Star Rank Hunter

Chapter 265: Match Begin! Untraceable! [Part 2]

 

Cillin’s smile slowly vanished after the call broke off.
He hadn’t just communicated verbally with Wheeze, he had also used non-sound wave machine language that Genya didn’t recognize, and wouldn’t recognize until Cillin believed that it was the right time one day.
Right now, Genya needs to rest and recuperate.

 

Wheeze might be training its pet lately, but it hadn’t neglected its information gathering activities.
From Wheeze, Cillin learned that Gen Liao had sent some men to the race in secret.
On the surface, they were there to assist the Sizer Family in managing Whirlwind.
Beneath the surface, they were there because they received a secret report that Black Viper was lurking somewhere.

 

If Black Viper was moving, then their target could be Cillin himself.
No one was certain, but it was better to be safe than sorry.
That was why Gen Liao had sent some people over.

 

No wonder he felt like he was watched a couple of times already, although the gazes he sensed were probably all from Gen Liao’s men.
So far, he hadn’t seen anyone that came from Black Viper yet.

 

The RAS had developed a new scanner since that incident.
Assuming Black Viper hadn’t developed a new stealth technology, they would be able to detect any robot infiltrators at first notice.
The Sizer Family themselves had set up multiple passes and scan barriers to prevent any kind of unlawful entry into the planet.
However, no one could say that their security wasn’t foolproof.
Black Viper always tended to surprise everyone after all.

 

Cillin told Wheeze to keep investigating and report to him once it found something.
His request for Wheeze to find a new name for its pet was a good excuse for Wheeze to call him again.

 

A few days prior to the match, Cillin and Naimi went out again in Vege-Fritter.
Sometimes they let Vege-Fritter take over the wheel when they felt tired, although Cillin was driving most of the time.
After that, they started analyzing the weather conditions of each circuit.

 

As more and more people visited the planet, Wheeze finally contacted Cillin again.
Unfortunately, Wheeze didn’t have much information to offer him, probably because Gen Liao himself hadn’t figured out much yet.
Wheeze wanted to join him, but he forbade it.
For one, it was already too late.
And two, it would draw great suspicion onto both of them.
In the end, they agreed that Wheeze should continue to train its pet and accompany Genya at the courtyard.

 

Very soon, the day everyone was expecting arrived.

 

Just as Cillin and Naimi had agreed earlier, Naimi placed a rainbow lamp in Cillin’s room and set the color choice to be random.
Cillin would choose whichever racing track color that matched the first color he saw in the morning.

 

When Cillin woke up on the day of the match, the rainbow lamp was glowing red.
Naimi was happy because there was an old saying called “a red start*”!

 

*it means a good beginning.
Red is a lucky color in the Chinese culture.

 

“Mm, this is a good sign.
I’ve a good feeling about our ranking for the first circuit.
The top 3 is right in front of us!” Naimi declared confidently.

 

“Don’t you think you’re being a little overconfident right now? There has been cases where the red circuit turned out to be the longest one of them all.” Fleka said as he walked over.
He came because he thought that Cillin and Naimi would need him to clear out some anxiety, but the first thing he heard after arriving was Naimi’s bold claim.

 

“Uncle, you are my real uncle, right? How can you say that?”

 

“Anyway, I’m glad to see you two doing well.
Keep it up, and don’t forget…”

 

“Safety first!” Cillin and Naimi said at the same time before Fleka could finish.

 

“Good.
Just think of this race as a rare experience.
You don’t have to stake your own lives like those other racers.
Remember, your lives are much more important than theirs.”

 

“We got it, uncle, we know.
Didn’t you check Vege-Fritter’s safety measures already? Don’t you feel even a bit of confidence?”

 

“It has nothing to do with confidence…”

 

“Let’s go let’s go it’s time to step onto the stage and flash the hell out of everyone’s eyes!”

