Chapter 42: You're Going the Wrong Way! Follow Me!

Xu Shengwen was not the only frustrated person; the drug lord was equally furious.

"Damn it! Didn't you say that hiding the drugs in the cave would guarantee the cops wouldn't find them? Tell me, what is going on right now? Over 800 kilograms of goods, all seized by the cops in one fell swoop!"

The drug lord pointed his gun straight at the head of his subordinate standing nearby.

"Boss! Boss! This really was an accident! The Zongyong Temple Cave Diving Paradise opened and invited guests to livestream cave diving, and they accidentally discovered our air pocket where the drugs were hidden. There are hundreds of underwater air pockets in the cave diving paradise; who would have known they would stumble upon our exact stash? It was truly pure coincidence, it really has nothing to do with me..."

"Bang!"

The drug lord shot and killed his subordinate on the spot.

"Damn it, even the most stupid person knows that a crafty rabbit has three burrows. Since there are more than a hundred air pockets, didn't you know to separate them and hide them in several places? Instead, you hid the damn things all in one single pocket! Once the police found it, wouldn't the whole damn thing be ruined?"

A heavily built enforcer standing nearby stepped forward and made a throat-slitting gesture.

"Boss, what should we do now? Should we get rid of the kid who found our hiding spot?"

The drug lord glared at the enforcer. "Are you insane? The kid who found the drugs is undoubtedly already under the police's secret protection. Over 800 kilograms of 99.9% pure drug bricks—that's enough for them to deploy the armed police! If you don't want to be blown to pieces by a grenade launcher, stay away from that kid."

When all is said and done, a drug cartel is still an economic organization. Their purpose is to make exorbitant profits, not to test whether the armed police's equipment can blast them and their bunkers into oblivion. Drug trafficking, possession of firearms, kidnapping, and printing counterfeit money—add all these charges together, and the armed police would certainly make them understand where all those years of tobacco tax revenue went.

"Then what should we do now? These drugs were what we got from selling counterfeit money to those warlords, and they used them to settle their accounts. If we can't turn these drugs into money and bring it back, the clan leader will definitely kill us. Now that the police have confiscated the drugs, Boss, what do we do?"

A fierce and ruthless look flashed in the drug lord's eyes. "Since the drug bricks were snatched away, we have no choice but to rob something else to settle the account!"

The enforcer tentatively asked, "Boss, we only have a few pistols in total. Robbing a bank doesn't provide enough firepower!"

The drug lord kicked the enforcer right in the rear. "You want to get blown up by artillery fire, do you? Robbing a bank, of all things—how did you come up with that? Do you think this is Los Angeles, where the bank billboard reads 'Solutions'?"

The enforcer looked slightly aggrieved. "Then Boss, what do we do now? There aren't any other fast ways to make money."

The drug lord's face was gloomy. "I've found a drug-manufacturing expert. There is a small chemical plant in Fenghuo County. Tomorrow, we are going to rob that chemical plant! We'll find the materials for making 'ice,' and then trigger an explosion inside the chemical plant so we can turn around and run away without them ever figuring it out."

The enforcer hurriedly asked, "Then when is this drug-making expert arriving?"

The drug lord had a cigarette dangling from his lips. "He won't come to our stronghold, and I won't let him come either. We will rendezvous on the road leading to the Fenghuo Chemical Plant. By then, he will be wearing a delivery uniform and riding a delivery scooter as a disguise."

The enforcer scratched his head. "But... Boss, there are so many delivery drivers in the city, how are we supposed to figure out which one is the drug-making expert?"

The drug lord said sinisterly, "Regular delivery drivers make deliveries in populated areas like residential districts or industrial zones. We'll arrange to meet the delivery driver on a trail in the countryside where there won't be any other delivery personnel."

***

After finishing his training in the morning, Lu Xingzhou went to the hotel where the organizers of the enduro motorcycle race were staying to sign his contract in the afternoon.

The system had already issued the quest, so he had to complete it.

During the negotiations, Lu Xingzhou did not have many demands regarding his appearance fee; his sole requirement was to wear his delivery uniform and ride his delivery scooter to the event. After all, he was also a part-time food delivery rider.

The race organizers did not object to this. What someone wore was a personal preference, and they didn't care.

Before he left, the organizers handed Lu Xingzhou a digital map.

"Mr. Lu, this is the route for this enduro motorcycle race. If you have time today, I hope you can run through it to familiarize yourself with the route. Tomorrow, you will set off as part of the first echelon, so remembering the route is crucial. Of course, don't worry if you take a wrong turn; we have drone livestreaming and surveillance along the entire course. If your motorcycle veers off the track, our navigators will step forward to call out to you and guide you back onto the correct path."

