The black-clad man curled his lips into a cold smirk.
He jerked the steering wheel sharply, sending his car drifting around the curve like an arrow loosed from a bow.
The tires screeched against the pavement.
His vehicle carved a razor-sharp arc through the air, barreling straight toward the two cars ahead.
At this speed, any normal racer would swerve to avoid collision.
But swerving meant flipping over.
Either choice led to certain death.
The spectators in the stands erupted in gasps.
"Look! That car's out of control!"
"Brake failure? It's going too fast!"
"They're going to crash! All three cars are done for!"
Sophia Sullivan glimpsed the black racer charging toward them in the rearview mirror.
In this moment of peril, her mind became eerily clear.
"Zephyr, overtake."
The voice, distorted by a modulator, came out rough and low.
Just four words—crisp and decisive.
Ethan Sullivan's pupils contracted.
The voice was unfamiliar, yet it reminded him of someone.
Sophia.
The same madness hidden beneath a calm exterior.
Without hesitation, he wrenched the steering wheel.
The accelerator hit the floor.
Both cars accelerated simultaneously as they rounded the bend.
A collective cry rose from the stands.
Liam Winston gripped the railing, his knuckles turning white.
"They're insane!"
Overtaking on a high slope—no one in the country had ever pulled it off.
Failure meant certain death.
"Boom—"
Sophia's car launched into the air.
The tires sparked, casting dazzling streaks of light.
Mid-flight, she saw Zephyr's car soaring alongside hers.
Time seemed to slow.
The roar of the engines drowned out everything else.
Life and death hung by a thread.
Sophia could hear her own heartbeat.
Thump. Thump.
In the face of death, the world grew unnervingly quiet.
The cars slammed back onto the track.
In the rearview mirror, the black racer kept pace effortlessly.
The black-clad driver was stunned.
He never imagined they'd dare to overtake here.
"Crash!"
His out-of-control car smashed into the barrier.
Blood blurred his vision.
"Hel...p..."
Even in death, he couldn't comprehend why those two maniacs had taken the risk.
Medical teams rushed to the scene.
But Sophia and Zephyr didn't stop.
The race entered its final sprint.