Page 252

Gu Xiaoxi pulled open the car door and settled into the driver’s seat.

She lifted her wrist, her watch displayed eight o’clock in the morning sharp, which meant the race would start on time at noon.

"I’m off!" Gu Xiaoxi put on her sunglasses and turned her head to look at Su San, "Check Korte’s schedule after the race."

"Sure! Then take care, I’ll wait for you outside the race track," Su San waved to Gu Xiaoxi.

Gu Xiaoxi spun the steering wheel, reversing her car and quickly sped away.

As Su San watched her car sketch out a beautiful arc and vanish in the blink of an eye, he couldn’t help but sigh with admiration; her skills didn’t fall short of Lu Xi’s at all!

Indeed, teaching her disciple seemed to have starved the master.

Driving her car, Gu Xiaoxi familiarized herself with every configuration, carefully listening to the roaring of the components.

She always felt that the car had something extra, but couldn’t spot even the slightest fault.

As the largest car racing nation in Texas, the fancy racetrack added a new level of difficulty every ten years.

Over the past century, the length of the track had expanded from the original five kilometers to the current ten kilometers.

Therefore, the fancy racetrack was placed at the end and was one of the most challenging events.

Unable to find the problem with the car, Gu Xiaoxi could only stop by the side of the road, turn on her phone, and watch the race projects from ten years ago, as well as the live broadcast videos uploaded by the challengers.

The most dangerous cliffs and precipices of Songshan Highway and Beihai Coastal Racetrack in Texas weren’t difficult for her, but there was a new section of the road that hadn’t been revealed this year, leaving everyone clueless.

"Sigh," Gu Xiaoxi sat in the car, her mood complex. She knew this race was filled with strong competitors, winning wouldn’t be easy.

If Korte took care of Lu Xi and was confident in taking first place, then she still had a chance. Although she was Lu Xi’s disciple and had less experience than him, she had Inner Strength, a broader range of perception, and could better control the overall situation.

"Stop thinking about it. Snatch Korte’s first place, get the gold cup for Master, then teach this guy a severe lesson," thought Gu Xiaoxi, her only goal.

The streets of Texas were wide and full of ethnic characteristics. Locals loved car racing, which, through the evolution of history, made this place the world’s largest racing ground. The decennial Golden Cup competition attracted countless eyes.

Gu Xiaoxi spotted a car repair shop and drove in.

Inside was a middle-aged man with fair skin.

Seeing a customer approach, he immediately stepped forward, speaking in a distinctive Texan tone, "May I help you, sir?"

Gu Xiaoxi narrowed her eyes and smiled, responding in equally fluent language, "Could you tell me what kind of services you could offer?"

The man appeared to be in his forties. He glanced at Gu Xiaoxi’s car and then, with furrowed thick black eyebrows, spoke leisurely, "If you let me have a go at the car, I think I might have some advice and references for you."

Gu Xiaoxi shrugged, got out of the car, and let him take the driver’s seat.

Since there was still time before the race and she hadn’t spotted the issue, perhaps seeking a professional stranger could yield unexpected results.

After all, an ordinary boss wouldn’t think of conning a stranger.

The man started the car, took it for a spin, then returned to where Gu Xiaoxi was standing, giving a thumbs up, "Your car is great! It’s completely ready for the competition."

"Really?" Gu Xiaoxi smiled, shaking her head. It looked like she’d have to find another shop.

After trying several upscale repair shops, all seemed to agree that there was nothing wrong with her car.

Gu Xiaoxi stopped the car by the roadside. She started the engine and closed her eyes, listening intently to the roaring sounds of the car.

Something was off. Although she couldn’t feel what was wrong with the car, she was certain there was an issue.

With two hours left until the start of the race, it meant she had already wasted two hours and still hadn’t thoroughly identified the problem with the race car.

Gu Xiaoxi leaned back in her seat, eyes closed, trying to think from another perspective.

If she were Ye Ming, she would definitely tamper with both cars, ensuring that even if one car had no issues, the next would.

It was a chain murder method. And exceedingly decisive!

If Ye Ming had tampered with the car to the extent that even an expert like Lu Xi couldn’t detect the problem,

then that meant the issue wouldn’t be easy to discern.