Lu Xingzhou took the map. "Many thanks, I'll go take a test run this afternoon."

To achieve a good result in the official race, motorcycle racers had to practice the route multiple times in advance, trying their best to memorize the path, obstacles, and any shortcuts where they could gain an advantage, much like the drainage ditches on Mount Akina.

While familiarizing himself with the course by riding his delivery scooter on the off-road track, Lu Xingzhou ran into quite a few competitors.

Some contestants even took the initiative to joke with Lu Xingzhou, asking if they ordered food delivery, would he deliver anywhere?

The next day, 10:00 AM.

Lu Xingzhou pushed his delivery scooter, dressed in his delivery uniform, and appeared at the off-road motorcycle race venue. Standing alongside other contestants who looked thoroughly professional and dressed in full gear, he looked utterly ridiculous.

<Hahaha! The streamer actually went wearing a delivery uniform. I thought he was just joking.>

<Is the streamer trying to say, "Don't use your hobby to challenge my profession"?>

<Professional? Isn't the streamer a professional corpse retriever?>

<Delivery scooters are the overlords of non-motorized lanes, charging recklessly wherever they go. I just want to see the difference between the streamer and a professional motorcycle racer.>

<An ordinary delivery driver participating in a professional enduro motorcycle race—isn't that asking for a laugh? Not crashing on a single turn would already be a victory.>

<Wait, are there actually people here to watch the streamer race? Aren't we all here to watch the streamer pull off his crazy stunts?>

<The streamer crouches down and looks at the corpse: "I can't bring this guy back to life, but I can pull off a live stunt for you guys!" (Doge face)>

<No, I don't care about the race. I just care about how many corpses the streamer is going to find out in the wild today.>

Today was perhaps the day with the highest viewership ratings for an enduro motorcycle race on domestic video platforms.

Yet, amidst the overwhelming barrage of bullet comments, almost no one cared about the motorcycle race. Everyone had a "spectators love a spectacle" mindset, earnestly discussing how many bodies Lu Xingzhou would manage to salvage.

Because it was an off-road race with extremely high risks, all participating riders wore helmets, face masks, and full-body protective gear.

Only Lu Xingzhou's delivery uniform stood out with striking contrast.

On the race track, with the crack of a starter's pistol, Lu Xingzhou released the clutch, twisted the throttle, and plunged down a nearly 60-degree long slope along with the first team.

"Huh? This..."

The moment the starting gun went off, a string of reward-settlement subtitles popped up on Lu Xingzhou's smart glasses.

[Quest 1: Participate in the opening ceremony of the Enduro Motorcycle Race held in Fenghuo County (1/1)]
[Quest Reward: Livestream Tips x 10 (Current reward: 3.739521 million)]

[Quest 2: Attend the opening ceremony of the enduro race wearing a delivery uniform (1/1)]
[Quest Reward: My deliveries are never late! (Equipped)]

[Quest 3: Participate in the opening ceremony of the enduro race riding a delivery scooter (1/1)]
[Quest Reward: Takumi's water cup might spill, but the food in my delivery box will remain intact (Equipped)]

Lu Xingzhou didn't yet know what the reward for Quest 3, [Takumi's water cup might spill, but the food in my delivery box will remain intact], specifically entailed.

However, he had already fully experienced the benefits of the settlement reward for Quest 2, [My deliveries are never late].

A thunderous roar echoed in his ears.

At that instant, Lu Xingzhou felt as though he wasn't riding a mere motorcycle anymore, but driving a sports car.

A super sports car equipped with two aviation jet engines strapped to it, at that.

This involuntarily reminded Lu Xingzhou of a classic French absurd slapstick comedy film, *Taxi*.

The customer pays extra; the driver steps on the gas.

Lu Xingzhou exhaled a breath. At this moment, he felt an instinctive, seamless familiarity with the scooter he had been riding for over a year.

He patted the handlebars and said jokingly, "Old friend, let's see if we can replicate the speed from *Taxi*—1,200 kilometers per hour!"

Lu Xingzhou accelerated fiercely down the 60-degree descent, leaving everyone else far behind in a cloud of dust.

The commentator was providing a breathless live broadcast of this scene via drone.

"The starting gun has sounded, and charging into the lead is rider number 7, Lu Xingzhou!

This rider is participating in an off-road motorcycle race for the very first time, yet he surges straight to the front right from the start. He's traversing an unpaved surface on a steep slope exceeding 60 degrees at a speed of over 170 kilometers per hour, and incredibly, he hasn't even crashed! One has to admit that this contestant has exceptionally skillful vehicle-handling techniques.

