Chapter 19: The Racing Scene!

Chapter 19: The Racing Scene!

Although Star City is massively large and spread out, it can be generalized into a few common zones.

At the absolute heart of the city, where all the major skyscrapers are located, sits the Downtown area. Most of the top ten global corporations have a massive building here functioning as their main headquarters for all of Eurasia. City Hall and the main government buildings are also locked into this high-security Downtown zone.

Just south of Downtown is the Star University campus. This school is massive in size and scale, and it carries the nickname of 'The Greenbelt' due to the thousands of trees and natural decorations spread throughout the facility. It features multiple parks and a massive central lake, seamlessly blending urban structures with a tranquil, natural setting.

South of the university campus is the high-end living community where most of the major families live. The shopping boutiques, premium restaurants, and private security forces are some of the absolute best Star City has to offer.

To the east of both the university and the southern residential zone is where my school, Star High, is located. Due to its close proximity to both wealthy locations, most of the major families send their children to the two primary learning academies in this sector.

Just north of my high school is where Star General Hospital is located, along with the middle-class neighborhoods where I and Hana currently live. So we are basically located in the southeast quadrant relative to the Downtown center.

On the far north side of Downtown sits the industrial area, which also contains our Azure International Airport, though the runway lanes are built closer to the sea for emergency safety measures.

The spot where I marked the Ning sisters for the very first time is the Country Harbor area, located west of the southern zone right next to the ocean.

This sector handles major international tourism and contains most of the luxury amenities for the rich, like high-end country clubs, golfing ranges, and horseback riding facilities. There is also a massive theme park operating in the southwest quadrant.

North of the harbor—combining the west and northwest sectors—sits the shipping and merchant zones, where you will find the largest selection of commercial goods worldwide. Car dealerships, jewelry exchanges, and some of the largest wholesale shopping centers in the entire world are located right here.

Also located within this western zone is the primary entertainment district for major metropolitan events. Alex Deng—the father of Tony Deng from my front-gate fight and the grocery store incident—is the absolute owner and operator of the Star Arena. This massive complex holds multiple concert halls, underground fighting rings, and major sports facilities, making Tony's father a pretty important figure when it comes to the city's entertainment portfolio.

And finally, the east and northeast parts of Star City are packed full of suburbs, middle-class neighborhoods, and lower-income communities—basically the everyday man's world. Our apartment borders this specific sector, sitting right next to my high school.

Now, keep in mind this description is incredibly general, and the metropolitan grid is significantly larger and more complex than this. For instance, Star High is only one of ten major schools in the city, and every single zone contains its own smaller independent communities like strip malls, local diners, and plazas. There are a total of seven large indoor malls spread across Star City. Star General is widely recognized as the best hospital in the state, but there are also three other major hospitals spread out through the remaining sectors.

The entire metropolis is surrounded on all sides by rocky, low-lying hills that give the city the look of being completely walled in by nature. Outside this range of hilly terrain are smaller sister cities to the north, east, and south, sitting about a half-hour highway drive from the outskirts of Star City, but I will go into those details some other day... Phew!

The exact reason I need to explain the layout of these zones is to describe where Hana and I are currently driving. We are currently heading toward the northeast part of town, moving up into the low mountains toward the old highway pass.

This specific pass is an incredibly popular spot for downhill racing among local car enthusiasts because the winding pavement is rarely used by the public later at night. The police department tends to not bother with patrolling this location due to all the wealthy noble kids coming up here for their own amusement. Because of that corporate buffer, the police only ever deploy units to the pass for fatal wrecks or major crimes.

The underground racing community has gone completely high-tech nowadays. They have installed multiple remote cameras all along the downhill path to stream the races live, on top of deploying specialized drones for smoother action camera views.

Their custom streaming app also lets viewers text chat in real-time while watching the live feeds, and of course, the illegal gambling numbers are absolutely huge up here. Every single racer entering the grid must put up exactly $1,000 as the baseline pot entry fee. The winner of the run gets his money back along with the pot, and this high price tag keeps every random Tom, Dick, and Harry from wasting the crowd's time with a weak, low-skilled driver. Those amateur guys are typically the ones who spin straight off the mountain roads anyway.

"Rick, have you ever actually been up to this pass before?" Hana asked, her voice cutting through the hum of the engine.

