Perfect Coordination (3)

Shuangshuang couldn't help but feel a sense of frustration. According to the original plan, she was supposed to intercept Koizumi two to three kilometers before they reached the target location. But now…

While she was lost in thought, she didn't let up on the gas—in fact, she accelerated even harder.

"What should I do? What should I do?"

It was obvious that on such a short stretch of road, she couldn't create the opening needed to force that Japanese driver to give up the inside lane. But as she watched the opponent's driving trajectory, a sudden idea flashed through her mind. The worry on her face disappeared, replaced by a cold determination.

"Liu Tang, are you ready?"

No sooner had she spoken than Liu Tang's voice came through, accompanied by the deafening roar of an engine. "...Let's do this. I'm ready!"

Shuangshuang quickly replied, "Don't move just yet. Something's gone wrong on my side! Listen to me—your boss's life is in our hands now. Qiu Nuo and the others have run out of options."

"Tell me what to do."

Not only did Koizumi and Shinohara Kenrei notice the "monster" racing toward them from behind, but even Zhuifeng saw it.

"Wow, since when did nitrous oxide become so trendy in the racing world?"

At first, Zhuifeng assumed the car was on Koizumi's team. But he quickly realized that if it were, it would've appeared back when he was being rammed earlier, and he wouldn't have made it this far. Still, he didn't dare to hope that this car was here to rescue him.

After all, he only had a handful of friends. Not only could they not afford a car like that, but even if they could, who among them had the skills to catch up to this group, who had started well ahead?

"This should be interesting." Zhuifeng couldn't help but look forward to the show. After all, anyone driving a DTM-level Mercedes C-Class was bound to dominate. If a fight broke out between these drivers, perhaps he'd have a chance to escape his current predicament. The thought made him smirk.

As the saying goes, some rejoice while others grieve.

Shinohara Kenrei had been deep in thought ever since spotting Shuangshuang's car. Unlike Koizumi, who was trying to figure out its intentions, Kenrei was convinced the car was here for Zhuifeng. After all, the target's background was far too complicated. If even the most basic "standard procedures" couldn't be arranged in time, the powers backing Zhuifeng wouldn't have lasted this long.

What Kenrei couldn't figure out was how this car managed to appear at all. He knew for a fact that after the race began, no one besides his team had access to the mountain road from Bashan's summit to the base. Could they have caught up from behind? Impossible. From the collision site to now, more than two hours had passed, but the distance alone required over an hour of driving. There was no way someone could have covered three to four hours' worth of road in just two hours.

But Kenrei didn't have the luxury of dwelling on this problem for long. What he really wanted to know now was: How did this car plan to rescue Zhuifeng?

Shuangshuang wasn't about to disappoint him.

As they approached a bend in the road, she calmly instructed Liu Tang, "It's your turn. Go!"

Simultaneously, she reignited her nitrous oxide system, and her car surged forward like a guided missile locked onto its target.

"Outflank to rescue Zhuifeng?" Kenrei frowned, watching as Shuangshuang's car barreled toward him. For a moment, he doubted his earlier assumption that the car was here to save someone.

Why?

Because another car had just appeared on the mountain road—a BMW. This was the car Old Third had mentioned earlier.

But the BMW wasn't coming for him. Instead, it was heading straight for Zhuifeng, who was currently trapped under Kenrei's control.

What's going on?

Kenrei's brain worked quickly, piecing the puzzle together. Suddenly, everything clicked.

These cars weren't here to save Zhuifeng. Their goal was the same as his—to kill the target!

The realization hit him like a ton of bricks. If that were the case, then there was only one possible identity for these people. Who else could it be but them?

Kenrei suddenly felt a wave of despair. He and his brother had meticulously planned this operation, only to be manipulated by the FBI from the very beginning.

This meant that even if his team didn't make a move, the FBI would. And if Zhuifeng died tonight, Kenrei would lose his leverage to negotiate for the release of his wife and children.

It was clear now—they never intended to release his family in the first place!

Kenrei's eyes burned with fury. "Fine, you've forced my hand!"

"Koizumi, stop that car behind us!"

"But—"

"Idiot! Do it now!"

Kenrei knew this decision would mean losing control over Zhuifeng, but that was exactly what he wanted. As long as Zhuifeng survived tonight, the FBI wouldn't be able to act so openly again. The next time, Zhuifeng would undoubtedly have bodyguards, and if the target stepped into the public eye, even the U.S. would have to tread carefully. Unless they wanted to start World War III, they'd have to back off.

Koizumi didn't fully understand Kenrei's reasoning but followed his orders, veering his car toward Shuangshuang.

Shuangshuang was briefly startled. In her plan, Koizumi was supposed to block her after she rammed into Kenrei and feigned retreat. But now…

Could it be that Kenrei wasn't as reckless as the rumors suggested? Was he so afraid of death that he couldn't even take a single hit?

Of course, she didn't know that Kenrei had mistaken her for an FBI agent. But one thing was clear: an opportunity had presented itself for Zhuifeng to escape unscathed. She had to make the most of it.

What happened next was something Shuangshuang couldn't have anticipated.

Kenrei had abandoned Zhuifeng entirely and was now charging toward Liu Tang.

"What the—?"

