Future Pet Shop

"Well, look at you, kid. You actually finished!" Driver Han walked up to Shen Yibin’s car and subconsciously swiped a hand across the hood. Turning it over, he saw it was just as clean as last time. "Whoa, this time was a breeze, too? You’re full of surprises. What was your final time?"

"Fifty-five minutes, forty-two point five three seconds," Shen Yibin replied with a smile. "What was yours? You should be able to take first place this time, right? Oh, and does this mean you’ve secured the overall championship, too?" At the same time, he thought to himself, ’If I can finish in fifty-something minutes, Driver Han probably did it in forty-something.’

"Wait a minute. What did you say? Fifty-five minutes, forty-two point five three seconds?" The time stunned Driver Han. "My time was only fifty-one minutes, thirty-two point six one seconds. You were only four minutes slower than me?"

Before Shen Yibin could respond, Driver Han nodded again. "If they released a car every five minutes and you were the last to start, then arriving now... a fifty-something minute time is just about right!" He stepped forward and clapped Shen Yibin firmly on the shoulder. "That’s incredible! To go this fast in a junker like this... You’ve got potential, kid. Ever think about trying out for our team?"

"Really? I saw your times from the previous stages, and they were much better than this. What happened?" Shen Yibin was baffled. Logically, the gap between his time and Driver Han’s shouldn’t have been this small.

"Blame today’s weather. The terrain here is a huge issue, too," Driver Han explained. "If the race had been two days ago, we would’ve left you in the dust. But who knew such a thick fog would roll in today? We barely managed to get out. Even I took a few wrong turns on the course, to say nothing of the other drivers. With Carmen helping you, getting lost was never a problem. Sigh. This is what you get with an inaugural stage. They’ll probably have ironed out these kinks by next year." He looked at Carmen with envy. ’What an amazing dog. Why won’t he just sell her to me? I could take her to the Dakar Rally and really make a splash.’

"So, with this time, what place do you think I’ll get?" Shen Yibin hadn’t really been aiming for a high rank, but hearing Driver Han’s words sparked a faint glimmer of hope. ’I wonder if I have a shot at the podium?’

"That’s hard to say. I haven’t seen the times for all the other competitors yet." Driver Han stroked his chin, trying to recall what information he had. "However, a lot of the top drivers still haven’t returned. Logically, you should be able to place in the top ten, but whether or not you’ll make it onto the podium is anyone’s guess!"

"Top ten!" When Shen Yibin had first registered, he never would have dreamed of such a result. He couldn’t stop grinning. "Hey, after the awards ceremony, let’s head over to my place and have a few drinks to celebrate." ’An occasion this good definitely calls for a celebration.’ The race was over, and with nothing scheduled for tomorrow, they could drink all night.

"We can celebrate your victory, too," Shen Yibin added. "With this result, you’ve definitely locked in the overall championship, haven’t you?" Before this stage, Driver Han already had a substantial lead, and the Yunzhong City race was the final event of the year. After a performance like this, the overall championship was as good as his.

"Yeah, the overall championship should be in the bag," Driver Han said. "But it’s still hard to say if I’ll get first place for this stage. And holding two trophies is way more satisfying than just one!" He was not one for false modesty.

The two of them leaned against Shen Yibin’s car, chatting happily. Carmen sat obediently by Shen Yibin’s feet, while Hah’Er stood on the ground, swaying back and forth. He clearly hadn’t recovered from the bumpy ride yet. His dazed and silly look sent Driver Han into fits of laughter. It took all his willpower to stop laughing long enough to pull out his phone, record a short video, and send it to his daughter.

By the time Hah’Er had recovered, the race was completely over. The organizers quickly announced the final rankings. First place, naturally, went to Driver Han. Second place, however, was a huge upset. A driver with a less-than-stellar track record had gotten lucky, avoiding any major difficulties or wrong turns, and smoothly reached the finish. He clinched the runner-up spot with a time just over two minutes behind Driver Han, causing quite a stir among the other racers.

But the biggest shock was yet to come. Shen Yibin’s time of fifty-five minutes, forty-two point five three seconds, actually put him in third place overall. He had beaten the fourth-place driver by a mere ten seconds. The driver who had so narrowly missed the podium was beside himself with regret. ’It was just a matter of stepping on the gas a little harder! How did I let that slip away?’

"And now, will our top three drivers and their navigators please come up to the podium, where our special guest will present their awards!" the host announced. He led them to the podium, and Driver Han, Shen Yibin, and the others ascended the stage in turn.

The other two pairs took the stage without much fuss. But when Shen Yibin went up, a clamor erupted from the crowd. Although many people had already heard that his navigator was a Shiba Inu, seeing it with their own eyes was still a huge shock. The other human navigators were particularly mortified, so ashamed they could hardly look up.

’A route picked by a dog got him third place, while our navigation didn’t even get us on the podium. Doesn’t that make us worse than a dog? Dammit! We’ll be too ashamed to show our faces ever again!’

"A special guest? Who is it? Bin, do you know?" Driver Han asked, standing on the highest step of the podium. He maintained a dignified smile, but the words were squeezed out through clenched teeth.

"Heh heh, you’ll see in a minute," Shen Yibin replied, also through clenched teeth, refusing to reveal the guest’s identity.

Soon, the head of the organizing committee appeared with the mysterious guest, flanked by a group of ceremony hostesses. They stopped in front of the winners. The organizer took a bronze medal from a tray, bent down to hand it to the guest, and then pointed toward Shen Yibin.

"Nnngh!" The mysterious award presenter was, of course, Hah’Er. Shen Yibin had secretly coached him on what to do just moments before. Hah’Er strained, standing on his tiptoes and stretching his paws as far as they could go, but even then, the medal only reached Shen Yibin’s waist. The head of the committee chuckled, then scooped Hah’Er into his arms and lifted him high. Only then could Hah’Er finally reach high enough to place the medal around Shen Yibin’s neck.

Carmen received a bronze medal too, which Hah’Er also placed around her neck.

With the bronze medals presented, it was time for the Silver Medals. The second-place driver and navigator quickly struck a pose, signaling frantically to the reporters they knew in the crowd. ’They had to get a perfect photo of this priceless moment.’

However, after picking up the Silver Medal, Hah’Er didn’t approach them. Instead, he walked right back over to Shen Yibin...