Sunday. Race Day.
The Jeddah sky was hazy, baking under the desert sun.
But in the distance, the view was breathtaking.
Across the vast oil fields, thousands of Five-Star Red Flags fluttered in the wind, creating a crimson ocean against the beige sand dunes.
Inside the VIP Box, Prince Salman looked at the "Red Ocean." His face looked like he had swallowed a fly.
But he forced a smile. A bet is a bet.
The Grid.
Ye Tian's white Hawk VF-25 sat in the P1 slot.
Behind him: Max Vesper (Crimson Energy, P2), Louis Hamson (Scuderia Fire, P3), and Charlie (Scuderia Fire, P4).
Way back in P12 sat Esteban.
"Ye, listen."
Gary's voice on the radio was grim. "Our data encryption team intercepted a burst signal. Esteban communicated with an unknown channel right before the formation lap. I can't decode it, but... watch your back."
"Watch Esteban?"
Ye Tian glanced at his rearview mirror.
Even through the heat haze and twelve cars, he could feel the malice.
"Don't worry."
Ye Tian adjusted his gloves. His lips curled into a cold smile.
"If a mad dog tries to bite..."
"I'll pull its teeth out."
BEEP.
Five red lights.
The engine notes screamed in unison.
LIGHTS OUT!
BOOM!
Ye Tian launched!
Reaction Time: 0.08s.
Perfect traction. He shot forward instantly.
Behind him, Max Vesper used the sheer horsepower of the Crimson Energy engine to latch onto Ye Tian's gearbox, looking for a slipstream into Turn 1.
"Here comes Vesper! He's looking to dive down the inside!" The commentator shouted.
But while everyone watched the leaders...
In the midfield... a white shadow launched like a malfunctioning missile.
It was Esteban.
He didn't follow the racing line.
From P12, he ignored the cars in front. He didn't shift up to save fuel. He held the gear at the redline, screaming, and drove straight down the extreme inside line!
That line was a dead end. It was too shallow to make the corner.
Unless... he never planned to turn.
[SYSTEM RED ALERT!!!]
[DETECTING HIGH-SPEED PROJECTILE FROM REAR!]
[IMPACT PROBABILITY: 99%]
[FATALITY RATE: 80%]
The alarm exploded in Ye Tian's brain.
The System Radar showed a red dot moving at impossible speeds, aiming directly for his rear crash structure.
Ye Tian was initiating his turn-in for Turn 1.
If he turned now, Esteban's nose would T-bone his sidepod. The fuel tank.
At that speed? In a street circuit with no runoff?
Explosion. Fire. Death.
"You want to kill me?"
In a split second, Ye Tian did something that confused Max Vesper behind him.
He didn't turn in.
Just as he was about to hit the apex, Ye Tian slammed the brakes and straightened the wheel!
He stopped the car mid-corner!
Like a Matador sidestepping a charging bull.
WHOOSH!
A white blur screamed past Ye Tian's front wing!
It was Esteban!
He hadn't braked!
He missed Ye Tian by inches because of the sudden stop.
But tragedy cannot be cheated. It can only be transferred.
Charlie, the Ferrari driver in P4, was taking the normal racing line.
He didn't see it coming.
He just saw a white flash.
CRASH!!!
A sound like a bomb going off.
Esteban's car, traveling at 260 km/h, T-boned the red Ferrari!
Carbon fiber exploded like confetti. Two tires were launched five meters into the air, clearing the safety fence!
The red Ferrari disintegrated instantly, shoved sideways into the concrete wall with sickening force.
"RED FLAG!! RED FLAG!!"
Race Control screamed.
The race stopped.
The crowd screamed in horror.
Ye Tian's car sat two meters away from the wreckage.
He looked at the twisted metal through his visor. His eyes were colder than absolute zero.
If the System hadn't warned him...
If he had turned in...
That would be his body in there.
"Good. Very good."
Ye Tian's knuckles turned white on the steering wheel.
This wasn't racing.
This was attempted murder.
Ten Minutes Later. The Pit Lane.
The cars lined up, waiting for the restart.
Miraculously, both drivers walked away. Charlie was shaken but okay.
Esteban limped out of the medical car. He took off his helmet, putting on an Oscar-worthy performance for the cameras.
"Brake failure! I swear!" Esteban shouted, looking traumatized. "The brake-by-wire system locked up! I couldn't stop! I'm so sorry, Charlie... it was a mechanical failure!"
He looked so innocent. So scared. The media was eating it up.
Koma, the Hawk Team Principal, looked worried, checking the data.
Suddenly.
A shadow fell over Esteban.
He looked up.
Ye Tian was walking toward him.
He wasn't wearing a helmet. He was holding a massive, heavy torque wrench in his right hand.
Clang.
Ye Tian threw the heavy steel tool onto the metal table next to Esteban. Glass shattered.
"Ye... Ye? What are you doing? It was an accident..." Esteban stammered, backing away until he hit a toolbox.
"Accident?"
Ye Tian pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. A fresh printout of the telemetry data.
He slapped it onto Esteban's chest.
"Lap 1. Turn 1."
"Brake Pedal Pressure: 0%."
"Throttle Pedal Position: 100%."
Ye Tian's voice was low. Dangerous.
"You call that brake failure?"
Esteban's face lost all color. He tried to speak, but Ye Tian moved too fast.
Ye Tian grabbed Esteban by the collar of his race suit.
He lifted the 1.8-meter Frenchman off the ground and slammed him against the garage wall!
THUD!
Mechanics and GIA officials rushed over to stop the fight, but Ye Tian turned his head.
One look.
One look filled with such concentrated violence that everyone froze.
"Don't. Move."
Ye Tian turned back to Esteban. He leaned in close.
"Listen to me, Esteban. This is your last warning."
"If you want to fight with speed, I welcome it."
"But if you try these dirty, coffin-filling tricks again..."
Ye Tian tightened his grip. Esteban gasped for air, his face turning purple.
"Next time, the car hitting the wall won't be mine."
"And next time, you won't walk away."
"I will personally nail you into the coffin."
Ye Tian let go.
Esteban slid down the wall, coughing violently, gasping for air. He wet his pants.
He was terrified. He saw it in Ye Tian's eyes.
He wasn't bluffing.
The PA system announced:
"Race Restart in 10 Minutes."
Ye Tian straightened his collar. He didn't even look at the trash on the floor. He turned to his car.
"Koma."
Ye Tian walked past his terrified Team Principal.
"Get a spare gearbox ready."
"Why?" Koma asked.
Ye Tian looked back at the grid, at the rivals who were staring at him with fear.
"Because for the rest of this race..."
"I'm going to turn this track into their hell."