Both Shuangshuang and Liu Tang were stunned. This wasn't in the plan at all!

The original idea was simple: Shuangshuang would lure Koizumi away, opening up the inside lane. Zhuifeng would then realize Liu Tang's car was an ally, brake hard, and escape from Kenrei's control. Liu Tang would speed through the gap created by Zhuifeng's braking, and together, they'd race to the mountaintop and end the ordeal.

But now, with Kenrei targeting Liu Tang, the plan was completely derailed.

Zhuifeng, seeing Liu Tang's car, quickly understood what was going on. Though he didn't know who was driving the Mercedes C-Class, he instinctively braked. But when he saw Kenrei abandoning him to go after Liu Tang, a sense of dread washed over him.

"Not good!"

A quick analysis of their speed and positioning made it clear that Liu Tang would lose in a head-on collision. Although he was in the inside lane and wouldn't fall off the cliff, the impact would still be devastating.

Zhuifeng gritted his teeth, released the brakes, and floored the gas pedal, chasing after Kenrei.

Kenrei noticed Zhuifeng approaching in his rearview mirror and was momentarily confused. Why wasn't Zhuifeng taking the chance to escape?

Then it hit him: Zhuifeng must recognize the BMW and was rushing in to help.

"I made a fatal mistake," Kenrei realized.

And mistakes always come with a price.

Liu Tang, seeing Kenrei charge toward him, muttered to himself, "Boss, you should be safe now."

He glanced at the Audi in the distance, which seemed to be slowing down.

"This mess started because of me. Let me end it."

Grinding his teeth, Liu Tang shifted to fifth gear, floored the gas pedal, and veered diagonally toward Kenrei's car.

But in the split second before impact, it became painfully clear that Liu Tang's momentum was no match for Kenrei's. While Kenrei didn't want to collide head-on, it was already too late. He barely managed to swerve, leaving half his car exposed.

"BANG!"

The two cars collided with a bone-rattling impact, their frames locking together in a destructive embrace.

With both vehicles taking equal damage to their sides, it was inevitable that they would spin out of control on Bashan's narrow mountain road. This marked the third high-speed rotation of the night, but unlike the previous times, this time it was two cars spinning simultaneously.

The road was far too narrow to accommodate two vehicles sliding sideways. As Liu Tang's head swam with dizziness, the two cars slammed into each other again—this time rear-to-rear, sending a metallic screech echoing through the mountains.

Liu Tang exhaled a shaky breath of relief. It seemed God wasn't ready to accept him to heaven just yet.

But Kenrei? He wasn't so lucky. His stomach churned with fear, and his face turned pale as death—because the devil, it seemed, had already thrown open the gates of hell for him.

Zhuifeng had arrived!

If this had been any other day, Zhuifeng would've slammed on the brakes without hesitation. But tonight, he was a volcano on the verge of eruption. Having been pushed to his limit, any minor jolt could send him exploding.

The scene unfolding before him was all too familiar. Liu Tang, his first real friend, was now in danger, just as he had been earlier.

Zhuifeng's eyes turned blood-red, burning with rage. Gritting his teeth, he charged at the barely-stopped Kenrei with murderous intent.

"BANG!"

The impact was perfectly aimed, slamming hard into the rear of Kenrei's car. Zhuifeng didn't feel a thing—after all, he was in control this time, and he'd been through enough crashes to be a seasoned pro.

Kenrei, on the other hand, was completely unprepared. Still dazed from his earlier collision with Liu Tang, the additional hit left him in a state of utter shock. His mind went blank, his body numb, his car spinning helplessly as though he were a puppet on a string.

It seemed Satan was in high spirits tonight. Even Zhuifeng, watching coldly from a distance, dazed and bloody, didn't expect Kenrei to tumble over the edge of the mountain so easily.

But Koizumi Junichiro, the ever-unpredictable wild card, decided to crash the party—literally.

Koizumi: I swear, I didn't mean it! I hit the brakes, I swerved but… inertia! Damn you, inertia…

Regardless of his intentions, Koizumi's intervention sealed Kenrei's fate. With half his car already dangling over the edge, Kenrei was sent plummeting into Satan's open arms by Koizumi's "friendly nudge."

The cliff here wasn't as high as the summit, but 100 or 200 meters was still enough to ensure that Kenrei wasn't coming back.

You'd think the chaos would end there, but Koizumi still had a part to play. After all, Satan wasn't about to let someone who'd helped him out so much go unrewarded.

Shuangshuang, however, wasn't exactly thrilled.

"I swear it wasn't on purpose!" she wailed. "I was going to hit the brakes! But… I've seen a lot of crashes before, and this one threw me off. I panicked, and somehow, my foot hit the accelerator instead of the brake…"

Because of her brief lapse in focus, Shuangshuang ended up giving Koizumi the "helping hand" he didn't need.

Koizumi, now finding himself in a precarious position, gave a metaphorical middle finger to the Yasukuni Shrine he'd once revered and followed Kenrei into Satan's embrace.

"Then Shuangshuang, how come didn't you fall off the cliff too?"

With a snort of disdain, Shuangshuang in years to come would reply, "You really think the 'Lightning Queen' title is just for show? Obviously, the impact knocked some sense back into me."