheng’s map.

When he left the waiting room, he was so mentally exhausted that his face turned pale and his steps became wobbly.

“I…I will try my best…” He covered his mouth, swallowing back what was rising in his throat.

Zong Yanlei gave him a look of disdain, grabbed my wrist, and entered the portal first.

At the third station, Xuanpu Station, the Sun God team achieved first place with the main car and fifth place with the secondary one. Therefore, both cars started from the front row at this station.

Above the starting point, the moment the red light went out, a swarm of 26 vehicles roared out, only to be diverted by buildings, pedestrians, and sidewalks, proceeding in an orderly fashion according to their respective strategies.

Unlike usual, Tan Yunmei and Yi You didn’t need to block the cars behind us this time.

They hid in the slipstream of the main vehicle, following behind us, adopting a “shared prosperity or shared loss” strategy.

“Right 4 at the intersection, straight 300…” The traffic light ahead was red. Pedestrians were crossing the zebra crossing according to normal logic. To cross at high speed, we would inevitably crash into the pedestrians. I was afraid that Zong Yanlei would have some reservations, so I reiterated: “Go ahead, don’t worry about me.”

Zong Yanlei remained silent, but shifted gears and pressed the accelerator harder.

The two pedestrians vanished in a flash of light the moment they were hit by the car, and at the same time my vision dimmed.

I remained calm, and delivered instructions without the slightest delay: “3rd to the left at the intersection, 50 degrees straight ahead, then right ahead onto the bridge…”

After passing an intersection, the ramp of the overpass appeared ahead.

If you were to name the least likely place to be crowded in a city, an overpass would definitely be one. However, this was such obvious information that if I could figure it out, others certainly could too.

The team that came in second place in the previous race, Full Throttle, was right behind us. Judging by their quiet position in our slipstream, they didn’t seem to have any intention of overtaking us.

After driving another 20 kilometers, the ramp exit would lead to one of the five checkpoints. However, this 20-kilometer stretch would inevitably be filled by other cars, making it a fiercely contested area.

“500 meters ahead, take the right exit ramp…”

In that case, we might as well give the space to them.

At my command, the two vehicles of the Sun God team, like conjoined twins, simultaneously drove to the right off the overpass.

Full Throttle’s green Hercule-themed main car, sped along the elevated highway like a shuttle. Without needing a post-race replay, I could imagine that their drivers and navigators were baffled, wondering why we had suddenly veered off the highway.

Elevated roads had their advantages, and ground-level roads naturally had their own advantages as well.

“Left 3, straight 200, right front downhill…”

After Zong Yanlei collided with a pedestrian walking on the sidewalk, my vision dimmed by another 10%. And when we broke through the yellow guardrail and entered the dimly lit underground tunnel along the ramp, the remaining 70% of my vision was halved again. By this point, I could hardly make out the handwriting on the route book.

“Enter the tunnel, be careful, the road is narrow, a straight line for 1 kilometer…”

With the headlights on, we entered a dusty, dark concrete tunnel.

This tunnel was originally a subway line, 50 kilometers long, which was completed by tunnel boring machine seven or eight years ago. However, it was abandoned due to lack of funds before the track laying began and remained underground for many years.

However, it was not ignored entirely. Although no tracks were laid in the tunnel, a construction access lane was preserved at the bottom, which over time became a shortcut for some people to exploit and save time.

Over the past six years, Xiang Ze and I drove this route many times. I knew how to drive through it with my eyes closed, which part had potholes and which section was the most slippery.

“Right 5, then left 6, maintain the center line…”

“10 kilometers, full throttle through…”

“500, prepare to exit the tunnel…”

“Exit indicator light on, connect to left 3, right front ‘checkpoint’…”

After driving 20 kilometers in the tunnel, the two cars emerged from underground covered in dust, with a “checkpoint” less than 500 meters ahead.

The tires rolled over the big red dot on the ground, and with a screeching sound, the two cars turned around and returned to the underground.

The remaining 30 kilometers, like before, had poor visibility, but offered great privacy.

Unfortunately, this secret section only lasted 50 kilometers, and when we reached the end, we had to return to the surface.

Fortunately, the second “checkpoint” wasn’t far from the exit, so we could take a shortcut and get there quickly.

“Left 3, go up the steps, straight for 200 degrees, cross the square…”

Driving in the regular lane might require a 2-kilometer detour to reach the “checkpoint.” However, by taking the pedestrian route, the distance could be reduced by half.

The race car jolted and drove onto the crowded square, and my vision went completely black for a few seconds.

“See that shop with the red sign to your left? Ram through the floor-to-ceiling glass…”

Pedestrian routes could reduce the distance by half. But if you created your own path, it would only take 500 meters.

After hitting three stores, the second “checkpoint” was just 100 meters away.

Zong Yanlei realized what I was about to do, chuckled, and without hesitation or doubt, stepped on the gas and drove straight at them.

“As you wish.”

The shattering of glass and wooden frame created a symphony of chaos, but his voice, like the first beat of a timpani, drowned out all the disorder with its languid tone.