Wait!

How many kilometers? 170?!

I now have a reasonable suspicion that the speedometer is broken!

Is this a slapstick comedy being filmed right now? Is this motorcycle being driven by Mr. Bean?

How is it even possible to run this fast on an unpaved road!

If the speedometer isn't broken, then there's only one possibility: Newton has personally lifted his own coffin lid!"

The commentator turned his head and looked back at the broadcast screen.

"This enduro motorcycle race has an extremely high level of difficulty. As we can see, at the end of the 60-degree steep slope lies a sharp reverse turn of over 120 degrees. This demands that every participating rider possess formidable vehicle-control skills.

Otherwise, sliding off the track and suffering a premature exit is a minor issue; crashing and getting injured could pose a life-threatening danger.

We can see that all the riders are decelerating... No!

Rider number 7 is not only failing to decelerate sharply, he's actually speeding up!

180 kilometers...
190 kilometers...
Doesn't he see that at the end of the descent is a 120-degree sharp turn?
Or are his brakes broken?!

If he charges down the track at this speed, even with protective gear, it will result in severe injury.

According to the drone's real-time speed monitoring, his speed has now exceeded 200 kilometers per hour!
210 kilometers!
220 kilometers!
230 kilometers!

The on-site medical staff are already preparing to enter the track early. It seems even the race organizers have judged that rider number 7's brakes might have malfunctioned, and they are preparing to carry out a timely rescue.

It appears, much to our regret, that the coffin lid previously lifted by Newton has been slammed back down by Newton himself!

This scene can truly be called 'Newton's Vengeance'!

We can only bid an early farewell to rider number 7 on the race track and hope he makes a speedy recovery—

Wait! What am I seeing? Oh my god, how did he do that?! Negotiating a 120-degree sharp reverse turn while leaning at a speed of 280 kilometers per hour, and this is still on an unpaved surface!

Does he think he's racing in MotoGP?! This is out in the wild!

*(P.S. MotoGP [Grand Prix motorcycle racing] average entry speed into corners is 200km/h to 260km/h, with the highest entry speed at 297km/h.)*

At this moment, I only want to ask: is Newton's coffin lid holding up alright?!

If it's not a malfunction with the speedometer, then at this very moment, Newton must be using his own coffin lid as ballast while doing sit-ups inside his casket!

Of course, we still need to turn our attention to the trailing competitors. It is abundantly clear that rider number 7 has left all the other racers completely in the dust. The second-place rider has fallen behind by 3 minutes and 30 seconds. I can only say, unfortunately, the race has essentially lost all suspense!

The first echelon of this off-road motorcycle race consists entirely of just one person: rider number 7! The rest of the racers are at least 4 minutes behind him, and as the race progresses, that gap is only going to widen further!

Right now, this is a solo race starring number 7, Lu Xingzhou!"

Lu Xingzhou left all the other racers far behind, careening wildly across the off-road terrain!

He could plot the absolute limit of his route. Traveling at 270 kilometers per hour down the slope wasn't recklessness; it was the optimal result calculated by the system.

Combined with the [World-Class Motorcycle Riding Technique], Lu Xingzhou felt as though he were driving on flat ground, even at 270 kilometers per hour on an unpaved surface.

Taking a 120-degree sharp turn at 270 kilometers per hour was as easy as pie.

It seemed this was the true capability of [My deliveries are never late]—the ability to map out the ultimate route under extreme speed.

At this point, the other racers behind Lu Xingzhou couldn't even see his taillights anymore.

Scanning ahead, Lu Xingzhou spotted a blue motorcycle suddenly pulling out from a fork in the road some distance away. The rider wore a helmet and a black balaclava, making their face indistinguishable. The vehicle blocked Lu Xingzhou's path forward, and the rider was waving their hands, signaling Lu Xingzhou to stop!

Lu Xingzhou gradually slowed down and heard the blue motorcycle rider shout, "You took the wrong route! Follow me!"

"Vroom!"

The blue motorcycle rider twisted the throttle and sped down a narrow side path.

The blue motorcycle rider spoke with complete confidence, sounding utterly genuine, leaving Lu Xingzhou utterly bewildered. Could it be that he had really taken the wrong route?

Yesterday, the event organizer's staff had told him that drones were monitoring the entire course, and if anyone took a wrong turn, a navigator would guide them back onto the correct path.

Since Lu Xingzhou had only run along the track once yesterday, his memory of the route was also hazy.

Now that someone was telling him he had taken the wrong route, he subconsciously assumed this was a course guide leading him back to the proper path.

Lu Xingzhou turned his handlebars and followed.