The blue eyes of the blonde not far from Ron had a faint light flash through them as they focused on the large connected screens, and her gaze lingered on the brown-haired pilot.
"This time, competing are two people everyone here can recognize. Alex Lenner and Kris Lenner, and the former is using a car at least six times heavier than the latter. A great disadvantage, right? Now, many might think that he can not win, but I can tell you a secret…"
Lance panned his gaze over the attentive crowd, the air of mystery he was sporting and his smile looking aggravating as he kept the suspense.
An impatient voice shouted:
"Spit it out, Lance!!!"
Lance's smile widened, as if that was the effect he wanted. Fortunately for him, he did not continue playing with the crowd:
"Alex's car has been through the magical hands of none other than Kim~ Yoon~!!! And everyone knows what that means!!! Now, make your bets!!! Who bet on the older brother and who bet on the younger brother!?! Come, come, come, everyone!!! Missing this chance equals missing the biggest excitement of the year!!! I will be the banker!!! You should trust me, and if you don't, you should at least trust our young master Alex Lenner!!! What are you waiting for, everyone?"
"Pfft!"
Tyler spat out his drink. He almost choked, as like everyone else, he had not seen the reversal coming. He glared at the fired Lance, and shook his head slightly with a helpless smile.
The crowd was equally dumbfounded. But then the excitement came back, greater than before, and many ran to the blond to participate in the bet.
Ron raised his eyebrows, and smiled with interest. The blonde turned toward him and asked:
"Who is Kim Yoon?"
Ron shook his head:
"I don't know. I just came back into the city. Won't you bet?"
But Ron received no response, as after the negative answer he gave, the blonde had already looked away.
At that moment, the screen shifted to signal the organizers readiness to start the race. Fortunately, the bets had been made fast. The crowd moved back, and the tension peaked on the track.
Kris looked toward Alex, and started revving his engine, its sound like a symphony for the car enthusiasts around. It was a blatant provocation that made the crowd shout, as it was displayed on the screen.
*Vroom* *Vroom* *Vroom*
Alex was shown raising an eyebrow, before he pressed a button on his dashboard. At that moment, the silent rumble of his engine changed, turning into something akin to a thundering snore.
*VROOM* *VROOM* *VROOM*
The SUV that had seemed unassuming apart from its size now took over the scene with its momentum. It was now truly like a beast, not just a silent one, but one shaking itself awake to get on with the hunt. It was like a liger waking up, its roar suppressing the growls of the wolves that had been trying to claim the throne.
It was then that Alex smiled in response to Kris' provocation, his calm, unflappable display pressing down on the latter with more weight than any bluster. And that was what the crowd liked.
"WOOOOOOOO!!!"
*Ping*
The countdown started, with a skimpily dressed beauty coming to stand in front with a flag raised high, a flag which was her crop top taken off to expose her bra.
*Ping*
Kris regained his focus, and pushed down on the accelerator, keeping only the road in his mind.
*Vroom*
*Ping*
Alex relaxedly let his eyes enjoy the spectacle. He even had the leisure to smile and wink at the flag bearer.
The latter replied to the flirt, and suddenly lowered her top she had been holding high.
*Pong*
*Whoosh*
Kris flashed forward like an arrow, his lighter car leaving Alex behind.
*BRROOMMM*
The SUV bounded forward while biting onto the asphalt, its weight keeping it steady, but still, behind the blue Corvette.
The scene on the screens shifted. It showed an overview of the track, displaying the multiple bends with different angles to be negotiated before the challenge of the last straight line. Then it zoomed to focus on the blue and black car entering the first bend, a simple shallow angle one that Kris didn't even slow down to pass through. And Alex followed behind him, not looking anxious even as the Corvette put a dozen meters of distance between them.
But that was the distance Kris managed to put between them. As he went through one corner after another, he ran around the rocky formation without being able to shake Alex off. If anything, the stability of the black SUV, combined with Alex's skilful manipulation, made it save time, enough that it started compounding and making Kris nervous.
He glanced into the rearview mirror, before forcing himself to remain focused on the road. Sweat started appearing on his forehead, and his frustration grew because he had no way of pushing his supercar to the peak of its speed, not if he wanted to keep his life.
He gritted his teeth and braked to drift into the sharp angle bend that arrived, at the same time as he shifted gears.
His heart jumped as the dark beast that had been following him barrelled into the corner almost at the same time, its engine rumbling to push it forward.
The Corvette's tires screeched, as it regained its lead.
The tension Kris was feeling was shared by the crowd which remained focused on the screens. He gritted his teeth, and shifted gears twice over a hundred meters, and he managed to regain a few meters of distance. Thus, when he negotiated the last narrow angle bend, he managed to leave Alex behind.
He exhaled, his heart regaining a steadier rhythm, as he relaxed slightly, as the end was in sight, as well as his victory.
In that last straight line, he could let loose.
He smiled, and relaxedly pressed on the accelerator. He looked into the rearview mirror, wanting to savor the moment, only to freeze, and for his smile to stagnate.