Chapter 28: DNS

Meanwhile, the battle between Song Zhe and Jiang Chengfeng in the GT3 class had reached a fever pitch.

Song Zhe’s deep blue Zhe Speed racecar made every appearance with a clear objective.

His flying lap was nothing short of perfect, with no wasted power in the line.

His first timed lap of 1:42.712 firmly claimed the top spot, drawing cheers from his supporters in the stands.

“Zhe God! So steady!”

“This line—textbook level!”

Jiang Chengfeng’s fluorescent green Chengfeng racecar, on the other hand, was like a whirlwind.

His driving style was bold and aggressive, full of attack. At certain corners, the car even drifted slightly as it carved through, incredibly flashy but carrying higher risk.

His first timed lap of 1:42.850 placed him right behind Song Zhe in second, exciting his fans.

“Feng Bro! Absolutely badass!”

“That’s it! Nailed it!”

The big screen constantly refreshed with the fastest lap times (the time for a driver to complete one lap of the track, a core measure of speed and car performance).

Song Zhe and Jiang Chengfeng’s names alternated at the top two spots, their battle fiercely intense and captivating the audience’s attention.

Feng Miwan’s name, however, had yet to crack the top ranks, leaving her fans anxious and puzzled.

Feng Yuxiao’s voice carried some urgency.

“Stay calm, Little Wan. Stay calm! There’s still Q2!”

“You’ve got a fresh set of tires left! This is your last shot! We’ll time it perfectly for you—get a clean window! Pit for tires when you return!”

The racecar returned to the pits, where the Maple Grove Racing Team mechanics swapped on her final set of brand-new soft tires at top speed.

This was do-or-die.

Feng Miwan hit the track again.

Three minutes into Q2, the team’s timing was spot-on this time—a rare clear stretch opened up ahead of her!

Feng Yuxiao shouted over the radio:

“Now! Little Wan! Push harder!”

Feng Miwan’s eyes sharpened as she cast aside all distractions and squeezed every ounce of potential from the car!

The racecar streaked like a low-flying red lightning bolt, weaving wildly through the streets!

“S1 purple! Fastest of the session!”

Feng Yuxiao’s excited voice came through!

“S2 purple too! A bit faster! Hold it! Little Wan!

Pole’s in sight!”

Feng Miwan’s heart raced to her throat!

She could feel the car was in the best shape it had ever been!

Every corner was blisteringly fast!

As Feng Miwan strung together purple sector times, the main grandstand erupted!

Especially in the Maple Grove Racing Team fan zone, where red flags waved frantically!

“Sis Wan! Charge!”

“Pole! Pole!”

The roar nearly drowned out the engine’s thunder.

Everyone held their breath, eyes glued to the big screen.

Just when it seemed a miracle was unfolding,

Tragedy struck in the final sector’s high-speed corner!

In pursuit of ultimate corner exit speed, the right-side tires climbed too high onto the rumble strip!

Violent bouncing hit, and the already twitchy rear lost downforce, spinning into a terrifying slide!

“Oh no!”

Feng Miwan wrenched the wheel desperately to save it!

But street circuits offered no mercy!

There was no room for error!

Bang!!!

The right side slammed hard into the concrete barrier!

The impact was massive!

The right front suspension snapped, the wheel twisting out at an odd angle!

The right rear tire blew instantly!

Debris and carbon fiber shards scattered everywhere!

Under inertia, the car slid forward a ways before grinding to a halt at the track edge, smoking and stalled.

The cheers cut off abruptly, replaced by gasps and stunned inhales.

Many covered their mouths, watching the replay of the crash on the big screen and the smoking wreck of the Maple Grove red racecar stranded at the edge.

Her fans’ faces filled with shock, worry, and disappointment.

At that moment, Song Zhe had just completed a solid flying lap, solidifying his first-place position.

He sat in the cockpit, watching the replay of Feng Miwan’s crash on the screen, his face expressionless, though his eyes flickered slightly—no one knew what he was thinking.

Jiang Chengfeng had just pitted, removing his helmet and staring at the incident on screen with a worried look, murmuring:

“Sis Wan…”

The radio fell into dead silence at first, filled only with Feng Miwan’s ragged breathing.

A few seconds later, she seemed to snap out of the crash:

“…Sorry… everyone… I’m sorry…”

Meanwhile, the officials waved the red flag, halting qualifying due to the serious incident.

Not only had Feng Miwan failed to post a valid lap, but for tomorrow’s race, she’d start dead last—from the end of pit lane among all entrants.

Worse still, her car was badly damaged, and the Maple Grove Racing Team had no spare.

Technicians swarmed the heavily wrecked car, faces grim.

One engineer crouched on the ground, flashlight probing the impact zone, reporting to Feng Yuxiao:

“Right-side impact was huge. The entire right front suspension assembly needs full replacement—wishbone, pushrod, rocker arm… all toast.”

“Transmission casing’s cracked; internals likely damaged too. Needs teardown to confirm… that’s a massive job.”

The budget manager tapped away on his tablet, calculating quickly:

“Just swapping these major parts will cost… and time-wise…”

He looked up at Feng Yuxiao and shook his head.

“No way… we won’t make the first race this afternoon.”

The words landed like a death sentence on everyone’s hearts.

DNS (Did Not Start)—zero points.

It meant that after traveling all the way to Yongcheng and pouring in massive resources, they couldn’t even take the grid for the main race.

Feng Miwan had removed her helmet, sweat-soaked hair plastered to her pale cheeks.

She avoided everyone’s eyes and ignored the stares around her.

She walked straight to the darkest corner of the garage, turned her back to them all, and her shoulders slumped.

Self-blame, shame, rage… emotions collided wildly in her chest.

She bit her lower lip hard, nails digging deep into her palms, barely holding back the tears threatening to spill.

On the other side, Feng Yuxiao’s phone was blowing up.