"My father, when he was still alive, brought me through here twice when I was younger to visit my grandfather," I replied, my hands steady on the Camaro's steering wheel. "But that was a really long time ago."

Hearing the unsure tone in my voice, Hana leaned in slightly. "You mentioned earlier that it was only you and Mary left, so does that mean your grandfather passed away?"

"No clue," I said, dropping my gaze for a split second. "I last saw the man when I was ten years old. He wasn't a friendly kind of person at all, and I don't think my father and he were on good terms. I never really asked about the details, but I think the bad blood had something to do with my biological mother. So there's that."

"Why not try to find him again?" she asked gently.

"No. He is completely dead to me," I stated, my voice hardening. "When my father and stepmother died, and Mary and I were going through our absolute toughest financial times, we never heard a single word from him. His own son died, and he didn't even bother to look for his grandchildren to see if we were surviving. I want absolutely nothing to do with a family member like that. So as far as I'm concerned, he died right alongside my father, and I don't even care to know if he is alive or dead. Good riddance."

"I'm sorry for picking at your old wounds, Rick..."

I reached over, gently patting Hana's soft thigh beneath her red miniskirt and offering her a warm smile. "No, it's fine. If you are genuinely interested in someone, it is only right to know what information makes them who they are. I am sure I will eventually uncover your painful past secrets too, like the details regarding your first love."

Hana picked up my hand from her thigh, raised it to her lips to kiss the back of it, and looked over at me with a sharp grin.

"Oh? Then does that mean you finally fell for my charms and are actually interested in me, ufufu?"

I looked over at this blonde vixen, fully realizing that I wasn't going to escape her clutches tonight.

"Sigh. It looks like my initial plans to just eat some pasta and dash are completely blown away," I joked. "I guess I officially fell for your charms."

I had to temporarily retrieve my hand from her grip so I could manipulate the shifter, changing gears as the Camaro began climbing the steep incline of the mountain road.

"Well then, Rick, it seems we will definitely be seeing a lot more of each other from now on," Hana said, her eyes sparkling. "Because I am incredibly interested in you, and I completely fell for your adorable side."

I was still a bit unsure about the logistics of dating an older woman—and obviously my sister Mary doesn't count in this category—so I decided to ask for some clarification.

"Being completely new to this whole scene, what exactly do I tell other people about us?" I asked, guiding the car around a bend. "Do I say we are just regular friends, dating, an official couple, or some other relationship term I am unaware of? I've never actually dated anyone before, soooo..."

Hana put on a mischievous, trickster smile. She placed her index finger right on her chin, acting like she was running a major calculation.

"Hmm. Let's see," she teased, looking up at the car's headliner. "I have already seen you completely naked on an exam table, I met your family, I just went down on you inside a car, we've kissed, we revealed some deep personal secrets to each other, I let you directly into my home, and I just let you drift my eighty-thousand-dollar sports car with my literal life on the line... so..."

She pretended to finish her calculations, looking back over at my face.

"Let's definitely go with an official couple, or rather boyfriend and girlfriend, because we are mostly past the friend stage at this point. We can't go any further on the list yet because you still haven't even seen me naked. So, yep, we can be a couple, if you like the sound of that."

I offered a wry smile, keeping my eyes on the highway. "Hana, are you genuinely enjoying messing with me tonight?"

"It is definitely making me incredibly happy, yes!" she cheered, her voice bubbling with laughter.

As we drove up the winding two-lane highway, I made careful mental notes of all the tight turns, elevation drops, and roadside obstacles while keeping up a casual conversation with the gorgeous woman sitting next to me.

"Alright then, Miss Hana Chang," I said, offering a smooth, confident smile. "I want to be your official boyfriend, so take good care of me. I fully intend to deepen our relationship the second you're ready."

A moment later, we rounded a long ridge, and a well-lit rest stop materialized on the side of the mountain highway. Holy fuck, the location was packed.

There were dozens of heavily modified sports cars idling in rows, and easily two to three hundred people milling around the asphalt, drinking, laughing, and socializing.

Hana pointed excitedly toward a specific parking zone on the far side of the lot.

"Over there, right next to that pink car!" she cheered happily. "Those are my girlfriends from work. Let's head over, and thanks for coming out with me tonight, Rick!"

