Chương 23: Joy Ride.

The crew nodded and got to work. Dillon protested, "You cannot do that, what if there is an accident? What would you do? Lingshi, don't listen to him."

Hao Ren looked at the guards, and just then five more people arrived from the race track staff. Maria told them to place Dillion in a holding room, and at the same time she told the accounts department to investigate him.

An older crew member said, "Sir, please change into a race suit."

Hao Ren followed the man and put on a race suit under his guidance. This was the moment for which he has always longed for. He put up the suit and shoes and then he performed a few skips to get the feel of how his body moves in the suit.

The old crew member handed him the helmet and said, "I will your pit chief. You can call me, Andy. I will guide you through the circuit and if you have any problems or feedback, pass them on."

Hao Ren nodded and thanked the man before he walked up to the car which was going through final checks. Han Lingshi approached him and said, "Hao Ren, drive safely."

The young man nodded and said, "Three laps."

Han Lingshi nodded and went back inside the pit. The mechanics gave him a thumbs up and the young man got inside the car, locked the steering and ignited the engine.

Hao Ren sensed the body of the car vibrate, the sound of the engine was like a gentle purr. He revved the engine a few times, every mechanic could sense his excitement. At this moment, a voice echoed in his ear, "Warm her up, Hao Ren."

Hao Ren saw Andy talking to him with a headphone on the side and nodded before he put the car in gear and released the clutch as he pressed the accelerator gently. He was aware that this beast could shoot up to 0-100 kmph in just 2.5 seconds, so the accelerator must be handled with care.

The car rolled out of the pit, and Hao Ren began to move it in a zig zag pattern to heat up the tires. He was still doing 60 kmph and handled the car perfectly. Many mechanics looked at each other and were surprised, that they did not even introduce the car to him, and yet he had such an understanding.

The temporary driving skill boost was crazy over powered. As he exited the pit lane, Hao Ren said, "Okay, Andy, can I keep it up a notch."

Andy replied positively, and Hao Ren shifted gears as he moved. The acceleration made him sink in his seat and he exclaimed, "WHOOOPIIIEEEEEEEEE!!!"

...

In the pit lane, the people heard this loud shout. While some had smiles on their faces, some were thinking if this guy was a kid. Han Lingshi asked, "Chief Andrew, how is he looking?"

Andy was his nickname, he replied, "Miss Han, where did you find this kid?"

Han Lingshi asked, "Is something wrong?"

Andy shook his head and said, "He is just about to enter the first turn, please look at the screen. He is maintaining a proper entry line."

...

Hao Ren saw the turn coming up and reduced his speed while shifting down. He entered the turn and in a perfect arc came out. While the turn was about to end he shifted the gears again and pressed the accelerator. This was the standard method of driving a race car.

Hao Ren did not know that his actions sent back a shock in the pit crew, he was having good fun adjusting to the car. He made two chicane turns and they were perfect. As he approached the end of the lap, he maintained the steady speed but his face was calmer. Andy asked, "Hao Ren, any trouble?"

The young man replied, "Nope."

Andy replied, "First lap is done, you got to feel the car. You can push a little more."

This was a trick question. He wanted to see how will this boy react, and Hao Ren said, "I have not yet gotten the feel of the course Andy. I will push in the third. Is that okay?"

Andy replied, "Yes, take your time."

Hao Ren did not reply after this, he began to accelerate at the straights and focused on finding perfect braking and accelerator points on the turns. It was not easy to drive a vehicle at such high speeds.

...

Maria sighed and said, "I don't understand why do you indulge him so much?"

Han Lingshi did not reply her best friend, she was just watching the car moving through the circuit on the monitor. This car was a dream project for her because her grandfather was the one who wish to have a race team. Now that the old man was in his later years, she wanted to give this as a gift to the old man, and Hao Ren was again helping her.

...

The second lap was about to finish and Hao Ren suddenly lowered the speed and came to a stop at the starting line. He said, "Andy, give me a count."

Andy was stunned but he followed the command. He said to the operator to time Hao Ren, and said, "5, 4, 3, 2, 1!"

Hao Ren shifted the gear in a blink and the car shot off. This time he was pushing it to the next level. The people only heard a loud whoosh when the vehicle passed the pit lane. Hao Ren seemed to have turned on his beast mode.

Andy was shocked when he saw this, he watched as Hao Ren braked, entered the turn, and at the end of the turn, his speed shoot up once again. He gulped and said, "He is in full control, record the car data."

Maria asked, "What do you mean by full control, Andy?"

The old man said, "He is decelerating and accelerating without any help from the curbs or anything else. He is driving on his own and pushing the car to its limit."

Maria was surprised, and Han Lingshi said, "If only you had sat beside him on the way here. I thought that it was my last day on this planet."

They watched a few minutes, and suddenly a technician said, "He can break the track record."

This was surprising, and Andy yelled, "Shut up! Don't jinx it."

Han Lingshi and Maria did not understand the emphasis of this but the pit crew knew what an achievement it was to break the record. The fastest lap on the track. A few seconds later, the stop watch stopped and the men erupted in cheers.

Andy and the rest rushed outside, where Hao Ren was driving into the pit lane slowly. Hao Ren got out of the car, and raised his hand as he celebrated with the people. He did not even know them but he was excited.

Han Lingshi and Maria looked at each other and smiled, they were thinking 'men will be men'.

After a few minutes, Hao Ren said, "Miss Han, if you do not mind, you can compare the data from today to the days when those drivers were in the car. We will know who was at the fault."

Han Lingshi nodded, after all, she also could sense that something about Dillon was wrong. At this moment, one of the technician said, "Miss Han, I am sorry. I was the one who wronged you."

The people were surprised, and Han Lingshi said coldly, "Continue."

The technician said, "Dillon said that if we limit the cars performance by reducing the battery output the drivers will deny driving for us. Then when he gets his cousin, the initial test driver appointed, he would give me twenty percent race fee."

Andy was shocked, and angry, he roared, "What do you mean, Damien? Why did you do this?"

Damien shivered and said, "What else could I have done? I do not earn enough to pay off my father's debt."

Han Lingshi said, "I will deal with you later, Maria, file a complaint against Dillon and have him arrested."

Hao Ren shrugged his shoulders and walked to the dressing room, where he heard, *Ding: Task complete....*