Act: 5 Chapter: 1 |Twin Turbo Supra

The following morning, Collei wound her way back up Mount Yougou after the usual early tofu run. The mist hadn't lifted yet—thin veils of it hugged the bends and draped across the elevation changes like ghostly ribbons. Her Eight-Six climbed the slope with a steady rhythm, engine humming in fourth, tires whispering against damp tarmac. One hand rested on the wheel at the twelve o'clock position; the other arm supported her head, elbow braced against the driver-side windowsill. She slouched slightly to the right, posture loose, almost lazy—but her eyes told another story.

Violet irises stared through the drifting haze ahead, distant. Still half-lost in the adrenaline high that refused to die down.

Collei let out a long breath through her nose, more a sigh than anything else. "I'm still pumped… That race was something else."

She wasn't wrong. Her mind ran the replay like it always did after a night of action. Sharp snapshots flickered behind her eyes—the rhythmic flicker of Shinobu's taillights piercing the night, red like danger signs. Then that precise moment—the breathless leap—where she'd flicked off her own headlights, plunging the AE86 into blackness, nothing but moonlight and instinct guiding her through the descent. It was her first time pulling the blind attack. Her heart had felt like it would explode then—and thinking about it now, it still did.

But the move had worked. She'd crept up alongside Shinobu's WRX, ghosting in the darkness until the perfect kill moment. As the hairpin loomed, she hit the headlight switch. The pop-ups snapped open with a mechanical clack, blasting twin halogen beams through the dark like a predator baring its fangs. She dropped into second, heel-toeing with practiced finesse, and committed hard—front wheels locked into the inner gutter, rear end kicking slightly as she rode the inside line. A clean overtake. No contact. All grip and guts.

Then the last corner. Both cars roaring in stereo, shoulder to shoulder, the mountain shaking with the feral cry of two full-bore engines. She remembered her tach redlining, the needle trembling at the top end as her AE86's high-rev 4A-GE Silvertop screeched past the WRX just as they broke onto the final straight.

She blinked, eyes refocusing on the present. Asphalt hissed under her tires.

"That was mainly luck…" she muttered to herself, brow furrowed. "If Ningguang had gone against Shinobu instead, she would've crushed her without lifting a damn finger. Wild card or nothing… I've got to improve."

That thought barely had time to land before she heard it—a sudden, deep, guttural growl. Her ears twitched. Turbocharged, definitely. And angry.

Her eyes snapped to the rearview mirror.

A flash of blue. Then another.

Bayside Blue.

A Nissan R34 Skyline. Bearing down on her like a missile. Close. Too close.

Collei sat upright instantly, one hand yanking the wheel to center as both palms clamped down at nine and three. Her eyes narrowed into sharp, green slits. "Impatient, huh? Do I let you pass… or do I make you earn it?"

Her lips curled into a half-snarl, half-smirk.

"No way I'm letting you pass. Not on my home turf."

Click-clack—she threw the shifter from fifth down into third, rev-matching with a precise throttle blip. Her right foot slammed back onto the gas. The Eight-Six kicked forward, the upgraded Silvertop engine shrieking as the revs screamed past 7,000. Tires bit down. Her chassis shifted as G-forces pulled her into the seat.

Behind her, the R34 howled in reply. The RB26DETT spooled and shrieked like a demon, twin turbos whistling in tandem. The front end dipped with the weight transfer of a late brake, then settled again as the Skyline launched into the next bend like it was tethered to her bumper by a steel cable.

Collei's jaw tightened.

The AE86 darted through corners like a needle through silk—tight, precise, on-edge but in control. She rotated with a smoothness born of years on this pass, heel-toe dancing through every downshift. The suspension loaded and unloaded cleanly as she threw the car into every turn, tires howling at the limit.

But the Skyline didn't blink. Every time she twisted out of a corner, she'd feel the pressure swell again—the R34 exploding down the straightaways, that monstrous RB chewing through the gears with torque to spare. Collei could feel it in her spine: she was fast, but the bastard behind her had raw power and wasn't afraid to use it.

They hit a decreasing-radius left. Collei flicked the back end loose, countersteered, and powered through with her inside tire just kissing the curb. She exited in full control.

And the R34? Still there. Matching her angle. Matching her speed.

"You've got to be kidding me!" she barked, voice rising with the tension. Her hands wrung the wheel tighter. "Does this person have it in them or what?! Damn it!"

