Number ninety-eight's overtake of Yan Xiaoqiang was incredibly easy, almost effortless. On the second overtake, the opponent simply navigated the turn normally, offering no resistance.
Subtly, Yan Xiaoqiang felt a hint of pressure. Just then, the riders from the Mountain Rat team, who had been left behind, began to catch up.
The distance between Yan Xiaoqiang and the leader had not been large, and the two overtakes had cost him some speed.
From then on, Yan Xiaoqiang focused more intently, refraining from further overtakes and maintaining a steady lap pace behind the leader.
Although a prolonged race was disadvantageous for him, any further aggressive moves now risked allowing the Mountain Rat team behind him to benefit.
"This kid is good. Any chance we can invite him over?"
Yan Xiaoqiang's age and skill had clearly caught the attention of many teams present. The speaker was the head of the Yue Hai team, a team as renowned as the Feng Chi team.
"Boss, that's someone from Lin Shen's team. I'm afraid..."
A team employee hesitated, having checked the information. Lin Shen apparently intended to form his own team to compete in Moto3. If that were the case, the other party might not be willing to sell their team's riders.
"Ask first. Lin Shen is just one person, with some fame in China. Can he really affect us? As long as the price is right, we don't need his consent; the rider will come to us on their own."
The team head scoffed, speaking like a seasoned veteran.
In his opinion, there was nothing in the world that money couldn't solve. If there was, it simply meant the money wasn't enough. These young riders were the most susceptible to temptation; a little more money would easily seal the deal.
"Uh, alright. I'll contact them after the race."
The subordinate wanted to say more, but after a moment's hesitation, he remained silent.
The race on the track continued. A lap had passed, and they were approaching the main straight before the finish line.
Three cars began to accelerate violently, constantly adjusting their positions to draft off each other. Yan Xiaoqiang's car moved forward slowly; his weight gave him a slight advantage in acceleration on the straight.
Soon, at the first corner, Yan Xiaoqiang once again closed in on number ninety-eight ahead. This time, Yan Xiaoqiang employed the same method he had used to overtake the Mountain Rat rider – a method he found unfailingly effective.
He downshifted and braked, letting number ninety-eight pass, then accelerated out of the turn.
"Yan Xiaoqiang has taken the lead!"
In just two corners, Yan Xiaoqiang had overtaken number ninety-eight in the same manner.
"At turn three, the opponent made a move."
Before Hao Dong could celebrate for long, the situation on the track changed again.
Having just taken the lead, number ninety-eight braked hard and easily overtook him again, giving Yan Xiaoqiang no time to react. The hard braking was clean and decisive.
Yan Xiaoqiang was startled by the sudden overtake, his car shaking. He had intended to take a defensive line through turn three, but the opponent's car had arrived too quickly, leaving him no time to react.
Turn three flashed by, and the car entered turn four. It was from this point that number ninety-eight ahead began to truly push, his lap times increasing at a visible rate.
"He's starting to shake off Yan Xiaoqiang."
Lin Yan, sitting in the pit room, spoke calmly. The number ninety-eight ahead had merely been playing with Yan Xiaoqiang earlier; now, he was likely preparing to unleash his full power.
Yan Xiaoqiang gritted his teeth, preparing to keep pace. However, number ninety-eight was now as if supercharged, pushing to the limit on every corner, and soon pulled away from Yan Xiaoqiang.
Lin Yan stood up from his seat and adjusted his clothes. The outcome of the race was essentially decided.
There was no longer any opportunity. Yan Xiaoqiang had good talent, but to surpass this Western rider after less than a month of professional training was almost impossible.
However, it was not shameful to lose. Yan Xiaoqiang was only fifteen years old, and in terms of both age and training time, he was far behind the opponent.
"Zhou Xianyong, I'll leave this to you. I'm going for a walk."
"Understood, boss."
After a brief greeting, Lin Yan took Su Moxin, and they strolled out of the race track. His reason for leaving now was to avoid being mobbed by fans after the race.
Country E was very close to China. With one hundred and ten thousand spectators, the number of Chinese fans was even greater than when Lin Yan competed in other countries.
Wearing a mask and sunglasses, Su Moxin was led by Lin Yan out of the venue through a back exit.
However, as soon as they stepped out, Lin Yan saw a woman. He recognized her.
Luona stood blocking his path. Lin Yan had been cautious within the venue, but after exiting, Li Wei and the others had gathered, making his presence obvious.
"Lin Shen, give me five minutes."
"No time!"
Lin Yan didn't look back, having his people push Luona aside. He turned and got into a Cullinan parked by the roadside.
This woman was so troublesome, so annoying!
Luona stomped her foot and turned to chase after them, but she was thrown back by Li Wei and the others.
The Cullinan started, and the car sped away.
"Hey, Luona, stop acting on your immature ideas. It's useless. You saw it yourself, he can't even be bothered to talk to you."
After the bodyguards left, Carter walked over from a distance and advised her.
"Get lost. My business is none of your concern."
Luona gave Carter a huge eye-roll, hailed a taxi, and followed.
Carter, standing in place, smiled helplessly again. In his opinion, this woman was stubbornly foolish.
.....................................................................
Returning to the race track.
As time passed, the race entered its sixth lap. Yan Xiaoqiang's breathing had become rapid. His body's signals told him he couldn't continue chasing; the number ninety-eight ahead was already more than a second ahead.
A gap of just over a second made it nearly impossible for Yan Xiaoqiang to catch up.
Gradually, Yan Xiaoqiang's car began to stabilize, abandoning the pursuit of lap times. Yan Xiaoqiang's speed also slowed down.
However, he had already managed to put half a second between himself and the Mountain Rat rider, making it not so easy for the latter to catch up.
In the stands, Hao Dong sighed.
There was no chance. Yan Xiaoqiang couldn't catch up at this distance, but it was still good to be in second place.
Then, Hao Dong's gaze shifted to Jiang Qiyan. This girl had also moved up to fifth place, but she too was showing signs of fatigue.
Fatigue again. Hao Dong couldn't help but smile wryly. He recalled that when Lin Shen first debuted, stamina was also his weakness. Why did everyone on this team have the same problem?