บท 17: Chapter 17
Lily glanced around at the men following him. "I want to know what your endgame is," she said quietly.
Daniel Craig raised an eyebrow and appraised her. She gazed steadily back at him and he saw that she lacked the skittishness and carelessness that defined her presence when she first came. He dismissed his men with a glance before replying, "What right do you have to ask?"
"Zhong Ni won't get too far in the race tomorrow with his injury. If you tell me, I'll give you someone better than him. I'm sure you guys will need them."
The stony expression on Daniel Craig's face disappeared, and he leaned against the wall, eyes seizing the woman in front of him up. "You're a smart one," he said finally.
Lily grinned, though she had no idea if he'd been complimenting her or not. She'd been drifting around the underworld for years. Although robbery was different from organized crime, it still had its place in the underworld. The fact that the Di Clan, famed arms dealers, would go out of their way to ask one of the top three candidates in underground racing to race for them was definitely not coincidence.
She also doubted that the Blue Clan would openly attack in Di Clan territory over some underground racing title. The two clans wouldn't be fighting over something so arbitrary. There was definitely something going on. Lily wasn't opposed to helping them, but she had to know the truth so she wouldn't be taken by surprise.
Daniel Craig took in her confident pose. It was true, they did desperately need a better candidate than Zhong Ni right now. It would be excellent if she was able to provide them with one; if not, he would make her regret her impulsiveness.
"The partitioning of the Southeast Asian market is going to be determined by the race," he explained.
This startled Lily. The boss that held the monopoly over Southeast Asia had just passed away earlier this month. Now, they were already redividing the territory. Crime syndicates were so aggressive and assertive. However, the underworld had always had their own rules, as with the business world above. Di Clan seeking help from Zhong Ni, who came from the business world, meant that the territorial war had become white-hot.
Honestly, it was all incredibly dramatic. Using car racing instead of brute strength… it was hard to determine whether the race was trivial or yet another form of war.
"I want all of the prize money and profits," Lily said. She observed the cold gaze Daniel Craig had on her. The fact that he was being so straightforward indicated that he was not concerned that she would divulge anything to anyone.
"That's fine."
Lily nodded, then whispered something to him. He looked at her, shocked, before responding. They ended up walking back outside together.
~~~
The next morning, every crime syndicate in the world was seated on a platform within F1 Stadium. They each sat in their own designated areas and carried an aura of vindictiveness about them. F1 was not a car racing stadium today. It was a war zone.
Elsewhere, exhilarated roars sounded across the stadium. The underground race was a once-a-year tradition, and this year, it was being held earlier than usual, from sunset to the next morning. As a result, spectators were beyond excited.
"Where in the world is Lily? Could something have happened to her?" Xia Lin was sitting in Di Clan's designated resting area on the verge of tears, her face scrunched up in worry. Everyone had thought Lily went to bed the day before, but when they went to find her in the morning, there was no one there. Now, they were all freaking out.
"She'll be fine," Su Luo said. "She has nothing to do with any of this. No one will bother her."
Shu Kori looked somber. "I asked Di Clan's people," he told them. "No one saw her leave, and none of them know where she could be."
Her impromptu disappearance was his main concern. It meant that something had either happened to her, or she was in on something with Di Clan. Otherwise, they wouldn't claim to know nothing. Furthermore, working with Di Clan on anything was a recipe for disaster.
A nervous Zhong Ni added, "And have you guys noticed that Daniel Craig is nowhere to be seen as well?"
Shu Kori's face darkened further. "Zhong Ni, where's your car?" He asked suddenly.
Zhong Ni immediately grasped what Shu Kori was getting at. "It's with me," he answered. "Lily hasn't ever driven my car before. She wouldn't be able to exceed my abilities. Not to mention, just because she knows how to joyride doesn't mean she knows how to race cars." He knew Shu Kori was worried that Lily had offered to race in his place, but he was fairly sure that would not work.
Outside, a voice announced over the stadium's speakers for all the contestants to get in their positions. A myriad of exorbitantly decorated, custom-designed race cars zoomed onto the race track. Zhong Ni grit his teeth in determination, nodded at his companions, and went off to his car. As a representative of the powerful Di Clan, he had to look the part.
"Entering the stadium right now is the world's second-best racer, Streaming Falcon!" A silver car flew into the arena, surrounded by thunderous cheers from the audience. Because the current number one racer in the world, Tom Hanks, had not made an appearance in any races in recent years, Streaming Falcon was basically considered the number one.
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