Takumi had followed Leon's car into the city. When he saw the Diomas Nilo parked outside a small roadside burger joint, curiosity got the better of him. This was the man who had just humbled him in a race — a driver whose precision felt more like machine logic than human instinct.
Inside, the diner was packed — fans, racers, reporters, and curious onlookers. Everyone who mattered in the underground scene was there for one reason: the "Leon Cup," now hyped as the ultimate East Coast vs West Coast showdown.
Takumi spotted Leon easily — calm, confident, and already halfway through his meal while the rest of his crew (Hattie, Gisele, Hobbs, Shaw) looked like they'd barely survived a tornado. They were still pale from Leon's physics-defying driving.
Takumi approached cautiously.
"Hey," he greeted.
Leon smiled faintly. "You took your time. I already finished eating."
Takumi blinked — he had been pushing 250 km/h just to catch up. If that was "slow," what did "fast" even mean to this guy? Even his co-driver Amu was speechless; usually he'd fire back with sarcasm, but this time he just swallowed his pride.
The truth was clear — Leon earned the right to call anyone slow.
"Mind if we sit?" Takumi asked.
Leon nodded. "Sure."
Before long, whispers began spreading. Someone said the name Leon.
Then, silence.
Every racer in the room turned to stare — half with awe, half with mockery.
"So that's the so-called West Coast legend?"
"He looks normal to me."
"Guess the West ran out of real racers."
Laughter erupted. The East Coast racers had long mocked their western counterparts, and now the infamous "Leon" stood right there.
Leon's expression didn't change. He simply said:
"Talk all you want. On the track — we'll see who's laughing."
The room went dead quiet. His voice carried the weight of a man who didn't bluff. Even the loudest mouths suddenly had nothing to say.
Takumi finally asked, "So what's this all about? What kind of race are we talking here?"
Leon leaned back. "Originally, it was called the Leon Cup — the top-tier street-racing event in New York. But since I joined, it's evolved. Now it's the East vs West Championship."
The words hit like nitrous. The room buzzed again. For the East Coast, this was sacred territory — a challenge to their pride.
Takumi frowned. "I'm not even American. Is it okay for me to join something like that?"
Leon smirked. "Exactly why you should. With you, it's no longer a local race — it's an international one."
Takumi: "...That's your logic?"
Leon: "That's racer logic. If they can't beat us, that's their problem."
Takumi sighed. Somehow, Leon's insane reasoning made perfect sense. The more he listened, the more he realized — this man wasn't just fast. He bent the rules of reality to his will.
Suddenly, outside the diner — a roar of an engine.
A red Hongqi S9 hypercar pulled up, its polished body glinting under the Detroit sun. The arrival silenced the chatter again.
People turned to stare. A Chinese-made supercar was a rare sight here, especially one that bold.
From the driver's seat stepped An Qiaoqiao, a poised woman with the calm confidence of someone on a mission.
She entered the diner and glanced around. Among all the foreign faces, Leon's calm nod drew her attention.
"Over here," he said in Mandarin.
She blinked — surprised. A fellow Chinese speaker. She walked over and smiled faintly.
"So, you're the one from the highway?"
"Yeah," Leon replied. "Figured I'd lend a hand."
She nodded, her tone softening. "Thank you. I'm An Qiaoqiao — from Hongqi's engineering division in Beijing. I'm here to represent our new Hongqi S9, China's first fully self-developed supercar. This race is its global debut."
Leon listened carefully. He understood immediately — this wasn't just about racing. It was about national pride.
If the S9 could make a mark here, it would prove that Chinese engineering could rival the West's best.
But to Leon, it also meant something else — a new challenge.
At that exact moment, a digital chime echoed in his mind.
[System Notification]
New Mission Unlocked: "Outshine the Hongqi S9. Make the Diomas Nilo the brightest star on the track."
Reward: +2 Levels | 300 Million Funding | New In-Car AI System
Leon's lips curved into a grin.
"Looks like we've got work to do."
~~----------------------
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