October 1 was a fine day. Warm sunlight shone down, and Baisha County saw such a lively spectacle for the first time.
Dressed in a suit, skirt, and bow tie, Zhou Shuya sat sideways on a Flying Broomstick and shot into the sky.
"Dear viewers! Welcome to the First Baisha City GD Racing Tournament! I'm Zhou Shuya, the host of this event."
Zhou Shuya showed no stage fright as she gracefully introduced the tournament rules.
The Flying Broomstick hovered steadily in midair, with four winged spheres floating beneath it. Naturally, those were also Liang Xing's creations—automatic tracking cameras.
One was locked onto the leading GD Racer from the front, one tracked the leading GD Racer from the side, one followed the fourth-place GD Racer, and the last one tracked the GD Racer in last place.
Zhou Shuya wore a headset and a camera on her chest, while also carrying a backpack—another of Liang Xing's creations.
Once the tournament officially began, the broadcast platforms would simultaneously receive footage from all five cameras. As for how they chose to air it, whether selectively or all at once, that was their business. Liang Xing would not interfere.
Zhou Shuya's livestream had five windows, one large and four small. The large one displayed only the footage from the camera on her chest.
As for the backpack, Zhou Shuya had suggested it herself. Being strapped in by too many safety belts was simply too uncomfortable. She had also tested the Flying Broomstick many times and understood its performance clearly, so she felt the extra precautions were completely unnecessary.
Of course, Liang Xing could not let her fool around.
When you flew without interference, it was indeed easy to keep your balance. But in midair, you could still encounter strong winds or birds.
If an accident happened, who could bear that responsibility?
Still, Zhou Shuya's opinion could not be ignored. Liang Xing therefore modified a parachute backpack, linking it to the Flying Broomstick so it could monitor the distance from the ground and whether the rider had left the broom.
As long as she had not landed, the parachute would automatically deploy the instant the rider left, opening immediately and providing instant protection. It was absolutely safe.
It was just rather troublesome to make, since it required high-precision chips.
Fortunately, there was no need for mass production. The automatic cameras also required high-precision chips, so he could take care of both at once.
The Flying Broomstick already had sufficient safety features anyway. This was merely an extra precaution and would probably never be needed.
"Holy shit! This is badass!"
"Can anyone with a dick explain how this works?"
Viewers from other places might assume the aerial footage came from drones or some other method. That was nothing unusual.
But there were nearly eight thousand contestants, and a small number had come to watch the excitement. They had originally thought there would not be much to see, only to discover such an enormous surprise.
They had watched Zhou Shuya soar into the sky with their own eyes!
As long as safety could be guaranteed, who would not want to experience flying?
The venue erupted into noise. Only when the Preliminary Round contestants entered and Zhou Shuya lowered her altitude could the spectators outside Baishi Mountain no longer see anything, and the commotion finally subsided.
It's starting, it's starting! Go!
That's Qi Tian!
The livestream comments flooded the screen, while gifts poured in as if they cost nothing.
Many people recognized Qi Tian among the first batch of Preliminary Round contestants.
The kid was not the youngest contestant on-site, but he was undoubtedly the most famous driver in the GD Racers circle.
Nearly half the posts on the GD Racers section's homepage in Good Conscience Community mentioned him.
"Ready at your positions! Three—two—one—start!"
At Zhou Shuya's command, the GD Racers shot out like arrows leaving a bowstring.
Qi Tian's Wind God pulled far ahead, opening a gap of several car lengths before the starting straight had even ended.
The Preliminary Round rules were far simpler than those of the semifinals and finals.
—Your score was settled the moment you left the track.
There was no need to replace parts, nor were battery changes permitted. It was simply a matter of running, with stability and battery management taking top priority.
Each Preliminary Round race had sixty-four contestants, arranged eight abreast with ten meters between each row.
Rankings were calculated based on the distance from Qidian when a racer finally stopped or left the track. The top four all advanced through the first stage.
The Preliminary Round consisted of two stages. The first stage would last two days, while the second would last one day.
Liang Xing had underestimated the drivers' enthusiasm. Moreover, because of the Consolation Prize Commemorative Badge, many drivers who owned only a basic GD Racer had still signed up without hesitation.
That was also why the first stage had sixty-four contestants per race. There simply was not enough time otherwise.
Each Preliminary Round race was set for five minutes, followed by five minutes for new contestants to enter and confirm their vehicles' conditions. In other words, one race every ten minutes.
A GD Racer's battery life was only around five minutes anyway. Even if one ran overtime, it would not affect the following contestants' entry. Ten minutes was more than enough.
Besides, most vehicles could not even run until their batteries were exhausted. In a race with sixty-four vehicles, although the starting distances were staggered, that also created opportunities for some drivers.
Collisions would be very easy to cause, and drivers whose vehicles could not withstand them had to choose the best possible time to cross obstacles.
Combined with the complex terrain, even those who persisted would inevitably consume more battery power. Five minutes was basically enough.
"Charge!"
Qi Tian was in the front row, and his speed was simply too fast. The trailing contestants all chose to accelerate without prior agreement, but once they left the straight and entered the Five Consecutive Hairpin Turns, half the racers overturned outright.
The kid was especially steady and even slowed down voluntarily.
He discovered that the Five Consecutive Hairpin Turns on this track were clearly different from those at the physical store.
There were no banked lanes, only a series of turns approaching 180 degrees. The kid had never driven a course like this before.
Considering how costly a mistake in the Preliminary Round would be, he did not rush for quick results.
The facts proved that his choice was correct.
Beyond the Five Consecutive Hairpin Turns lay a Sand Track.
In an official race, this was when tires should be changed.
But the Preliminary Round did not allow parts to be replaced, so they could only grit their teeth and press on.
Sure enough, Wind God's speed dropped sharply. Before it had even crossed half the Sand Track, it sank in, quickly spinning its wheels in place and becoming completely unable to move forward.
Sand Tires had to be used from the very start of the Preliminary Round!
The thought surfaced in Qi Tian's mind. He stopped his own Electric Roller Skates and waited in place for the contestants behind him.
The facts proved that having a position near the front at Qidian did not seem to be an advantage. Still, he had to admit that there were truly too many contestants just making up the numbers.
Including Qi Tian, fewer than ten contestants managed to clear the Five Consecutive Hairpin Turns, and only one of them successfully crossed the Sand Track.
His racer did not take the usual route. It moved freely all the way along the wall, effortlessly overtaking Qi Tian.
Qi Tian tilted his head and thought back for a moment. After converting the distance, he should be safe.
Though he was not in first place, this was only the first stage of the Preliminary Round. Finishing in the top four was enough.
"First place, Zhou Chi. Second place, Zhang Fei. Third place, Qi Tian. Fourth place..."
Only after the others picked up their racers to settle their results did Qi Tian pick up his own.
Zhou Chi, who had driven along the walls, naturally took first place. Zhang Fei passed Qi Tian after the distance conversion, while the other person was not worth mentioning.
Qi Tian successfully advanced through the first stage!
Let's go!
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