The surrounding crowd grew restless, with discussions erupting one after another.
"DK's 350Z, this underground garage is his home turf!"
"What's the deal with that RX-7? Daring to challenge the Drift King?"
"Look at the modifications, it's not simple..."
"DK! Drift King! Take him down!"
A young man with a mohawk screamed hoarsely, the veins on his neck twisting like earthworms.
The person next to him slapped his companion's shoulder, almost jumping up and down: "See that! That orange RX-7? Isn't that Han's car? Who's the guy in it? He's got some nerve, challenging DK? He's asking for death!"
"Asking for death?"
A middle-aged man, holding a half-extinguished cigarette butt and wearing greasy work pants, scoffed, his murky eyes fixed on the starting line, "DK has been drifting in this garage for three years; he could drive these turns with his eyes closed! That kid is going to eat dust!"
The restlessness surged through the crowd like tangible waves.
Whistles, shouts, and the grating sound of beer cans being crushed merged into a primal sound wave, crashing against the cold concrete walls.
Engines revved, tires spun slightly, and white smoke rose from the rear wheels. Following the suited man's gesture, the next second, both cars launched simultaneously, a ferocious roar exploding on the third basement level, exhaust backfires thundering like artillery.
The accelerator pedal was pressed without the slightest hesitation, and a fierce thrust pinned Zhang Jie hard into the bucket seat.
The RX-7's rotary engine let out a sharp, high-pitched scream, the car like an orange lightning bolt, biting tightly at DK's phantom blue silhouette, tearing through the viscous air and sound waves ahead, shooting into the deep straight leading from the third to the second basement level!
The 350Z ahead, like a silver-black flash, violently swung its tail at the end of the straight, tires screaming as it carved a perfect arc, entering the hairpin turn leading to the second basement level.
Zhang Jie's gaze sharpened; he braked, downshifted, and heel-and-toed. The RX-7's nose dipped sharply, the rear wheels instantly lost traction, and the car slid sideways into the corner.
He counter-steered, the screech of tires rubbing against the ground piercing the air, the orange-yellow car almost brushing the inner guardrail, closely tailing DK's car.
"DK is in the lead! That RX-7 actually didn't get shaken off?!"
"Look at that drift angle! The RX-7's entry speed is even faster than DK's!"
"Go, DK!" The mohawked man jumped and roared wildly.
"The RX-7 is holding on so tight! It hasn't been shaken off!" A hint of surprise flashed in the work-pants man's eyes, oblivious to the cigarette butt falling to the ground.
The two cars chased each other madly through the narrow garage passages, each tail-whip raising thick white smoke, the smell of burning tires permeating the air.
The crowd surged madly towards the elevators, scrambling to follow the showdown.
"Quick! To the second level! They're about to come up!"
As soon as the elevator doors opened, the crowd poured out, just in time to see the two cars burst from the second basement level to the first basement level.
The blue-silver-black 350Z cut into the apex with an almost brutal stance, its body tilting violently, rear wheels spinning wildly and kicking up clouds of white smoke, its tail carrying a sense of precisely controlled loss of control, carving a full blue arc, narrowly scraping past the inner concrete pillar!
The screech of tires against the ground seemed to pierce eardrums.
Almost simultaneously, the orange RX-7, with a later braking point and a more aggressive entry angle, its body swinging even wider, like an out-of-control orange lightning bolt, bit tightly onto the 350Z's side rear fender, passing the same deadly corner by mere millimeters!
The smoke kicked up by the two cars instantly filled nearly half of the garage!
"My God! Is that RX-7 crazy?!" A young man squeezed in the front row gasped, his eyes wide.
"Drift King... DK seems... to be struggling a bit?" Another voice trembled with disbelief.
They had never seen anyone press DK so closely on his home turf, even subtly outperforming him!
The 350Z's silver-black body swayed slightly during the drift, while the RX-7, like an orange-yellow lightning bolt, cut into the apex with a more aggressive line, almost parallel to DK.
"What level is this RX-7 driver at?!"
Both cars braked almost simultaneously, engines rumbling, exhaust spewing hot air. DK rolled down his window, his gaze sweeping over Zhang Jie, then slowly nodding.
It was a look of acknowledgment.
"What's going on? They stopped?"
"DK... is nodding? Who is that kid?"
"Damn it, never mind! Look! They're moving!"
Both cars restarted, engine roars exploding in the underground space. The spiral turn was narrow and steep, each tail-whip accompanied by tire screeches and exhaust backfires.
Two dazzling xenon headlights instantly bathed the dim first basement level in a stark white light. The engine's roar in the confined space suddenly escalated to a heart-stopping peak!
The 350Z and RX-7, as if struck by an invisible giant whip, launched violently almost simultaneously, transforming into two distorted streaks of light, fiercely plunging into the dark, winding spiral passage leading upwards to the surface!
DK's 350Z was the first to rush into the turn, its rear wheels spinning wildly, the car climbing sideways.
Zhang Jie's RX-7 followed closely, the shriek of its rotary engine almost drowning out everything else. In the final turn, he deliberately eased off the throttle slightly, allowing DK's car to lead by a hair.
The moment the smoke from the silver-black phantom had not yet dispersed—less than a second!
An orange lightning bolt immediately tore through the smoke screen, rocketing out with the same furious, peerless intensity, accompanied by a sharp, air-ripping rotary shriek!
The RX-7's body swung even wider, like an out-of-control orange top, the dust kicked up by its rear wheels instantly spreading, stopping precisely just two meters behind the 350Z's tail!
The fierce wind and pungent smell of burnt rubber from the two cars suddenly rushed towards the onlookers, making the clothes of those in the front row flap and their hair fly wildly.
The engines cut out, and silence enveloped the area.
The middle-aged man in greasy work pants had his mouth open wide enough to fit an egg, the half-can of beer in his hand already unconsciously crushed, pale yellow liquid dripping from his rough fingers onto the ground.
The mohawked young man's fanaticism on his face completely froze, leaving only pure, stunned shock.
Then... deafening cheers erupted.
DK got out of his car, looked at Zhang Jie, who had already exited his, and slowly curved his lips into a smile.
"This is getting interesting."
He raised his hand, not giving a thumbs-up, but clenching his fist and powerfully thrusting it downwards in the air towards Zhang Jie.
That single gesture was more profound than any applause.
Han slowly walked over to his RX-7, munching on snacks. After a quick inspection confirmed there was no damage, he came over to Zhang Jie.
"Is this what you meant by 'just a little bit'?"
To be honest, he had expected Zhang Jie to completely wreck his car, but he hadn't anticipated it being perfectly safe and unharmed. The distance between his car and DK's, and their arrival times, were almost one after the other, differing by less than a second.
This couldn't be explained away by a simple 'I only know a little bit.' In that instant, a classic Chinese saying suddenly popped into his mind: playing the pig to eat the tiger.
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