 

Not wanting to listen to Fleka’s ramblings any longer, Naimi beckoned Cillin, jumped into Vege-Fritter and drove straight toward the racing ground.

 

The racing circuits covered the entire planet.
The racers would start off at First Rainbow before proceeding onto the rainforest area, swamp area, snow area, desert area, sea area and finally the mountain area.
Spectator stations were set up in each circuit so that the spectators could watch the race through the provided viewpoints whenever they wished.

 

The circuits weren’t designed to have plenty of straight lines.
There were so many turns and corners that it would take even the fastest racer a lot of time to finish the race.
Therefore, if permitted by time, the spectators could proceed to the next circuit and continue watching the race.

 

The Sizer Family was working together with several major media companies to track and broadcast the whole race so that those viewers who couldn’t show up personally would be able to watch it on specific channels.
Naturally, the further apart the two planets were, the longer the delay between the broadcast and the actual race.

 

The ticket to the first circuit was the most expensive out of all seven circuits, but that didn’t stop it from being the most popular ticket.
Every participating automobile and racer was introduced during the opening ceremony, and of course the veteran teams won the most attention.
Every time their automobile made an appearance, the spectator stand would bubble up in excitement.
The pyramidical flying car Cillin saw some time ago was participating in the race as well, although it wasn’t Spearhead’s first seed.

 

Cillin and Naimi entered the stage last, although to be fair they had come into the match during the last minute.
All the madness from earlier couldn’t save Vege-Fritter from being greeted with absolute silence, until the first snort broke out and led to a roar of laughter.
This wasn’t the first time they were laughed at, so Cillin and Naimi had grown enough skin to enter the stage calmly.

 

The person in charge of the mike was just about to introduce Vege-Fritter, the racer and the navigator when someone shouted through a megaphone, “Cillin, Naimi, Vege-Fritter do your best!”

 

It was Teita who let out the cheer.
The spectators laughed even harder when they heard Teita’s childish shout, and someone even tried to mock him until the muzzle of a gun was shoved against their head.
After that, everyone learned that there was a kid who was best left unprovoked.

 

Teita wasn’t the only one who was cheering Cillin and Naimi on.
Gen Xingming and co.’s shouts of support surprised the youngsters who were watching the race beside them.
Are the passengers of that relic their acquaintances?

 

Gen Xingming pointed at Cillin and said, “That’s my bro right there!”

 

Which translated to, “I don’t care what he’s driving, but you ain’t allowed to mock him, you hear me!?”

 

Cillin told Naimi to prepare some calming and antihypertensive drugs one day before the match.
They were one of the few drugs racers were allowed to bring during the race.

 

After the racers and the items they carried had all been verified, the flying cars moved to their chosen circuit.

 

The First Rainbow is a cylindrical-shaped circuit made of seven special materials.
Each racing track had a unique color of its own, and no one in the race could look into another track.
Each track was identifiable by color, but only at the beginning because the colors eventually faded away into one color.
When that happens, it becomes very difficult for the spectators to identify which racing track a racing car was on, especially because the racing tracks were closely tangled like the knot of a rope.

 

The media would follow the racing cars from behind and make their reports.
It would take about half a minute before the overall length and difficulty of a racing track could be identified.

 

There were many who claimed that the first circuit was very unfair, but the world itself was an unfair place filled with randomness in the first place.
The reason the Sizer Family included randomness into their race was to inform people of this undeniable fact.

 

Of course, bets were involved in the race.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that every spectator — be it the ones on the platform or those watching from other planets — were hoping that the team they supported would select a shorter racing track.

 

Cillin drove Vege-Fritter onto the red racing track.
There were three other flying cars who chose the same track as they did.
For better or worse, none of them were former top 3s.
Not many people chose red this time, and the racing track with the highest amount of vehicles — twelve in total — turned out to be purple.

 

After every racer had sent out the “ready” signal to the person in charge, the latter declared the countdown of the match.

