Bryan glanced at the driver who had cut him off. It was the racer he had beaten last time. That driver had been furious about losing. Now, this guy was deliberately cutting him off on the track.
Bryan was skilled. He jockeyed for position with the other driver on the circuit. However, during a sharp turn, the other driver intentionally rammed into him. Unable to dodge in time, Bryan's car spun out and flipped over completely.
"Oh god! What happened?! How could such an accident occur?"
"I was really rooting for him at the start! How did he flip? See, racing is just too dangerous! Is he alive?"
Seeing Bryan's car overturned, Erik couldn't care about anything else. He let go of Janelle's hand.
"Wait here. I'm going to check on him."
Bryan had come with him; he absolutely couldn't let anything happen to him.
Knowing how much Erik cared about his younger brother Bryan, Janelle grabbed his hand.
"I'll come with you. Don't worry, race cars have airbags. He'll be fine."
"Mm." Erik pulled her through the crowd towards his Rolls-Royce Cullinan, then sped off wildly towards the crash site.
"Damn! Is that Janelle and her man?! Why does his Cullinan seem to handle more aggressively than the race cars?!"
"Are you stupid? That car is obviously modified! How could it be a regular Cullinan? Look at the performance – it's practically flying yet stays planted!"
"So he's not some poor guy? A Cullinan, modified? How much money does that take?!"
"I don't know... But think about it, they made it to Graham City and neither the Rovellas nor the Hills could touch them. They can't be ordinary people!"
These rich kids! Sometimes they were just too naive.
"Honestly, that man drives like a beast. I bet he's just as dominant in bed... I kinda want to try him out," a rich heiress nearby couldn't help but comment. Truthfully, she envied Janelle for having such a boyfriend.
When it came to money, these heirs weren't lacking. But they definitely cared about a man's prowess in bed. Some guys lasted only minutes, which was truly boring. Janelle's man looked like he knew what he was doing.
A few minutes later, Erik's car came to a precise stop beside Bryan's wrecked racer. Despite the airbags, Bryan was injured and pinned in the driver's seat, unable to get out. Rescue hadn't arrived yet; he could only wait.
"Bryan, don't be scared. I'm here," Erik assessed the situation and tried to reassure him.
Hearing Erik's voice, Bryan opened his eyes.
"Erik... sorry for embarrassing you." Bryan had been trained by Erik, who was once a racing ace himself. He never imagined he'd crash right in front of Erik and Janelle.
"Enough. Save your strength," Erik said, moving to open the door. The car was on its side. They had to get him out first. Otherwise, if the car exploded... the consequences would be unthinkable.
However, Bryan was injured, and the seatbelt was jammed, trapping him tightly. Janelle stepped up to help. Both were extremely calm and worked with seamless coordination.
But before they could free him, Janelle noticed flames starting to lick from the wreckage. If this continued, it could explode. Yet, they couldn't abandon Bryan; they had to keep trying.
Seeing the fire, Bryan felt like crying. Was he really going to die here today? The worst fear in a rollover was the car catching fire, because of the explosion risk.
"Erik, take Janelle and leave! I'll wait for the rescue team. I'm fine!"
"Erik, go! The car might explode!" His car had been tampered with; there was no way this should be happening normally.
"Shut up," Erik intensified his efforts, but it was futile. He looked at Janelle. "Janelle, you go. I'll handle this here." Erik didn't want her in danger.
"No. I'm staying," Janelle refused. How could she leave in a situation like this?
"Janelle, go. Please listen to me," Erik pleaded, unwilling to let her stay. Bryan was his brother; he couldn't leave.
"Fine. I'll go." Janelle stood up and walked away.
Seeing her leave, Erik finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Erik, you go too! The car really will explode!" Bryan urged.
Erik could never abandon him. The Lorenzes always painted Erik as ruthless – eliminating rivals, doing all sorts of evil after taking over the Haoting Group. But Bryan, who'd been by his side all along, knew the truth: Erik was fiercely loyal. He protected his own to the end.
"Erik, I mean it. If there's a next life... I'd still follow you."
"Erik, please go! Don't worry about me!" Bryan truly felt despair. He was going to die here today.
"Erik... if I die... could you... look after my mom? She raised me alone, struggling all her life, always worrying about me..." And he was always causing her grief.
Just then, Janelle returned.
"Move." Seeing her back, Erik was furious and frantic.
"Janelle! Can't you understand plain English?! I told you to leave! Why are you back?!" Why was this woman always so disobedient? Tell her to stay, she leaves; tell her to leave, she stays.
"Shut up." Janelle pushed him aside. She was holding a sledgehammer she'd found somewhere. She grabbed a blanket from Erik's car and threw it over Bryan.
"Don't move," she ordered, then started smashing the wreckage. Glass shards cut her hand, but Janelle ignored the pain. Saving a life came first; no time for fussiness.
"Let me," Erik took the sledgehammer from her. A few powerful blows shattered the remaining structure. Finally, he wrenched the door open. The seatbelt buckle was broken and wouldn't release. He simply tore the belt apart.
"Erik, I..." Bryan was overwhelmed with emotion. Didn't Erik always think he was a nuisance? Yet when he was truly in trouble, Erik risked his life to save him.
"Don't talk," Erik commanded, pulling him out.
The fire was growing larger, the heat intensifying. Janelle and Erik hauled Bryan free together.
"Run! The car's going to blow!" Janelle sensed the imminent danger. She and Erik dragged Bryan away. But Bryan's leg was injured; he couldn't run. They had to practically carry him between them as they fled.
"Oh my god! It exploded! Is Janelle still inside?!"
With a thunderous roar, the race car detonated, flames erupting into a blazing inferno.
Someone had been live-streaming the burning car on a short video platform.
Lillie was watching the live stream.