They blasted into a high-speed right-hander, the kind that begged for full commitment or none at all. Collei didn't lift. The AE86 trembled beneath her as she rode the fine line between traction and chaos. Her tach needle danced near the red.

Up ahead, the road twisted into the mountain's infamous five consecutive hairpins—tight, technical, and unforgiving. Collei's last weapon.

Her breath slowed. Heart pounded.

"Alright, you tricky bastard. You asked for it. Time to pull out an old-fashioned move…"

First hairpin. She set up wide, braked hard, and dove in deep—right-side tires snapping into the gutter, suspension compressing as she hugged the inside with surgical precision. The AE86 carved through.

She dared a glance in the mirror.

The R34 dropped in right after her. Same line. Same gutter hook. It matched her move perfectly.

Her eyes went wide. "Holy fucking shit," she gasped.

Second hairpin. Same deal. She pushed harder, trail-braking deeper, but the Skyline stayed glued to her. Same tire placement. Same pace. It was like watching a ghost version of herself—only faster.

Third, fourth, fifth hairpin. It didn't matter what she threw at it.

That car. That driver. Mirrored her like they were reading her goddamn mind.

By the time they exited the final bend and hit the straightaway, the Skyline had the run. The turbos screamed. The RB's torque surged like a tidal wave. The R34 pulled up beside her, then past, the blue machine thundering ahead like a warhorse at full gallop.

Collei's jaw clenched. Her right foot stayed down for a beat longer than it needed to.

But it was over.

She lifted.

The engine tone fell. So did her shoulders.

The R34 vanished around the next bend, its taillights already fading into mist.

"I can't beat a driver I can't outbrake…" she muttered, voice dull with disbelief. "That son of a bitch got me."

The rest of the drive passed in muted silence. Her mind spun, but her body just went through the motions. Corner. Shift. Throttle. Brake. Turn.

Eventually, she rolled into the driveway.

The Eight-Six's engine ticked as it cooled. She stepped out, shoulders slouched, one hand rubbing her temple as she walked toward the house.

"Dad!" she called, slipping off her shoes.

No answer.

The house was dead quiet.

She looked around, frowning, scratching her head. "Where could she have gone off so early…?"

The day dragged its heels like a wounded dog, each hour grinding slower than the last. By the time night draped itself over the town, Collei found herself back at the gas station, the fluorescent lights buzzing above like gnats in summer heat. She rolled the Eight-Six up to pump four, engine ticking with heat, and stepped out with a tired huff. Her eyes flicked toward the far end of the lot where Beidou, Seele, and Amber loitered by a vending machine, chatting and sipping canned coffee.

"Hey, fellas! How's it hanging?" Collei called, masking the lingering sting of the morning's loss with a half-lidded grin.

Amber bolted toward her, arms wide. "I saw you race at Musouji Pass! Congratulations!" she squealed, enveloping Collei in a squeeze that nearly knocked the wind out of her.

Collei blinked, caught off guard but smiling as she returned the hug. "Wait—you were there?"

"Hell yeah, she was," Seele said, strolling over with hands tucked in her hoodie, that trademark smirk resting lazy on her lips. "Beidou and March couldn't make it, so Amber and I went. Front row seats. You were something else out there."

Collei's eyes drifted around. "Speaking of March, where's the gremlin now?"

Beidou gave a short laugh and jabbed a thumb over her shoulder. "Took off earlier. Said her Supra was finally out of the shop."

Seele stretched, cracking her neck. "We're running the GTE swap tonight. March wants to see what that twin-turbo I6 can really do."

Beidou scoffed, folding her arms. "Please. Her Supra's just window dressing. It's got nothing on my RB26 twin turbo. The RB always wins. Every damn time."

"Oh shut up," Seele laughed, shaking her head. "You sound like a boomer arguing on a car forum."

Then she turned to Collei, a sly glint in her eye. "So, mountain pass killer—what's it feel like to beat a real-deal circuit racer? Is there anything you can't do?"

Collei scratched the back of her head, her expression modest but the pride still burning somewhere behind her gaze. "Well… It feels pretty damn good."

Amber beamed, her cheeks pink. "I'm so proud! One of our own, rising through the ranks! Collei, you're on your way to becoming a legend."

Beidou and Seele both nodded, albeit with different flavors of respect—Beidou's stoic and arms-crossed, Seele's with a smug little shrug.

But Collei's smile wavered for a moment. Her mind pulled her back to that morning, to the weight of that R34 filling her mirrors like a predator. Her voice dropped, almost to herself. "Feels like a dream I woke up from…"

The sharp hiss of a blow-off valve cracked through the quiet. Everyone's heads turned.

