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According to rally race rules, the competition is held over a set period and divided into several stages. Each stage consists of multiple timed sections, known as special stages, connected by transport stages. The race uses a staggered start method, with cars launching one by one. The final result is calculated by adding the total time taken to complete all the special stages and any time penalties incurred on the transport stages. The shorter the time, the higher the ranking.

To ensure drivers follow the designated route, the organizing committee sets up multiple checkpoints each day, which are visible on the GPS. Upon arrival at each checkpoint, staff will stamp the driver’s time card to confirm. Missing a stamp will result in a severe penalty.

Under normal circumstances, each leg of the race usually lasts for three days, with the length of each special stage limited to 30 kilometers. However, due to the special situation in Yunzhong City, the race was limited to a single day, and the special stages exceeded thirty kilometers in length. This greatly increased the element of chance, giving many competitors a shot at winning the championship.

Therefore, other competitors tended to floor it right from the start, hoping to finish the race in the shortest possible time to secure a better ranking. Shen Yibin, however, was different. He never even considered winning. From his perspective, given his car’s performance and his own driving skills, just finishing the race would be an accomplishment. He hadn’t given his ranking a single thought. Thus, he maintained a steady pace, moving forward under Carmen’s guidance.

"’Sigh, the weather today is awful. In such thick fog, they probably can’t go full speed. Today’s race times might even be worse than the test drive’s,’ Shen Yibin muttered as he drove. He figured Carmen didn’t rely solely on its eyes to judge the route, so the dense fog didn’t seem to affect it much. It continued to guide Shen Yibin forward with its barks."

Hah’Er, on the other hand, was miserable. It pressed its head against the window but couldn’t see the scenery outside at all. Plus, this was no regular road; the ride was constantly bumpy. Before long, the little guy was feeling dizzy and sick.

’Well, what do you know? I’m actually catching up to someone?’ After driving a little further, he saw a white race car ahead getting closer and closer. It looked like the driver had fallen behind.

’Come on, let’s pass him!’ Even though he wasn’t concerned with his ranking, overtaking a professional driver would be great bragging rights for the future, right? Without another word, Shen Yibin sped up.

WOOF WOOF! Carmen quickly barked a warning, prompting Shen Yibin to deviate from the white car’s path and go around it. As he caught up, Shen Yibin realized the unlucky competitor was stuck in a swamp. No wonder he’d been able to catch up. Logically, this shouldn’t have happened since everyone had surveyed the route and terrain the day before. But who could account for today’s thick fog? Both the navigator’s and the driver’s vision were impaired, and on top of that, they were too desperate to get a good ranking. They only realized something was wrong when they were right on top of it, and by then, it was too late to react.

’Yikes, I’d better be more careful, or I’ll end up stuck halfway and won’t be able to finish the race.’ Seeing this, Shen Yibin drove even more cautiously for the rest of the journey. He stuck strictly to Carmen’s guidance, keeping the tips Driver Han had taught him yesterday firmly in mind. He would rather sacrifice speed than deviate from their instructions, not daring to be the least bit careless. So, although he encountered danger a few times along the way, he managed to scrape through each time and soon entered the middle section of the course.

Judging from the test drive, this was also the most difficult section of the course. The complex terrain made it easy to get lost, and the seemingly stable ground hid all sorts of dangers. One wrong move could land you in a swamp, unable to move, or get your tires stuck in a ditch, causing the car to flip. As Shen Yibin drove on, he kept seeing others who had fallen victim to the course. The number of cars that had fallen behind was growing.

’Oh my, the organizers were a bit too hasty this time. Insisting on holding the race in this weather is really not a good idea. If it had been like the day of the test drive, there definitely wouldn’t have been so many accidents. But today’s heavy fog has made it so much harder for the competitors to finish. If this keeps up, the organizers are probably going to be shocked by how few drivers actually complete the race, right?’

A quick look around told him that none of the stranded drivers seemed to be in any danger, so Shen Yibin didn’t get out to help them. He just kept driving his own car forward.

’Huh, isn’t that the driver who came over to my place for dinner with Driver Han the other day? He’s fallen behind too?’ Before he’d gone much further, Shen Yibin spotted an acquaintance. This competitor was a good friend of Driver Han’s and had achieved good results in the past few races. He had been on the podium many times, his overall annual ranking was very high, and his starting position was near the front. Logically, having started so long ago, he should have already reached the finish line. It was a surprise to see him stuck here, unable to move.

The race was still ongoing, so Shen Yibin didn’t get out of the car to greet him. Instead, he slowed down, passed him, and left the excellent race car driver behind.

’Hey, I think I’ve seen this car on the official race website. Isn’t this one of the best-performing drivers of the year? His results might not be on par with Driver Han’s, but he was a strong contender for a top-three spot for the year. How did he fall behind too?’

As Shen Yibin drove on, he continued to recognize one famous vehicle from the racing world after another, and his excitement grew. Meanwhile, the stranded veteran drivers could only watch, speechless, as this incredible vehicle unhurriedly overtook their professional-grade off-roaders. They couldn’t help but complain in their minds, ’What the hell is this! How did it come to this? Dammit, I’ve been racing for so long, and I’ve never been passed by an amateur before! This is a total embarrassment!’

"Carmen, what do you think? Do we have a chance of placing this time?" At the beginning, Shen Yibin had only wanted to finish the race. But after seeing so many top competitors and their cars fall behind, this thought couldn’t help but pop into his head. ’If that really happens, it’ll be fucking awesome.’

’Should we speed up?’ Seeing that the most difficult section of the course was behind them, Shen Yibin’s long-suppressed need for speed began to surface. He stomped on the gas pedal, pushing the car to its maximum speed and charging toward the finish line.

The final stretch of the road passed without incident. Shen Yibin successfully got his card stamped at every checkpoint and finally reached the finish line safely. His time was confirmed by the organizers, but since the results for all the drivers hadn’t been tallied yet, he couldn’t know his final ranking for now.