I navigated the Camaro across the asphalt, smoothly pulling the roaring machine directly into the open stall next to a heavily customized pink Volkswagen Golf GTI. Hana, like a good woman, waited patiently for me to handle the vehicle, but I could tell she was also deeply enjoying the immediate look of utter confusion painted across her two friends' faces when they realized she was riding in the passenger seat instead of sitting behind the wheel of her own car.

To make absolutely sure I didn't embarrass Hana in front of her inner circle, I immediately channeled my Acting skill, slipping into a low-profile, smooth secret agent persona—channeling a flawless James Bond routine.

I stepped out of the driver's seat with absolute, unyielding confidence, adjusting the cuffs of my sharp white suit jacket as I flashed a calm smile at the two shocked onlookers. I walked with a steady stride around the front bumper to the passenger door, popped the handle, and extended my open hand to the smiling doctor. She could tell exactly what kind of role I was playing for her benefit, her eyes shimmering with delight.

Hana, balancing perfectly in her red stiletto heels, slid out of the bucket seat, casually hooked her left arm around my elbow, and gave a warm wave to her coworkers.

"Kim Smith and Akeno Minamoto, I want you to meet my boyfriend, Rick Lee," Hana announced, introducing us with pride. "Kim here originally moved from the United Kingdom of America, and Akeno came from the Japanese Empire. They both transferred out to Star City for their higher education modules and hospital tracks."

(Note: The naming sense of the humans in this alternative universe Earth lets you easily identify their specific ethnicity and background. If a citizen is classified as Eurasian, they typically carry a western first name from the UK or America, while their family surname is inherited from either the Japanese or Chinese Empires. For instance, Kim has both a western first and last name from her UK heritage, while Akeno carries both a Japanese first and last name, and Scott Tang's illegal maid possessed a purely traditional Chinese name.)

I extended my hand, firmly shaking Kim's hand first. She looked to be about twenty-seven years old, sporting short blonde hair and sharp green eyes, sitting on the shorter side of the physical scale exactly like my sister Mary.

"Well, if you're a close friend of Hana's, then you can consider me your friend as well," I said smoothly. "And the exact same courtesy goes for you, Miss Minamoto."

Next, I shifted my grip to shake Akeno's hand. She looked to be about twenty-four years old, with sleek black hair and focused brown eyes.

Kim, possessing significantly less social restraint than her colleague, looked at my white suit in utter amazement before blurting out with a heavy western accent, "Wow, you are incredibly young! I had absolutely no idea my pristine friend Hana was secretly a shota-con, fufu!"

Akeno looked at my face with a mix of pure amusement and recognition, turning to Hana with a distinct eastern accent. "Wait a minute! Is he the exact same beat-up boy whose bloody clothes we had to literally cut off with trauma shears in the ER last weekend?!"

As she asked, her brown eyes completely unintentionally drifted straight down toward my trouser line, checking for the metrics of the tamed beast she had seen on the examination table.

I kept my cool completely, letting my Acting skill anchor my poker face as I answered the inquiries for her. "Hana saved my life in that ER, so I naturally fell completely for her charms. My primary goal in life right now is to ensure she stays happy to show my absolute gratitude."

Kim, displaying the classic traits of a total gossip-whore, leaned in closer to Hana. "This is getting incredibly interesting... I was under the distinct impression you were committed to dating absolutely no one again. Oh, by the way, does Dr. Chris Honda know about this? I think he is still actively pining for you, and he is actually tracking down to this mountain location tonight, you know."

Hana's posture instantly turned irritated, a flash of pure annoyance crossing her features at the mention of her toxic ex. She firmly tightened her grip around my arm, using the physical contact to show the world that the past meant absolutely nothing to her, though my instincts had already mapped her emotional spike. What the hell did I care if a ghost from her past showed up at a car meet? I didn't mind claiming my turf against him at all.

"Chris Honda has had absolutely nothing to do with my life for almost five years, and he never will again," Hana hissed, her smoky blue eyes narrowing. "The man is complete male filth, so do not go bringing up his name in this circle, especially in front of Rick."

Kim quickly shook her hands in the air, trying to de-escalate Hana's rising anger. "Calm down, Hana! I was only passing along the news because the man found out you were driving up to the pass tonight, and he dropped everything on his schedule just to come out here. I just didn't want you to be completely caught off guard."

I stepped into the conversation track, my voice calm, deep, and steady. "Miss Smith, it is completely fine with me. I am not bothered at all by Hana's ex finally realizing how badly he fucked up his past options. As long as his hands do not physically touch her, I don't give a single shit about his presence."

