"Well now~ Does this mean you won't object if your mother and Uncle Wu get together?" Martina asked with a warm, gentle smile.
"Eh..." Louise's expression froze. She turned her head and asked, "Does that mean Uncle Wu and Wu Shi will come live with us?"
"Uncle Wu will probably have to stay in Huaxia for work, but it's possible Wu Shi could come to Italy."
"What! Really?"
"Of course. The precondition is that he has to be impressive enough."
It was precisely because of her deep connection with Wu Zhenlin that Martina wanted to see for herself if Wu Shi truly had talent. 'If you get into karting but aren't aiming for F1, then what's the point?'
At least, that was how Martina saw it.
'To be a professional means you have to pursue the highest level of achievement. If you're not going to do that, it's better to just treat it as a hobby.'
"Well, I won't object then." Louise shook her head, her gaze returning to the track.
VROOM! VROOM!
Wu Shi saw more and more drivers setting their times, but he wasn't worried. As they voluntarily left, the track quickly cleared up. 'A clear track is perfect for setting a fast lap!'
He once again ambled up to the final corner. The moment he passed the apex, he slammed the accelerator to the floor!
VROOOM!
The engine howled as the kart shot forward.
The straightaway ahead was wide open, save for two or three slower karts. After calculating his line, Wu Shi didn't hug the apex, instead taking a wider path around.
WHOOSH!
After blowing past them in quick succession, the track was finally clear of obstructions.
Now, he could feel it all with exquisite sensitivity. This kart, broken in over nearly two months, had become an extension of himself.
The grip of every rubber particle on the asphalt, every scrape of the chassis against the kerb, every wisp of vaporized fuel in the carburetor—he perceived it all.
VROOOM!
His throttle control was perfect, his braking just enough to scrub off speed for a perfect entry.
SWISH!
He flicked the kart through the chicane, his heart pounding under the G-forces. The vehicle flowed as smoothly as running water.
"So fast!" someone in the stands exclaimed.
"He's drawing all the attention!"
One of the coaches remarked with feeling, "Out on that track, his kart is like a splash of brilliant color in a black-and-white world. It instantly grabs your attention."
His cornering was fluid, his steering inputs requiring no correction. He looked like an absolute master of this circuit.
But the stunning performance was over in a flash.
The track was simply too short. The kart crossed the finish line!
BEEP!
43.426 seconds.
Fastest of the session!
"What kind of speed is that?!"
"Another second faster and he'd be hitting lap times for the next class up."
"Hiss... That's just monstrous."
In the pit lane, Lin Cong stared blankly, murmuring to himself, "How is he so fast?"
"Just give up for this year. You can't take on three people at once," Mrs. Lin said.
"No! I have to try." Lin Cong's face was a mask of jealousy and rage.
Elsewhere, Zeng Tianyi, who had just removed his helmet, stared at the timing board in disbelief.
Ling Kang walked over. "That's insane. How can anyone drive that fast!"
"I didn't see his lap," Zeng Tianyi said, shaking his head.
"I'd love to see how he did it," Ling Kang said, looking toward the track. He and Zeng Tianyi were so evenly matched that it was difficult for them to learn new techniques from each other anymore.
"Let's wait for him to come back and ask him," Zeng Tianyi suggested.
"Yeah."
Having set his lap, Wu Shi had a good idea of his time and steered smoothly into the pit lane. With a lap like that, he should be starting on the front row for the upcoming heat.
"Wu Shi! You're so fast! First place!" Louise, who had been waiting eagerly, ran over the moment his kart came to a stop.
"That was incredible speed," Martina added, coming over to congratulate him as well.
"Thanks." Wu Shi gave his head a little shake—a habit carried over from his past life of getting out of an F1 car after removing his helmet.
"Hehe, Wu Shi, I got a baseball cap for you!" Louise produced a red cap and stood on her tiptoes to place it on his head.
Wu Shi glanced at Martina.
Martina just smiled, not translating what Louise had said. 'I wonder when this silly girl will figure out that Wu Shi can understand English.'
"THANKS."
Wu Shi said his thanks, straightened the cap, and glanced around. Quite a few people were talking about him.
Boss Chen, however, was nowhere to be seen; he must have been busy with something.
After a short break, the heat race began.
Since the category had fewer than 34 entrants, the heats wouldn't serve to eliminate anyone; they would only determine the starting grid for the pre-final.
The 21 drivers were split into four groups. The groups would then be paired against each other in a round-robin format, meaning every driver would compete in three races.
Wu Shi was in Group One, and the first round would see Groups One and Two competing on the track at the same time.
The heat would start from the pit lane, with one warm-up lap and one formation lap, followed by a twelve-lap race.
After the race officials set the grid based on the practice lap times and went over the pre-race briefing, they waved their hands, signaling the start of the warm-up lap.
Wu Shi started his kart. He could sense the tire temperatures were quite low. 'But after two slow laps,' he thought, 'if I slide the kart around on the final corner, they should just about reach operating temperature.'
This race used a rolling start, meaning that after the formation lap, the race would officially begin the moment the lead car crossed the start-finish line and the green flag waved.
"The guy in first is that kid named Wu Shi?" a coach asked, looking at the grid board.
"That's him."
"Why is he driving so slowly? He's not even weaving to warm up his tires."
"No idea. I heard he was recommended by Boss Chen. Don't know who his driving coach is, either."
Wu Shi maintained his speed. Weaving back and forth would certainly raise the tire temperature faster, but he could feel that it wasn't necessary. 'No point in wearing them out,' he thought. 'They'll reach operating temperature in time anyway.'
After the first unhurried lap, the other drivers on the track began to fall into their grid positions behind Wu Shi.
Once the grid was formed, Wu Shi accelerated and decelerated a few times. He could almost hear the cursing from the drivers behind him.
But he paid it no mind. The pack had already reached the start-finish line, and the official up ahead was waving the green flag.
VROOOM!
Down the main straight, Wu Shi floored the accelerator. The kart shot forward. A few of the drivers behind him, caught off guard by his pace-juggling, were momentarily blocked by the karts behind them.
While chaos erupted in the pack behind, Wu Shi was already arriving at the first corner.
Just as he had in practice, he found his angle, tapped the brakes, and gently pointed the nose of the kart toward the apex.
"So crisp and clean!"
"He's this year's dark horse. I don't think even Zeng Tianyi and Ling Kang are a match for him."
"Based on his fastest lap, it's obvious he's on a whole other level compared to those two."
In just a single corner, Wu Shi had already pulled a considerable gap on the rest of the field. The attention of the spectators was now fixed on him.
But soon enough, no one was paying attention to him anymore. The real action was in the pack behind, where karts 309 and 312 were battling for third and fourth.
Out in the lead, Wu Shi was far from relaxed. He was still testing the limits of his perception. As his understanding of the kart and the track deepened, more and more information flooded his brain.
'I have to filter it,' he thought. 'If I try to process everything, my brain will overload!'
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
Lap after lap, the order of the pack behind him shifted several times, with the drivers in second and third place being overtaken.
By the time the twelve laps of the first heat were over, Wu Shi had a lead of six or seven seconds over second place.
"He's holding back," a sharp-eyed coach remarked.
"Yeah, you can tell. After all, Zeng Tianyi and Ling Kang are in the other heats, so there's no one here to pressure him."
As he drove into the pit lane and got out of his kart, Wu Shi could still hear people talking.
He went back to his spot and sat down. Louise immediately sidled up next to him, but because of the language barrier, she could only tilt her head and watch him drink his water.