Sophia Sullivan returned to the stands just as the race began.
The stadium buzzed with excitement, all eyes fixed on the two leading figures in Group B. Even the usually composed Liam Winston was completely absorbed in watching the track.
"I'm back, Liam."
She sat down beside him with feigned innocence, looping her arm through his while affecting a sweet tone.
"This is my first time watching such an intense race. Who do you think will win?"
Though she asked casually, Liam's brow furrowed as if wrestling with a dilemma.
"Zephyr and Sweetheart have the best chances."
Liam always turned to high-speed races when stressed. The roar of engines and adrenaline-fueled chase never failed to exhilarate him—no man could resist such thrills.
He'd known Zephyr was a multi-championship winner.
But today held surprises.
Squinting at the track, he murmured his analysis to Sophia.
"Zephyr excels at endurance, but that woman Sweetheart has explosive power."
At the race's start, bets overwhelmingly favored Zephyr. Liam was no exception, dismissing the newcomer Sweetheart as mere decoration.
Yet when the starting gun fired, the woman shot forward like an arrow.
Every dangerous drift and turn flowed effortlessly beneath her control.
"Really? That's impressive." Sophia's voice held polite interest, though inwardly she couldn't care less.
Her focus was on the black-clad man she'd planted among the racers. But despite his reckless aggression and injured competitors, he couldn't even catch Zephyr and Sweetheart's taillights.
Useless.
Oblivious to her thoughts, Liam's gaze remained locked on the golden-haired figure streaking down the track.
"I wonder if she can win."
Never before had a racer captured his attention so completely.
Meanwhile, Sophia maneuvered deftly through the pack.
VROOM—
The engine roared as she mastered the wheel, the powerful machine responding like a tamed panther.
During sharp turns, the car leaned at impossible angles yet maintained perfect balance.
Sophia felt exhilaration long forgotten.
Wind screamed past her ears, scenery blurring into streaks of color—an intoxicating sense of freedom.
Extreme speed set her blood boiling yet paradoxically soothed her soul.
"Such rare relaxation."
She'd finally rediscovered herself.
With a flawless inside pass, Sophia surged into fourth place.
Even Ethan Sullivan sensed the threat.
As their cars briefly aligned, he glimpsed the relentless woman in his rearview—this dark horse's origins a mystery.
But Ethan simply adjusted his course and accelerated, scenery whipping past in a blur.
This was speed and passion—dangerous yet addictive.
The stands erupted as spectators buzzed with disbelief.
"Veteran racer Chen got overtaken by a rookie?"
"At this rate, Sweetheart might surpass Zephyr!"
"I thought women just filled slots—this year's upset will be legendary!"
"Is Sweetheart independent or pro? Never heard of her before!"
Amid the uproar, most attention centered on the leader Zephyr.
As Underground Raceway's most enigmatic racer, he'd competed professionally under this alias. With nine wins to one loss, today might mark his first defeat by a newcomer!