Hana looked up at me, completely surprised and deeply touched to hear me acting so fiercely overprotective of her territory already. Her internal agitation instantly vanished into thin air, and she shifted her grip, holding my bare hand tightly instead of just resting against my elbow.

Suddenly, a loud, incredibly familiar voice boomed out from directly behind the red Camaro we were leaning against.

"Rick Lee?! What the absolute hell, man? How is my best friend out past curfew on the mountain pass?!"

I turned around to see James Tong, my tall-ass six-foot best friend, marching across the asphalt with a look of pure shock. He knew me as a dedicated nighttime shut-in. But the second his stride brought him to the front of the vehicle and his eyes locked onto me holding hands with the incredibly sexy Hana, his entire brain completely stopped working. He stared at the gorgeous older woman, then looked down at my white suit, seriously wondering if he had accidentally fallen asleep in class and was currently dreaming.

"James Tong, my best friend," I introduced him smoothly, gesturing toward the group. "Meet my girlfriend, Dr. Hana Chang, and her two hospital coworkers, Kim Smith and Akeno Minamoto."

Jim, as I like to call him, blinked stupidly, his finger trembling as he pointed back and forth between the two of us. "G-Girlfriend?! You... and her? For real?!"

Hana, finding my best friend's total existential crisis hilarious, leaned in close and planted a deep, lingering kiss straight onto my lips right in front of the entire group to permanently clear up poor Jim's confusion.

Jim stared at us, letting out a loud, breathless laugh. "Brother... your entire lifetime of accumulated bad luck just turned around in a single weekend!"

Soon enough, after sharing a few good laughs, Jim completely accepted the reality of our relationship and immediately started breaking down the technical news about tonight's downhill race strings. While he talked, the two nurses playfully pulled Hana over toward the side of their pink Golf to engage in some private girls' talk, and I noticed Hana was blushing deep red as they walked away.

Jim explained that he had driven up the mountain with a couple of other guys from Star High who wanted to watch some underground races to unwind before next week's crucial entrance exams. But right as he was detailing the layout of the downhill drivers, an incredibly annoying person interrupted our space.

"What the hell is this?" an arrogant voice sneered from behind us. "Is that seriously Little Dick Rick standing out here?!"

All five of us turned our heads to see Scott Tang walking up, flanked by four of his elite high-society brothers. Trailing a step behind them was a woman I recognized instantly—she was the exact same maid from the explicit home video I had pulled from his server, the one who had been helping him dress. I couldn't help but chuckle internally. The Ning twins were literally planning to execute their bloodline sabotage before the actual wedding day even arrived. Absolutely vicious.

Remembering the wild, uninhibited time I had shared with the twins just yesterday morning, I couldn't hide the deeply satisfied, happy smile spreading across my face. I casually reached up and unbuttoned the front of my white suit jacket, clearing the obstruction away from my waist just in case things turned physical. Hana, noticing the sharp tactical shift in my posture, quickly moved right back to my side and tightly held my hand, silently hoping I wasn't about to draw hidden handguns on the exact corporate heir who had sent me to her ER. She glared over at Scott, her smoky blue eyes filling with deep animosity after realizing he was the shadow mastermind behind my brutal birthday assault.

Right then, Akeno turned to her fellow nurse and asked a loud question that made the entire area go completely awkward.

"Kim, why exactly did that boy call him Little Dick Rick?" she asked in all sincerity, her eastern accent carrying across the pavement. "Is eight inches considered small over here in Eurasia?"

It turned out that during their earlier private girls' talk by the pink Volkswagen, Hana had casually exposed my full physical size to them. I felt a sudden flush of heat rush to my face, blushing deeply as this foreign girl openly questioned the logic without understanding the social context of the high school nickname. Hana violently rolled her eyes, fully realizing that her two ER friends were incredibly special. Jim, being the ultimate jokester, immediately took a dramatic step two inches further away from me, staring down at my trousers as if my dick was a wild animal that might suddenly leap out and bite him! I mirrored Hana's expression, rolling my eyes hard at my idiot best friend before turning my attention back to the bully.

"Scott Tang," I called out, my voice smooth, grounded, and completely natural. "Congratulations ahead of time for your upcoming wedding on Saturday. I genuinely wish you a long lifetime full of absolute happiness and joy."

