Chapter 64: Brave The Rapids
The sound of rushing water echoed through the entire river channel, and the massive force caused the originally stable vehicle to tilt left and right instantly.
All 25 teams were pushed out by the torrent at the start; some lighter vehicles flipped over in the spray before they could stabilize.
Splash splash—
Bang!
Smashed into a stone, the vehicle deformed from the impact and sank.
The player who had just said that this instance was relatively simple, with at least no monsters chasing them.
Was now shouting, “Holy shit!!!”, with the vehicle completely capsized, and the person nearly knocked unconscious.
“I want to quit! Quit!”
Falling into the water without goggles meant elimination, but shouting to quit allowed them to leave.
Those who fell in and managed to survive were considered lucky; with such rapid currents like a high-speed washing machine, their head would crack open on impact with a stone.
The race had just begun, not even ten meters in, and two teams were already eliminated.
The sound of the water rose into a deafening roar that shook the heavens, like mountains collapsing and the earth splitting.
Couldn’t stabilize, simply couldn’t stabilize; cold spray splashed high, continuously surging into the vehicle, soaking everyone to the bone.
Faces and heads were drenched, the steering wheel completely out of control, the whole body feeling like it was flying out— as disheveled as could be.
Even the weight of Yu Jiang’s level four vehicle had no power to resist in the surging, turbulent river channel.
The water flowed too fast; turning the steering wheel at the first bend was useless, still crashing toward the mountain rocks.
“Ahhhh!!!”
“Oh my god!!”
The three teammates clutched their heads, shouting uncontrollably; Yu Jiang gripped the steering wheel tightly with both hands, her heart racing, her brain feeling oxygen-deprived in that instant.
Clang!
A heavy impact shook the two in the back seat, bouncing them up before slamming them back down.
If not for the seatbelts, it wouldn’t just be sore butts— the people would probably be unfindable.
Fortunately, Yu Jiang’s vehicle had a shield; this impact only shattered the shield, with just a slight dent on the front left side and nothing else wrong.
Also luckily, she was wearing goggles for good visibility, adjusting the vehicle’s direction just a second before impact.
If it had hit head-on, the vehicle would definitely have been severely damaged.
Safely passing the bend, Yu Jiang panted heavily, regulating her breathing; despite trying her best to calm her emotions, her heart still wouldn’t slow down.
Too thrilling, thrilling enough to nearly pass out!
She didn’t want to clutch her head; she just had no hands free for it, with reason ultimately overcoming the body’s reflexive instinct.
That sharp bend’s stone crevice had a half-skull fragment stuck in it—who wouldn’t be scared!
Yu Jiang’s fingers trembled slightly, but in her teammates’ eyes, her image at this moment was incredibly tall and reliable.
In such a dire moment, a slight mistake would leave the team scattered in pieces, impossible to gather.
Yet she remained unflinching as the mountain collapsed before her, turning the tide by adjusting direction—not unworthy of a top ten big shot!
“Awesome!!!”
The three teammates let out sharp cheers, this time from excitement.
“I never understood the thrill of extreme sports before, and I still don’t, but Captain, you’re too awesome!”
Pure Love Cockroach Spicy Spicy’s lips trembled, the fear still on her face, but her eyes sparkled.
Yu Jiang steadied her mind and calmly said, “Check where we are, our current ranking.”
“Okay.” Pure Love Cockroach Spicy Spicy opened the light screen to check the instance map,
“60% mileage left, 18 teams remaining; we’re currently first, but 3 teams have caught up, and 5 teams within 100 meters.
The river channel ahead is wider; they’ll definitely accelerate there to race for position, followed by 5 kilometers of narrow path.”
Apart from those eliminated at the start for not adapting to steering in the turbulent river channel or having too low vehicle levels,
The teams that made it this far, closely following, weren’t weak.
Yu Jiang: “Everyone stay alert, especially after entering the narrow path.”
They had no intent to harm others, but had to guard against them; race for position was no big issue, but those behind would almost certainly make a move.
It was no longer about rewards.
It was about surpassing a top ten ranker or killing her to gain fame in the 002 game area.
Don’t think lack of tangible rewards meant nothing; the influence of those on the rankings was considerable.
An instance defined as one star fun race, yet the captain could gain a higher level reward; what about higher level instances later?
To get more resources, one first needed to qualify as team leader.
The view gradually widened; cold spray slapped randomly at the face—without goggles, eyes couldn’t even open.
The water still rushed, but much steadier than before; at least it didn’t feel like the brains were being shaken into mush.
Just minutes after starting, they saw someone clinging to a vehicle, vomiting with a “wah.”
Those who fell into the water, even with goggles, didn’t have it easy; goggles only protected from external damage in water, not from losing health value.
The whole body spun wildly with the current; at first there were all sorts of shouts, but later no strength left to yell, plus the cold water— all held up by sheer willpower.
“They’re coming!” Pure Love Cockroach Spicy Spicy reminded.
Yu Jiang glanced sideways; after the sharp bend, the vehicles of several teams behind had varying degrees of loss.
Her vehicle’s advantage was in weight and defense, not speed; if they really pushed hard, they could definitely catch up.
The teams behind seemed all-out but actually held back, controlling the distance while flanking from both sides.
It should be called encirclement.
Reaching the area with surging undercurrents and occasional wrong forks, they’d have to slow down and stay vigilant for water flow changes.
That was the best spot to make a move.
Only 10 meters from the narrow path.
The four in Yu Jiang’s team silently unbuckled their seatbelts; once several teams closed in, no time to fuss over such minor things.
5 meters left; mountain bodies on both sides narrowed inward, reducing the river channel width by two-thirds.
The teams behind surged forward at this moment; in such times, it was not just about vehicles, but mental fortitude.
Suddenly several teams surrounded them, plus the narrow channel, the sense of oppression maxed out instantly.
Yu Jiang focused her gaze, controlled direction while accelerating, leaving the task of watching surroundings to her teammates.
If the left side’s Team 16 entered the narrow path first, they’d be sandwiched by enemies front and back.
She had to enter first.
In the back seat, Strawberry Candy nervously watched the teams drawing closer, gripping her baseball bat tightly.
Lightning Mage King also took out his weapon; Pure Love Cockroach Spicy Spicy looked calm, but her fingers clutched her hem tightly.
They hadn’t faced players head-on before; no matter the mental prep, their heartbeats wouldn’t slow.
Players in the teams behind also unbuckled, signaling intent to fight.
The vehicles driven by the two teams raced toward the narrow entrance ahead, speeds evenly matched, the gap between them closing due to the tightening channel.
Yu Jiang’s gaze clashed in mid-air with the driver on the other side; this look was full of gunpowder.
Her hands suddenly turned the steering wheel, maneuvering the vehicle with unstoppable momentum to cut across and intercept them.
Boom—
A massive crash; the two vehicles collided, a back-seat player from Team 16 spurting nosebleed, Yu Jiang giving no chance to breathe as she shoved their vehicle toward the mountain rocks.
Whoever dared race for position and race them.
Yu Jiang’s mindset from the start: whoever race for position against her, she’d wreck them!