Gu Xiaoxi’s mood suddenly became chaotic, knowing that danger was ever-present.

"Miss, parking is not allowed here!" Suddenly, a man’s voice arose beside Gu Xiaoxi.

She quickly regained her composure and looked towards the source of the voice, finding a very gentlemanly young man.

Dressed in a deep blue suit, tailor-made, elegant, and fitting.

His pair of deep blue eyes were as profound as the ocean, and she could even see her reflection in his beautiful pupils.

"OK, then I’ll leave right now!" Gu Xiaoxi saw a sign in the direction he pointed—parking wasn’t allowed here.

She moved the car to an available parking spot not far away, then got out, suddenly realizing that the man had called her a beauty!

Could he have recognized her as a woman?

Gu Xiaoxi turned her head abruptly and noticed that the man was still standing by the roadside.

When she turned around, her gaze collided with his piercing blue eyes.

She was momentarily stunned, with a flicker of alarm.

Throughout the journey, no one had identified her as female, so how could he so accurately pinpoint her gender?

Gu Xiaoxi managed to squeeze out a polite smile, withdrew her gaze, and took out her phone, ready to abandon troubleshooting the car.

When the time came, she would face her problems head-on. She didn’t believe in superstitions.

Her phone had a location message from Su San. Her current location was quite far from the racetrack, requiring an hour’s drive. Additionally, she needed to arrive half an hour early at the track for a warm-up before the race.

After setting her navigation, Gu Xiaoxi reseated herself in the driver’s seat, ready to drive off.

Just as she was about to press the accelerator, the tall teenager with the blue eyes appeared in front of her once again.

Gu Xiaoxi raised an eyebrow and spoke first, "Don’t tell me I can’t park here either. But, I’m about to leave anyway."

"NO! Miss Beautiful, I wanted to tell you. There seems to be something wrong with your car."

"Why?" Gu Xiaoxi was surprised by his assertion but pretended otherwise.

"If you use this car for the race, you’ll be in big trouble," he said with conviction.

Gu Xiaoxi tilted her head, taking another careful look at the man before her.

Standing 188CM tall, his hair neatly cut, even his crew cut showed slightly curly hair strands, thick eyebrows over big eyes, and deep-set facial features, as well as the characteristic white skin, like a Texan.

Whether in speech or motion, he naturally exuded the elegance and aristocracy of high society.

Seeing Gu Xiaoxi’s daze, the man continued politely, "If you don’t believe it, you can come down. I’ll help you check it out."

"Can you fix cars?" Gu Xiaoxi asked, surprised.

"NO! But I know where the problem is." The man’s mouth curved into a gentle, proud smile.

Gu Xiaoxi hesitated for a moment, then became fully alert to the man in front of her.

Upon further consideration, even if he could help her, what did it matter if he was an enemy?

Gu Xiaoxi got out of the car.

The man led her to the front of the car and opened the hood, then bent down and meticulously examined the engine components.

Ultimately, he reached out and extracted a slender iron nail, fine as a sewing needle, from a small hole in a magnetic device.

Then, holding the oil-stained nail before Gu Xiaoxi, he said, "This must have been put in there deliberately."

"And then?" Gu Xiaoxi raised her eyebrows, her voice betraying no emotion.

"By using magnetic material to attach an iron nail to it. If the nail stays on the magnet, you could say that your car wouldn’t have any issues.

But if it were to fall onto the power mechanism during high-speed operation, it would result in a tragic accident.

" The man’s long lashes fluttered, and his blue eyes sparkled brilliantly.

Gu Xiaoxi pocketed her hands, a faint smile playing on her lips, exuding an air of simple innocence. "Lucky to have met you. But I’m curious, how did you know my car had a problem?"

Indeed, unless the nail fell off, it would be ineffective and would not impact the car’s power at all.

The reason she sensed an issue with the car, besides her strong intuition, was her sharp hearing that could detect the subtlest of irregular noises, too faint to be certain of momentarily.

But how could this stranger spot the problem at a glance and find such a concealed object in such a hidden place?

Could he know what Ye Ming had done?

Or did this person approach her with an ulterior motive from the start?

Gu Xiaoxi immediately became extremely vigilant!