Scott froze, looking completely surprised by the fact that I seemed genuinely happy for his future marriage. He absolutely hated the feeling of losing his psychological leverage over me. Then, his gaze drifted downward, his eyes stretching open in total shock as he registered Hana's fingers locked tightly between mine. Seeing his composure crack, I decided to thank him for the best thing he had ever done for me in this life.

"Ah, Scott, say hello to Doctor Hana Chang," I said, flashing a smug smile. "She was the primary attending physician in charge of patching up my injuries on my birthday night. The two of us really hit it off in the ward, and now we are an official couple. So, thanks for your incredible support, ha-ha!"

Akeno chimed in from the side, completely oblivious to the tension. "I was there too! I cut off his clothes and saw him completely naked!"

What the hell kind of medicine does the Japanese Empire feed their children to make them this blunt? Scott stood there completely baffled, his mind unable to calculate how his systematic campaign of physical bullying had accidentally helped a commoner like me grab a supermodel doctor for a girlfriend. This was completely opposite to how high school hazing was supposed to work, right?

Suddenly, it felt like our little circle had become the premier popular crowd at the mountain meet, as a few more familiar voices cut through the ambient crowd noise.

Tony Deng stepped forward, his broken facial structure looking a bit better after a few days of hospital care. Standing a few feet away was Tina Feng, who was actively walking over to our spot. The moment Tony saw his corporate friend Scott, me, and Hana standing hand-in-hand, a look of pure surprise crossed his features. He looked at me, letting out a defeated sigh.

"Well, seeing the two of you together out here at least makes me feel a bit better," Tony admitted, shaking his head. "At least I know I was not being ditched back at the grocery store on some cheap lie. And hello, Doctor Hana, you look exceptionally nice tonight."

Hana, thoroughly happy that Tony had finally taken the hint and backed off, held my arm even more intimately, leaning her chest right against my sleeve.

"No, Rick and I are very serious about each other, Mr. Deng," she explained smoothly. "So I was definitely not trying to hurt your feelings back at the checkout line."

"WHAT?!"

Tina Feng’s shocked voice boomed across the asphalt, her golden Phoenix eyes widening to the size of saucers as she took in the sight of me and the beautiful doctor acting like lovers. And then, before anyone could even process her reaction, yet another fucking voice boomed from the crowd behind her.

"WHAT?!"

Chris Honda, the thirty-year-old chief of plastic surgery, stepped into the light. He had styled white hair, piercing gold eyes, and was walking shoulder-to-shoulder with Tina's elite group. The moment his gaze locked onto Hana holding onto a young high school boy in a white suit, his expression twisted into pure, unadulterated rage. He looked exactly like a husband walking into his bedroom and catching his wife being tag-teamed by the plumber, the TV repairman, and the cable guy all at the exact same time!

Seeing the man whose toxic past had caused Hana five years of isolation, a cold smile spread across my face. I confidently wrapped my left arm directly around Hana's slender waist, pulling her form tight against my hip as I greeted the chief.

"Hello, ex-boyfriend of my lover Hana, Chris Honda!" I called out, my voice dripping with casual defiance. "It is an absolute pleasure to meet you tonight."

Click!

Apparently, the arrogant plastic surgeon took my words incredibly poorly. His face contorted, his pride fracturing as he suddenly charged straight at me, startling everyone in the immediate area. But before his boots could even cover the distance, a fluid kinetic reflex took over my body. Moving in a blinding, high-speed blur that absolutely no one in the crowd could physically keep up with, I quick-drew my factory-new HK P30 from the shoulder holster beneath my jacket.

The sharp, mechanical click of the safety unlocking echoed clearly through the sudden silence of the rest stop. The white-haired doctor instantly froze dead in his tracks, his gold eyes wide with absolute fright as he looked straight down the black barrel of my handgun, the cold steel hovering a mere five feet from his nose. My stance was perfectly stable, my grip locked onto the weapon with zero hesitation.

I kept my aim centered, subtly shifting my gaze over to the redheaded heiress standing nearby.

"Miss Feng," I called out, my voice completely calm, casual, and professional as I invoked our security contract. "Is this man currently threatening your life or violating our parameters? If so, I can easily add a fresh hole right to the center of his forehead. Just say the word 'yes' and I will pull the trigger."