Tokyo Drift Arc (20)

Tokyo Drift Arc (20)

"There were clearly three people in that race, yet you were the only one who survived. I carefully inspected the car my brother... left behind. Aside from the crushed roof, there were impact marks on the body, and the tires were badly worn. Until his dying moment, he was gripping the steering wheel tightly, trying to control the car. With his skills, he couldn't possibly have lost control that badly without outside interference." The short "man" said bitterly, "As his best friend and one of the three racers that day, you vanished afterward. Do you dare say that what happened that day had nothing to do with you?"

A flash of pain passed through Takeda Tetsuya's eyes. "You're right. Your brother died because of me. It was my fault."

"Then tonight, you'll pay for his life." The short "man" said coldly before hanging up the radio.

"..." Zhang Heng was speechless.

He had exposed the short man's identity so the two could resolve their old conflict through communication. From his outsider's perspective, Takeda Tetsuya had undoubtedly been at fault in what happened twenty-two years ago, but Kobayashi Ryo had also made his own choice at that moment—choosing to die to save his friend.

It was a little excessive to blame his death entirely on Takeda Tetsuya. In fact, it wasn't right to blame Asano Naoto either, because he had only been targeting Takeda Tetsuya at the time. It might not sound pleasant, but what had killed Kobayashi Ryo was his own sense of loyalty.

Zhang Heng did not expect Takeda Tetsuya to make up some touching story. He only wanted him to recount the truth of that year exactly as it had happened, which would at least clear up some of the misunderstandings. But he had underestimated how deeply the incident had affected the seafood shop owner. Kobayashi's death had always been the greatest knot in his heart.

For all these years, Takeda Tetsuya had been like a prisoner trapped in the past, forever waiting for that belated judgment.

And in his eyes, the appearance of Kobayashi's younger sister was divine punishment. If he did not still need to save his daughter, he might have given up completely by now.

Even so, Zhang Heng could feel someone's fighting spirit rapidly fading before his eyes.

In contrast, the short "man," who had quietly stayed at the rear until now, was filled with blazing fighting spirit after delivering that final threat.

The red Nissan 180SX accelerated and pulled alongside the Dodge Viper.

...History was always startlingly similar.

The short "man" forced Takeda Tetsuya into the far-right lane. She had never watched that race from years ago, yet by some strange twist of fate, she made the same choice Asano Naoto had.

At that moment, another vehicle happened to be approaching head-on, though it was in the third lane and swept past the three of them.

Zhang Heng knew this could not continue. They had traveled less than a third of the route, Takeda Tetsuya had no luck bonus, and his mental state was terrible. Sooner or later, he would get hit. Zhang Heng turned the wheel, moved the L300 into another lane, and deliberately slowed down.

The short "man" did not pay much attention to the other car's movements. Tonight was about the grudge between her and Takeda Tetsuya. Zhang Heng was merely a supporting character in this grand drama.

But the next moment, she noticed that the L300, which had slowed and fallen behind, suddenly accelerated again and seized the lane to her left.

In a sense, blocking someone's position was also highly risky.

Whether it was Asano Naoto twenty-two years ago or the short "man" now, while they used their cars to prevent Takeda Tetsuya from changing lanes, they also had to face the risk of oncoming traffic in the middle lane. But compared to Takeda Tetsuya, who had no room to retreat on either side, at least one side of the road remained open to them.

If real danger arose, the short "man" could evade into the left lane. But Zhang Heng's involvement had made everything even more chaotic. All three were trapped in their respective lanes, unable to move.

In other words, if another car came from the opposite direction, it would definitely hit one of them.

Zhang Heng's original intention was to force the short "man" to give up this way. After all, if she chose to slow down or speed up, Takeda Tetsuya certainly would not keep clinging to her. But Zhang Heng had not expected the short "man" to be even more stubborn than anyone had imagined.

Even at this point, she still chose to keep the Dodge Viper boxed in.

It was as though she wanted to use this hardline stance to force Zhang Heng to back down first.

This tactic might have worked against someone else, but Zhang Heng's car was still carrying the Lucky Rabbit's Foot. With a one-in-three chance, the possibility of him getting hit was negligible.

As if to prove that point, headlights appeared in the middle lane the next moment. Takeda Tetsuya immediately slowed down, intending to give the Nissan 180SX room to evade. But to his surprise, the short "man" hesitated at that moment.

She had come to take revenge on Takeda Tetsuya. If he ended up saving her life instead, how could she seek justice for what had happened twenty-two years ago?

As a result, during that brief moment of hesitation, the oncoming vehicle was already right in front of her. Takeda Tetsuya had no time to think. Kobayashi had died saving him back then; no matter what, he could not stand by and watch Kobayashi's only younger sister come to harm as well.

At that moment, Takeda Tetsuya no longer looked like the listless, half-dead man he had been before. His eyes were brighter than ever. In those brief two seconds, he seemed to become once again the top racer who had dominated the European circuits and won the D1 championship.

The Dodge shifted gears rapidly, and the Viper roared forward, resolutely closing in on the rear of the Nissan 180SX.

Takeda Tetsuya controlled the force perfectly, using the impact to change the Nissan 180SX's direction. The 180SX's front end barely swung past the oncoming heavy truck.

The short "man" was an excellent driver herself. She immediately steadied the wheel. Though the car scraped against the guardrail in a shower of sparks, it did not roll over, and she avoided the oncoming heavy truck.

However, Takeda Tetsuya was not so fortunate. His Dodge Viper had effectively forced its way from the right into the middle lane, and it was about to replace the short "man" in colliding with the oncoming vehicle.

The next moment, an L300 emerged from his right like a ghost and pressed against the Dodge Viper's side. Zhang Heng took a deep breath and pulled the handbrake.

Time seemed to freeze completely at that instant.

Using the heavy truck's front end as the center point, the two cars traced a dazzling arc under the force of inertia. The L300 drifted from the right to the left lane, while Takeda Tetsuya's Dodge Viper was pulled sideways beneath the heavy truck.

Was it over?

The short "man" looked dazed. This was the revenge she had planned for twenty-two years, yet when she truly saw it happen, she did not feel even the slightest satisfaction at having avenged her great hatred.

All that remained in her mind was the sight of the Viper accelerating and resolutely crashing into the rear of her car.

She suddenly understood how her brother had died in that race that should never have begun, and at the same time, she felt the guilt Takeda Tetsuya had carried back then.

If she could, she would trade everything she had to make it so none of this had ever happened.

As though answering the wish in her heart, the Dodge Viper miraculously shot out from the other side of the heavy truck the next moment. The car body was completely intact, with only slight damage to the roof.

"No need to thank me." Zhang Heng's voice came through the radio.

"I wasn't planning to thank you in the first place." Takeda Tetsuya said irritably. "You chose the angle completely wrong. If I hadn't adjusted my speed, I would've gone straight under the wheels."

"..." The short "man" opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but then Zhang Heng spoke through the radio again. "No matter how much you two want to talk, let's finish this race first. I really need to get out and take a piss."