A silver Supra rolled in, low and wide, the bodywork pristine and gleaming under the gas station lights like a polished bullet. Its freshly rebuilt 2JZ purred with menace, the note just slightly off-stock—deeper, angrier. The driver's window dropped, revealing March 7th grinning like a lunatic, throwing up a peace sign.

"Ta-da! Supra 2.0, baby! GTE swap complete and ready to slap some pavement!"

Minutes later, they were a convoy screaming up the mountain road under a moon-silver sky, the silence broken only by turbo spools and engine roars echoing off the cliffs.

Amber brought up the rear in her Sileighty, her taillights pulsing red through the mist. Mid-pack was Beidou's R32, with Seele in the passenger seat, the straight-six burbling with raw torque. And at the front, March's Supra screamed, Collei riding shotgun, her eyes like razors tracking every inch of the asphalt.

They punched out of a downhill hairpin, and March smashed the throttle. The boost gauge spiked—twin turbos kicked in with a banshee wail—and the Supra lunged forward like it'd been shot from a cannon. The rear tires squawked, scrambling for grip as the torque slammed through the drivetrain.

In the R32, Seele leaned toward the windshield, chuckling. "Looks like you're about to eat your own words, Captain RB."

Beidou didn't flinch. "Let her have her fun. I'm still the one with the faster car when it matters."

Up front, March was cackling. "You see that? You see that slide?! Holy crap, dude—I just nailed that hairpin drift like a goddamn anime protagonist!"

Collei shook her head, amused. "Don't get cocky yet. You still need to finish the run without understeering into a ravine."

Then her eyes narrowed. She glanced toward the passenger-side mirror. Twin beams of light were climbing fast behind them—too fast. Her voice dropped, sharp with edge. "We've got company."

March flicked her eyes to her rearview. "Whoa… they're hauling ass. What kind of car is that?"

Collei leaned forward, squinting at the blur streaking through the darkness. Her gut twisted.

"…Is it the car from this morning?"

But before she could be sure, the mystery machine rocketed past them. A cyan blur, low and wide, split the convoy like a missile.

March's jaw dropped. "Holy crap! That's an S15 Silvia! Rocket Bunny widebody! Jesus, that aero kit is sick!"

Collei's tension eased. Her breath came out in a quiet exhale. "Nope. Different car."

The Silvia was gone in seconds, vanishing into the turns like a ghost with a turbocharger. Only the howl of its SR20DET echoed in its wake.

Inside the Supra, the silence was heavy.

In the R32, Seele slumped against the window, sighing like a beaten child. "Are we just box turtles getting lapped by goddamn jackrabbits now?"

Beidou's brow twitched. Her fist came down—light, but pointed—on Seele's arm.

"Who the hell are you calling a turtle, jackass?! You want me to floor it and drift you off this cliff?!"

"Hey, hey!" Seele laughed, throwing up her hands. "Take it easy, woman! Eyes on the road, fists off the passenger!"

The engines roared back to life, their rhythm steady. The mountain was still theirs—for now. But Collei knew better than to pretend the night was done. That Rocket Bunny blur wasn't just a car. It was a message.

The group pressed on, engines humming steadily through the cool night as they wound their way up the mountain's switchbacks. When they finally reached the summit, they parked in a loose arc beneath the sparse mountaintop lighting. A breeze carried with it the scent of hot brakes and cooling metal, the only sound besides the ticking of contracting exhausts.

They gathered around March's Supra, its massive hood propped up to display the heart of the beast. Under the hood, the 2JZ-GTE sat like a coiled predator—fresh piping, polished components, and twin snails gleaming under the dim yellow lights.

March practically vibrated with pride, fists planted on her hips. "The 2JZ-GE put out about 230 horsepower stock," she said, loud enough for all of them to hear. "The GTE bumped it to 276. But with all the aftermarket work—turbo manifolds, fuel system, full exhaust, standalone ECU, everything—we dyno'd it at 690 peak. That's triple the power it used to make!"

She brought a fist to her chest like she was swearing an oath, eyes shining with a manic light. "Second gear lights up the rears like it's nothing. And the way it slides now? So much more controllable than before. It's a monster."

Beidou whistled, arms crossed, clearly impressed. "I get that. Once you tune it right, even the same car starts feeling like a whole different animal."

Seele grinned. "Rebirth. No other word for it."