 

The spectators were silent when the clock started counting down from ten.
They were all holding their breaths and waiting for that moment to arrive.

 

Naimi shot a glance at Cillin.
The young man’s eyes were closed, and he had one hand on the steering wheel and the other on the control panel.
His breathing was so even that Naimi almost thought that Cillin had fallen asleep.

 

Naimi felt his own excitement-induced anxiety brimming inside his own heart.
This was his first big race, and the most important race he had ever participated in his life, but thanks to Cillin he felt his breathing grow a lot stiller.

 

When the countdown ended and the horns blared, the entire planet boiled up in passionate cries.

 

Vege-Fritter surged forward when the horns blared, but Cillin didn't drive into the inner lane as quickly as possible like the rest of his competitors.
 

The spectators watched the race through the giant screen provided or their own equipment.
So far, nothing interesting was happening at the red racing track.
The three flying cars were moving at about the same pace, but Vege-Fritter, as expected, lagged behind a lot.
 

“I told you this relic isn't suited for racing!”
 

“That's why I wisely chose not to bet any money on it.
My bet is on Spearhead.”

 

“I'm betting on Aero!”
 

“I betting on Lightning’s first seed!”

……
 

Cillin neither knew nor cared what the others were saying about them.
Right now, he was fully focused on flying the way he had planned out beforehand.
 

There weren't many curves or spirals during the first part of the track.
They were also easy to run through and suited for speeding.
 

But Cillin didn't speed up to max immediately.
 

“We can go faster, Cillin.” Naimi urged after they had fallen behind.
 

“No hurry.” Cillin said calmly.
 

“But we're in a speeding lane.
We'll lose out a lot if we keep running at this speed!”
 

“Don't worry.”
 

Vege-Fritter continued to accelerate at the same pace.
The three cars ahead moved further and further away from them, and Naimi was just about to voice out his worries again when Cillin said, “Do you remember the time I told you that you need to spend time winding up your body to the right level, or your performance will suffer?”
 

Naimi did remember now that he mentioned it, but he hadn't taken it to heart.
Naimi didn’t believe he needed much wind up time because he literally grew up with flying cars!
 

Half a minute later, when the conclusive reports of the racing tracks’ conditions came out, Fleka thought: It's over.
 

As it turned out, not only was the red track the longest track of them all, and it also had more junctions/intersection/nodes and spirals than any other racing track.
Cillin and Naimi had chosen the worst possible starting point out of all seven!
 

Gen Xingming was feeling very dejected as well.
It was to the point where even his excitement had dimmed a little.
 

Teita didn't feel dejected though.
He was of the opinion that the first circuit didn't matter too much because it was just one out of seven circuits.
Even if Cillin and Naimi failed to get good results during the first circuit, they still had six remaining chances to fight their competitors on even ground.
That would be when their skills were truly tested.
Just because a child tripped while they were learning how to run, didn't mean that they were actually incapable of running.
 

Just when everyone thought that it was impossible for the Vege-Fritter to get back into the race, just when Naimi himself was feeling cold feet after he learned about the track conditions, Vege-Fritter had sped up to a point where it was positively dangerous to round a corner.
Even better, it was still accelerating.
 

By the time Naimi regained his cool and checked the speedometer on the display, he nearly jumped on his feet.
“We need to slow down, we're about to hit a spiral!”
 

“It's fine.” Cillin looked as casual as ever, but his hands hadn't slowed down one bit.

 

“It's not! We're might run into an accident if we accelerate any further than this.
It's not like our situation is hopeless because our track is the hardest of them all.
We still have plenty of chances to catch up! This is just the first of seven circuits!” Naimi actually started consoling Cillin, believing that Cillin was speeding because of the bad news.
 

