Inside the cockpit, Leon's hands gripped the wheel as he focused entirely on controlling the Silver Marauder.
The scenery on both sides blurred into streaks of light, retreating rapidly, but Leon had no time to admire the view.
Up ahead, a massive container truck lumbered forward like a sluggish snail.
Leon didn't panic. With two sharp pulls on the handbrake and a subtle twist of the wheel, the Silver Marauder's tires screamed. Smoke hissed out, rubber scraping against asphalt.
With a fluid, razor-sharp drift, Leon's car slid past the truck effortlessly.
The maneuver was so smooth, so natural, it looked like a piece of art.
The spectators watching through live streams or roadside vantage points gasped.
"That speed… my legs are going weak just looking at it!"
"Unbelievable—he's already close to San Francisco!"
"He's lightning incarnate!"
"Tonight's West Coast God of Racing? Who else but him?"
The crowd roared, their admiration for Leon reaching fever pitch.
Sure, they had seen street races before. But a car this fast? This monstrous? This was their first time.
The thrill of speed combined with raw danger set their blood boiling.
Maybe the Silver Marauder was simply too fast—none of the other supercars could keep up. Leon's figure became a lone streak of silver light, leaving rivals choking on dust.
A true one-man stampede.
"System, how far to San Francisco?" Leon asked, narrowing his eyes.
He noticed traffic thickening around him. That could only mean he was nearing the city.
"Remaining distance: 214 kilometers," the AI replied. "Warning—serious traffic congestion ahead. Highway impassable."
Leon frowned. So, it's like this?
He recalled the SWAT ambush earlier. Could it be the people pulling strings behind the scenes still hadn't given up?
"Plot an alternate route."
"Recalculating…"
Within seconds, the Silver Marauder's AI offered a new option.
"Suggestion: cross the desert and cut through rural dirt roads. That path loops around and rejoins the route to San Francisco."
Leon hesitated. Detouring would cost time.
But thankfully, his earlier mountain-leap stunt had already bought him a lead. With the Silver Marauder's advantage, even a few minutes could mean life or death.
"How much extra time will it take?" Leon pressed.
"None. In fact, the route is shorter overall. Despite the rough terrain, the reduced distance compensates for speed loss."
Leon raised an eyebrow. "Then why didn't you suggest it earlier?"
"On highways, acceleration, cornering, and top speed are all optimized. Dirt roads, despite being shorter, cannot sustain maximum velocity. That balance made the highway the most efficient option… until now."
The logic was sound. On dirt roads, potholes and uneven ground would sap speed, canceling out any distance advantage.
But with the highway locked up in a massive jam, the rural detour had now become the best alternative.
"Switch routes. Let's move."
Leon looked ahead. The clustered glow of headlights confirmed his suspicion—a colossal traffic jam. If he kept to the highway, he'd crawl forward at a snail's pace, maybe even fail to reach the city.
Only by cutting through the second route could he make it to the Ninth District in time.
The system instantly recalculated. Leon's eyes sharpened. He spun the wheel.
The Silver Marauder's tires screeched, spitting smoke as the nuclear-powered beast lunged into the darkness of the side road.
"He's changing course?!" Trish exclaimed in shock.
Standing atop a high vantage point, she could see the road network spreading below. Only from her position was the traffic situation clear.
She had worried Leon would be trapped in the jam, forced to forfeit his lead. But he had anticipated it in advance, switching paths decisively.
His choice: the rural dirt roads. Treacherous terrain, riddled with bumps and potholes—especially insane to drive at breakneck speed at night.
"Wait! Look—three cars are coming up fast on that route too!" Trish shouted, pointing excitedly into the distance.
In the darkness, three beams of light raced side by side, engines roaring, none yielding an inch.
Other competitors.
Her heart leapt—this wasn't just Leon's race anymore. Rivals had appeared.
And with Leon about to merge onto that dirt road, the four of them were on a collision course for glory.
"Four contenders, one battlefield. What kind of chaos will this bring?" Trish teased, her voice brimming with excitement.
Out on the plains, the dirt track stretched into the night, flat but treacherous. Sparse houses dotted the horizon—a small rural village loomed ahead.
Leon had already spotted the cars through his night-vision HUD.
The system confirmed their identities: O'Neal, Dominic, and Letty.
At some point, O'Neal had abandoned the highway as well. Despite his late start, his D16 supercar's overwhelming performance allowed him to catch up, surging ahead of the pack.
Dominic chased hard, his "Venom" car roaring behind. Though slightly weaker in raw performance than the D16, Dom's driving skill leveled the field, biting at O'Neal's heels.
Locked in a heated duel, the two men fought tooth and nail for supremacy.
And trailing close was Letty, refusing to fall too far behind. Her skills kept her competitive, though the gap to the leaders remained difficult to close.
Leon's lips curled into a sinister grin.
"Heh. I'm here."
~~----------------------
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