Beidou turned to Collei, her voice casual but loaded with curiosity. "So, Collei. What's your take? Was the GTE swap the right call?"

Collei folded her arms, brow furrowing. She glanced at the gleaming bay, then back at March. "The build's clean. You did everything right… But something's off. It's not a problem—it's just that the car fights in a different way than my Eight-Six. The balance is harder to read."

Beidou nodded slowly. "Turbo torque does that. NA gives you clean, linear response. With twins spooling up, it hits like a sledgehammer."

Collei gestured vaguely toward the engine bay. "Exactly. Steering becomes a grind—more like wrestling than driving. And if I were you, I'd stiffen the dampers. I think your rebound's a bit too soft for how you're trying to corner. The car's got too much lateral weight shift."

A collective "Huh?" rose from the group like a confused chorus. Amber and March exchanged a look, barely containing their smirks.

Collei kept going, her tone matter-of-fact, oblivious to the way their jaws were dropping. "You'd corner faster with more suspension stiffness. Less body roll, better weight control. And maybe get a boost controller. You don't need to spool full boost on a downhill run—you want throttle modulation, not a rocket launcher. Balance your grip and your torque."

She paused, blinking as she caught the stunned silence and wide-eyed stares aimed at her.

"What?" she asked, brow raised. "Why are you all looking at me like that?"

March turned to the others, lips twitching. "Okay… is it just me, or did Collei suddenly start speaking actual car-nerd?"

Seele held up a hand, mock solemn. "Confirmed. I heard words. Technical ones. Smart ones."

Beidou barked a short laugh, her expression somewhere between amusement and disbelief. "No offense, Collei, but I never thought I'd hear that kind of talk coming from you."

Amber grinned and stepped in closer, her hands on her hips. "Seriously, what did Team Speed Stars do to you? Inject you with car knowledge serum or something?"

Collei's cheeks turned pink as she waved them off, muttering, "Nothing! And if those idiots ever heard me talking like this, they'd have me committed…"

Her words trailed off as the sharp shriek of tires echoed up from below, followed by the thunderous bark of a turbocharged engine. A split-second later, headlights crested the ridge.

The S15 appeared like a phantom in cyan—lowered, wide-fendered, its Rocket Bunny kit flaring like armor in the mountain gloom. It growled to a halt just off the summit lot, engine burbling with menace as it settled into an aggressive idle.

March's eyes narrowed, voice cold. "That's the S15 that passed us earlier."

The Silvia's engine cut. A door opened with a crisp clack.

Out stepped the driver—a tall woman with waist-length silver hair that shimmered in the wind like threads of ice. She moved with unhurried confidence, slipping across the guardrail like she owned the place. Her smirk was the kind that could slice someone in half without raising a voice.

"Hey there," she said casually, her tone smooth but aloof. "Sorry if I blew past you back there. Sometimes I… get ahead of myself."

The group remained quiet. Her eyes passed over them—lingering on the cars with a bored kind of curiosity.

"Oh, right. Forgot to introduce myself. Name's Shenhe. Came up from Inazuma City."

She let her gaze roam again before clicking her tongue. "Honestly… this is it? Kinda underwhelming. Thought this pass would be crawling with real talent. Guess I got my hopes up."

Beidou stiffened, jaw tight, hands curling into fists. The air around her practically hummed with restrained aggression.

Unbothered, Shenhe strolled toward March's Supra. She leaned over the open bay, one brow raised as she took in the build.

"Well, now… a 2JZ." She sounded faintly impressed. "Not bad. Decently built."

Then she looked up, straight-faced. "So. Who owns it?"

March stepped forward, squaring her stance. "I do."

Shenhe laughed lightly. "You? Huh. Would've figured you for a turbo AE85 kind of girl."

March's hands curled into fists, her face flushing. "Hey! Shut the hell up, asshole!"

Beidou stepped forward, her voice low and flat. "Who the hell are you to walk in here talking shit about our rides like that? All you did was pass a few cars on a chill uphill cruise. That's not racing. That's showing off."

Shenhe tilted her head, that smug little grin still firmly in place. "Oh? So you're saying it'd be different if we were heading downhill?"

Beidou exhaled slowly through her nose, her tone sharpened to a blade's edge. "I'm saying if you want to run your mouth, do it back in Inazuma. Nobody asked for your attitude."