The spiral wasn't your standard flat-land left or right turn, or consecutive hairpin turns.
The spiral was literally shaped like a spiral, and the shape of spirals weren't uniform.
Both big and small spirals joined to make one complex spiralling track, and it was followed by a number of spins and even an inverted 270 degrees half-helix turn.
No turn had one fixed radian, and sometimes it felt like the circuit was tied into a knot.
As a result, the racer was forced to adjust their flight path according to the road conditions ahead of them almost all the time.
 

Turns like these couldn't be solved with drifting alone.
That was why most racers would choose to slow down on a circuit like this instead of accelerating at max speed.
 

Naimi was advising Cillin to slow down when suddenly, he realized that he could no longer see the racing track in front of him clearly.
Was that a turn they just passed through just now? It probably was.
Now it was a spiral, or was it two spirals? He couldn't tell.
 

For the first time, Naimi doubted his own eyesight.
Despite having flown through countless spirals in his life, he couldn't accurately tell the strange scene that was happening before his eyes.
Then he glanced at the speedometer and felt his feet shaking unconsciously in reaction.
 

Meanwhile, the commentator was talking about the leading flying cars.
Aero, a flying car that was shaped like a swordfish was currently leading at first place.
It was able to round corners at high speed because of its curvy exterior and the racer's impeccable driving skills.
 

Not far behind Aero's top seed was Spearhead's knife-shaped car and Lightning's crescent-shaped car.
These three vehicles carried the audiences’ emotions to a new peak, and it made them feel like they were sitting right in those cars experiencing both weightlessness and excessive force all at once.
It was so exciting their kidneys kept pumping adrenaline into their veins.
 

Most of the audiences were flying car hobbyists, and they had all run a spiral or two in their lives.
They all could understand just how it felt to lose sense of gravity again and again at those speeds.
A weak hearted or ill prepared person could easily lose consciousness from sheer anxiety under such conditions, in fact the weaker minded audiences were feeling short of breath already.
 

The commentator was working on carrying the audiences to a new high when suddenly, his passionate voice came to a sudden stop.
 

“Eh?”
 

On the red track, the Vege-Fritter that had been forgotten by everyone had somehow pulled closer to the three flying cars ahead of it before anyone realized it.
In fact, it was gradually gaining ground on them.
 

“Look! It's the Vege-Fritter we've all thrown to the back of our minds! It's here, it's actually catching up! Oh my god this is unbelievable, I've just received news that the Vege-Fritter is still accelerating at this moment! What's going on!? What happened to it!?”
 

The three flying cars leading ahead of Cillin sped up as he gradually caught up.
Since none of these flying cars were seeds, their overall skill and power were obviously inferior to other racers.
This also meant that the racers in the red racing track was the overall last place out of all other racing tracks.
However, the commentator still couldn't help but be impressed by the Vege-Fritter just judging from the data he had gotten.
 

Holding the navigator's chair with a death grip, Naimi made sure to stare at the still climbing speedometer instead of the front mirror.
He was afraid that he would faint if he tried.
He could tell from motion alone whether they were passing through a turn, spiral or a junction, but exactly how many spirals they had passed through, he couldn't tell.
 

It was exactly because he knew how difficult the track was that he was shaking.
At this rate they would die, they really would!

However, Naimi slowly recovered from his shock as they passed through one spiral after another.
 

Earlier, Naimi had ridiculed Bryce for fearing death, but in reality there was no one who didn’t fear death.
However, under certain circumstances it was possible for other emotions to overcome even the fear of death.
This feeling was commonly known as one’s “deepest emotions”.
 

Right now, Naimi was undergoing exactly such a change.
His fear toward death was slowly being converted towards this so-called “deepest emotions”.
 

Meanwhile, the media discovered that their tracking camera was losing track of the Vege-Fritter speeding down the lane.
Every tracking camera at every track shared the same speed, but this particular flying car was moving so fast that they had lost track of it.

The person in charge of the red racing track requested to increase the camera’s moving speed, or he wouldn’t be able to catch the Vege-Fritter on camera.