Augustus shrugged. "Sure."
Victor nodded. "Once I'm done with my deal here, we'll leave," he said with a small smile and glanced at Mona. She took the cue and stood up to begin her job, though there was a faint, arrogant smile tugging at her lips.
Five minutes passed, and everyone stood up with happy faces—some were excited, some surprised and amused.
However, Mona's arrogant smile had long faltered… because Victor's deal was called off.
"I'm sorry, Mona. Something came up. I need to go," he said urgently after receiving a call.
"Before you go, can you tell me the address of that driving institute?" Augustus asked with a light smile.
Victor glanced at him. "Oh, we are going to the same place, so I'll take you there quickly. Let's go," he answered.
Augustus nodded with a confused look, but before leaving, "I'll see you soon, David. Take the car with you. Also…" he stopped for a brief moment, "...please tell me the selling value for Crunch Studio. I've decided to buy 90% of it," he stated calmly.
David let out a low, content sigh. "Alright," he mumbled with a lazy smile.
Augustus nodded with a thankful expression and finally stepped out of the room.
They both walked toward the parking area, where, along with Augustus's Corolla, multiple supercars were parked, easily reaching a few dozen in the count.
Among the dozens of supercars, Victor led Augustus to his McLaren 765LT, which was also modified for best speed. "Come on, get in. What are you waiting for?" Victor asked with excitement.
Augustus's lips parted, but no words came out. This car looks straight out of a racing movie, he mused and dazedly sat down while taking in the interior.
Victor let out a low chuckle, almost amused by his reaction. "Get on your seatbelts, buddy," he said and turned on the engine. Its sound was enough to make your neighboring aunt go mad.
Vrrmmm... Vhhrmm…
He hit the pedals.
And before Augustus knew it, he was already reading Stewart Horizon Institution on a big branding board.
"Whoa, man, that was an… amazing and thrilling experience, but you should go slow. What's the hurry?" Augustus urged though clear excitement could be seen on his face.
Their destination was a 10–15-minute ride, but they were here in 7 minutes.
"Time, Augustus. Time—that's what we value most," Victor stated, adding, "Ask any of the others," he said and began to slow down and drove in a straight line that was similar to a… runway.
Augustus asked with a confused look, "We?" I'm sure he is not talking about me, he mused.
But he soon got his answer. The far-ahead blurry vision came into focus, and he saw many… modified, race-like cars growling with impatience, as if ready to go at a moment's notice.
And when he looked around, peeking through the small windows, "What the—? Is that a helicopter flying there?" he asked with widened eyes, because it was just flying a dozen feet off the ground.
"Yes sir, because this is also an aviation school," Victor mumbled and joined the lineup, engines revving all around him.
There were a total of 15 cars that were lined up, ready to race. Engines roaring like starved beasts, ready to leap at a single notice.
"What the fuck is happening here?" Augustus yelled, understanding that he was brought in the middle of a race. "Where in the hell did you bring me, Victor? Drop m–" He looked at Victor with a sharp glare, a hint of fear flickering in his eyes. However, before he could speak out the last words, the system task pulled him over…
Just then, a beautiful woman in revealing clothes walked before the beasts that were growling with hunger for victory.
VRGHMMM… BWAAHHH!!!
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Task #12:
[×] – Enjoy the ride.
| Penalty: Driver renames you "Buzzkill" + Replay the missed thrill on loop—in your dreams.
Don't let fear steal the moments meant to make you feel alive. Lean in, and let the thrill shape you. Life should be felt, not just survived.
| Reward: $500,000 + Custom Racing Jacket + Fear Resistance Boost.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Augustus clenched his fists, heartbeat pounding in his chest. "Fuck this shit, you better bring me alive out of this," he grumbled.
Victor chuckled and looked to his right, where another supercar growled. "Alexandra, you better win us this," he said to a beautiful woman, though he went unanswered as the revving growling increased.
The woman in revealing clothes smirked, turned around, and untied her bra with practiced grace, her half-naked back easily visible.
"Get ready, my friend Augustus," Victor mumbled with an excited grin.
Augustus gulped.
And then, the moment the bra dropped, fifteen engines screamed like caged beasts unleashed.
Victor's car leaped forward, tires screeching against the road. Augustus barely had time to adjust his seatbelt before the roar of acceleration swallowed them.
"Left! Tight turn!" Augustus shouted, gripping the dashboard. Victor didn't respond—his focus was razor-sharp. The world blurred past them.
Ahead, Alexandra's green car drifted around the first curve, sparks flying. But the black car—Tristan's—cut inside with ruthless precision.
"He's tailing her," Victor muttered. "Damn, he's fast."
Victor accelerated, trying to cut through, but two of Tristan's teammates boxed him in.
"They're working together—shit!"
By the final lap, Tristan was far ahead. Alexandra came in second. Victor third.