Shenhe gave an exaggerated shrug. "Well, if that's how it is…"

Without another word, she turned on her heel, crossed back to the S15, and slipped inside. The Silvia fired up again with a snarl, then rolled forward a few dozen meters—only to stop just past the straightaway ahead. The car sat there in the dark, idling, its high-beam headlights aimed squarely at the group like twin gun barrels.

March slammed the Supra's hood closed with a metallic thud. "She's waiting," she growled, staring daggers down the pass.

Everyone exchanged tense glances.

Seele muttered, "Why do I have a very bad feeling about this?"

Beidou grinned, a hungry look in her eye. "Because that lunatic wants to ambush us the moment we leave. She's out for blood."

March's hands clenched. Her anger boiled just beneath her skin. "She can talk all the trash she wants. We'll show her. She doesn't stand a damn chance against our downhill."

Amber bounced once on the balls of her feet. "Yeah! Let's smoke her ass!"

Beidou turned to Seele, her voice lowering into something wicked. "So, what do you say we show her what the Yougou girls are made of?"

Seele gave a savage grin, raising a clenched fist. "Hell. Yes."

All eyes turned to Collei.

She immediately held up both hands in surrender, backing up a step. "Whoa whoa whoa—don't look at me! I just finished a battle last night. I'm not in the mood to take on some psycho with a death wish!"

Beidou snorted and waved her off. "Relax. We'll handle it as a team."

March nodded firmly, her voice brimming with resolve. "Right. We take her on together. No way she walks away from this thinking we're pushovers."

The convoy tore through the mountain pass, a screaming blur of headlights and tire smoke slicing through the pitch-black void. Beidou's R32 thundered at the front, its twin-turbo inline-six snarling as she pitched the car sideways through each hairpin. Taillights flickered red-hot in the darkness, glowing like embers as the all-wheel-drive monster clawed through the bends with brutal precision. Every downshift cracked like gunfire. The scent of scorched rubber and hot oil permeated the air, layered beneath the echoing wail of tortured tires.

Behind her, Shenhe wrestled with her S15 Silvia, the car twitching under her as it struggled to keep pace. The suspension was stiff—too stiff. The rear end bucked with every bump, sending tremors up her spine. She gritted her teeth, muscles taut, knuckles pale against the suede wheel. "That antique R32… it's not just the car. She's actually good. Way better than I expected."

A few car lengths back, Collei handled March's newly turbocharged Supra like a scalpel in a surgeon's grip—precise, efficient, unshaken. The boost surged in linear pulses, the turbo whine building into a menacing crescendo as she coaxed the 2JZ to the edge of its powerband. Her foot modulated the throttle with expert nuance—never too much, never too little. The rear tires slipped but never spun out of control.

Amber's Sileighty chased in fourth, engine screaming at the limiter, but the gap was widening. Collei was pushing harder now. Much harder.

Inside the Supra, March clung to the door like her life depended on it. Her wide, terrified eyes stared at the tunnel of trees whipping past the windshield. The velocity made everything outside a blur. "This car's insane!" she yelled, barely audible over the mechanical howl. Her hand fumbled for the grab handle, but her gaze flicked to Collei, curiosity burning through her fear. "Hey—can I ask you something?"

Collei's hands were calm, fluid. Elbows loose, steering inputs precise, not an ounce of wasted motion. "Sure. What's up?" she replied, voice steady, eyes locked to the vanishing point.

March hesitated. Then: "Is what that jerk Shenhe said about me driving an Eight-Five true? Like... does this car not suit me or something?"

Collei didn't even blink. Her right hand flicked the shifter into fourth, turbo still in spool. "Hell no. That's bullshit," she said flatly. "If you love your car, and it makes you feel alive? That's all that matters. Nobody gets to tell you how to drive, or what you should drive. It's your ride, March. Own it."

March bit her lip, digesting the words, then asked in a quieter voice, "But this turbo setup... I mean, it's kinda weird, right? It was a naturally aspirated motor before. Feels like it's cheating."

Collei smirked, catching the apex with a perfect steering flick, her left foot dancing between throttle and brake. "Different doesn't mean wrong. You tune the car to suit you, not the other way around. Who gives a shit what the original specs were? You're not driving a museum piece—you're driving a machine built to go fast. If it scares you a little? That's how you know it's right."

The rear tires chirped as the Supra shot out of the corner like a slingshot. March yelped, her knuckles white. "Holy crap! I knew it'd be fast, but this is next-level!"

Behind them, Amber's voice crackled through the radio, disbelief lacing every syllable. "Is it just me, or is Collei driving that thing like it's been hers since day one?"

