Tokyo Drift Arc (12)

Chapter 42: Tokyo Drift Arc (12)

Zhang Heng knew there had to be a story behind Takeda Tetsuya, like why he chose to give up the DK title at the last moment, divorced his wife, swore off driving, and why he reconnected with his daughter after so many years...

An excuse like a gambling addiction might fool an innocent girl like Ameko, but Zhang Heng had spent countless sleepless nights with the fish shop owner and knew that this seemingly weak-willed guy was actually more self-disciplined than anyone. While he did bet on horse races, it was purely for leisure.

He'd place a few bets and then stop, win or lose, but a true gambler wouldn't be so rational.

As expected, no one who reached the world-class stage was ordinary.

To stand out among countless geniuses, both talent and effort were indispensable. Someone without self-control could never become a top racer.

But Zhang Heng never asked Takeda Tetsuya about his story, not because he didn't care, but because he worried his own skills weren't good enough to handle it.

At that time, his driving skills were still mediocre, and he was still absorbing knowledge like a sponge. He hadn't completed Takeda Tetsuya's hell difficulty drift training, so Zhang Heng resorted to a rather underhanded tactic in a single-player game: stalling.

Relying on his extremely long playtime, he deliberately avoided triggering the plot, focusing instead on grinding levels. He finally leveled up his driving skills to LV2 and completed the modifications on the L300.

In fact, even if tonight's events hadn't happened, he had planned to have a serious talk with Takeda Tetsuya soon. Although they didn't have the formal master-disciple relationship, they had the substance of one. The fish shop owner, that tsundere old man, said one thing but his actions betrayed him. Zhang Heng had long suspected it; with his current business skills, where did all those orders come from, and why were they all from increasingly remote locations?

He had later secretly opened a styrofoam box and found pebbles inside, even though it was labeled for lobsters.

Therefore, the so-called increase in delivery volume was just an excuse for someone to adjust the pressure based on his progress.

...He hoped it wasn't too late.

Zhang Heng, carrying his bow and arrows, ran to the entrance of Takeda Fisheries, but he unexpectedly saw Ameko. She should have been asleep in bed at this hour, and he didn't know why she was here.

Ameko had arrived by taxi, a little earlier than Zhang Heng. Before the car had even stopped, she had jumped out and collapsed helplessly on the ground, gazing at the fisheries engulfed in flames.

Just as Zhang Heng was about to go and help her up, a dark blue Toyota Voxy that had been parked nearby without moving suddenly had two men in sunglasses and black gloves jump out. They grabbed Ameko from the ground and dragged her towards the car.

The girl struggled and screamed desperately, which made the taxi driver watching unable to stand by. However, as soon as he opened his door to help, a dark muzzle was pointed at his head.

The driver's courage instantly vanished. He didn't dare to linger, quickly retracted his head, started the car, and drove away as fast as he could.

The people who got out of the Toyota Voxy didn't worry about him calling the police, because they only needed two minutes to abduct their target.

But unfortunately, things often don't go as planned. The next moment, something sliced through the night.

The gunman only heard a whoosh, followed by a piercing pain in his right hand, making him drop the handgun.

An arrow, flying from an unknown source, had pierced his palm.

His companion, seeing this, was greatly alarmed and wanted to abandon Ameko and flee. But Zhang Heng, hidden behind the bus stop sign, didn't give him the chance. He narrowed his eyes, released the tension on his bowstring, and the second arrow struck the other man's calf.

However, their accomplice in the Toyota Voxy reacted quickly. These two arrows immediately pinpointed Zhang Heng's location, and the car swiftly blocked the way.

Zhang Heng knew he had to take a risk now. He covered his face with the hood of his jacket and darted out from behind the sign. While continuing to shoot arrows at the car windows to prevent them from using long-range fire, he quickly looked for an angle to get behind the car.

But he was still a considerable distance from the Toyota Voxy. By the time he swung around, the two injured men had already knocked Ameko unconscious and, enduring the pain, dragged her into the car.

Zhang Heng's final arrow flew in through the car door, grazed the driver's seat, and finally hit the dashboard, making the driver break out in a cold sweat. But then the car doors quickly closed.

The Voxy started and sped towards the road.

At this moment, Zhang Heng's mind was unusually calm. The direction he chose to move was not only to get to the other side of the Voxy but also to get closer to his L300, which was parked on the side of the road.

Seeing the group about to escape, he put away his bow and arrows and jumped onto his delivery van at top speed. He had been clever when he parked, leaving the door unlocked and the key in the ignition, just in case of any unexpected situations.

These small details now bought him precious time.

Before starting the L300, Zhang Heng glanced at the rearview mirror again. The Voxy had already disappeared.

Anyone else in this situation would probably have given up, but Zhang Heng hadn't. For the past nine months, he had delivered goods for a certain unscrupulous fish shop owner every night, and he knew the surrounding area like the back of his hand. It was as if he had a 3D map in his mind.

He knew there was a fork in the road about three hundred meters in the direction the Voxy had left. Two seconds later, he heard the sound of tires frictioning against the ground from the open window, knowing they had chosen to turn there.

So, without wasting any more time, he decisively started the engine, turned the car around, and in less than 4 seconds, accelerated to 100 km/h. In the blink of an eye, he reached the intersection. Zhang Heng didn't slow down; he executed a Liftoff oversteer, and the L300 carved a stunning arc that belied its bulky frame. The next moment, he had completed the turn and pushed the gearshift all the way forward.

The motor, salvaged from a sports car, let out a low roar in the darkness.

It only took Zhang Heng 45 seconds to reach the second intersection, but he still couldn't see any sign of the Voxy, so he turned without hesitation again.

This was the most difficult moment. He was a minute and a half behind them, so he had to rely solely on his own judgment for the first half. If he took the wrong turn, he would completely lose Ameko.

But Zhang Heng had no other choice. He had to trust himself, trust the old friend beneath him. Before the intersection was a straight road of over three kilometers. Unless the other car was incredibly fast, there was no reason he shouldn't be able to see even its taillights after turning. Therefore, Zhang Heng chose to continue turning the steering wheel, completing his second drift. His peripheral vision finally caught sight of the Voxy turning again up ahead.

Gotcha!

However, Zhang Heng didn't choose to follow them closely this time. After driving the L300 for only 500 meters, Zhang Heng preemptively turned the wheel, crashing through the glass door of a closed coffee shop, knocking over two tables, and then bursting out through the back door, plunging into a shopping mall.

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