Seele's voice came next, crisp and confident. "Lyney always said she had a gift for FR layouts. If it's front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, Collei's in her zone."

Collei narrowed her eyes, fingers tightening slightly on the wheel. "Beidou's gonna hold her lead at this pace," she muttered.

March blinked, puzzled. "Wait, what? Of course she's in the lead—she's at the front!"

Collei's gaze was razor-sharp. "It's the R32's suspension setup. She's dialed it in just right. Firm enough to stay planted in the corners, but still compliant. Shenhe's S15 is riding way too stiff. She's skipping all over the road. One bad bump and it's game over."

March stared at her, stunned. "Who… what the hell happened to you?! Where'd all this come from?!"

Collei chuckled softly, eyes still scanning the next series of turns. "Eyes forward. Hairpin coming up. This stretch gets hairy."

As if summoned by her words, Shenhe's S15 slammed into a rough patch mid-corner. The chassis jolted violently, the rear hopping sideways as she fought the wheel with both hands. Rubber screamed in protest. The S15 teetered on the edge of chaos.

"Goddammit!" Shenhe snarled, punching the steering wheel. "This suspension is killing me!"

Moments later, Collei guided the Supra through the exact same hairpin with surgical control, modulating throttle and brake through the apex. No drama. No instability. Just pure, fluid momentum.

March could barely speak. "She's… she's unstoppable. This is… awesome."

Collei cracked a grin, the edge of a warrior's smirk playing on her lips. "Let's show 'em what this Supra can really do."

Engines screamed down the next straight, turbo spool filling the night like a banshee's wail. The road curved again—tight, technical, relentless.

Collei's knuckles whitened on the wheel. Her eyes were locked on Shenhe's S15, reading the body language of the car, anticipating her every move. "She's bouncing again. Too much rebound. She's gonna hit that same bump."

March barely had time to react before it happened. The S15 smacked the rough patch mid-drift—bang! The stiff coilovers kicked the whole car sideways like a mule. Shenhe fought it, countersteering hard, but she lost speed. Lost rhythm.

"Shit!" Shenhe spat, jaw clenched in rage. "Fuck!"

Farther ahead, Beidou's R32 tore through the bends with serene aggression. She cracked the window and let out a wild yell, middle finger flicking skyward. "Eat my dust, you prick!"

Back in Shenhe's mirror, the Supra loomed large—too large. Shenhe's breath caught as the growl of the boosted 2JZ filled her ears.

"No. No no no. You're not getting by!"

Too late.

Collei was already setting up the next corner. She braked late, inches from the limit, the rear squirming but never breaking loose. Her right tires dropped into the gutter—bam!—and locked in. The car slingshotted forward, turbo screaming, grip unshakable.

March screamed. "Holy shit!"

The Supra lunged forward in a perfect gutter run, the classic maneuver executed with flawless precision. Shenhe's eyes widened in horror. "What the fuck?! She's inside! She's inside!*"

Collei's face didn't change. No glance back. No gloat. Just focus.

Behind them, Amber downshifted hard, rev-matching with a heel-toe stab before punching the gas. "Time to end this."

Seele nodded beside her. "Let's light her up."

The Sileighty surged ahead, exhaust snarling as it closed in. Shenhe glanced right, saw them coming, and her heart sank.

Amber's eyes gleamed. She braked late, almost recklessly, and chucked the Sileighty sideways into a four-wheel drift, tires howling. The car rotated perfectly, slicing through the final hairpin and emerging ahead of Shenhe.

Shenhe's jaw hung open. "No. No fucking way!"

The final straight loomed. The Supra, the Sileighty, and the R32 screamed down it like a triumphant pack. Shenhe eased off, rage twisting in her gut. The S15 faded into their taillights. Into the night.

At the base of the mountain, the group pulled over. Hoods popped. Radiators ticked and hissed. The air reeked of hot oil and vaporized rubber.

Beidou leaned against her R32, arms crossed, a cocky smirk on her face. "That was a fucking blast. Guess we reminded her whose mountain this is."

Amber bumped fists with Seele, laughing. "Team effort, baby!"

March turned to Collei, her eyes wide with admiration. "Okay. You're officially the coolest person I know. That was fucking insane."

Collei shrugged, but the flicker of a smile betrayed her pride. "Just doing my job. We all earned it tonight."

Laughter echoed through the pass, mingling with the scent of victory. In the shadows behind them, Shenhe lingered alone, her pride in ruins—but her fury far from gone.

For now, the mountain belonged to them.