The city lights turned into streaks of neon as the race hit the expressway. Engines roared like a chorus of war drums, each driver pushing their machine to the limit.
Lucas gritted his teeth, feeling every vibration through the steering wheel. Beside him in the passenger seat, Mia's hands were clutching the door grip. "You can't beat him on a straight!" she shouted over the wind.
"I'm not planning to." Lucas's lips curled into a half-smirk.
Ahead, Viktor's black hypercar was a dark phantom—sleek, merciless, untouchable. He'd been dominating the underground circuit for years, and now, he was guarding more than just his title. Rumors whispered that tonight's stakes went beyond money—there was territory, loyalty, and lives hanging in the balance.
The gap between them narrowed with every hair-raising turn. Lucas flicked the gearshift, letting the rear tires scream as he took the corner inches from the guardrail. Sparks erupted when metal kissed steel.
Viktor's taillights flared. He was blocking every opening, forcing Lucas into the outer lanes. It was psychological warfare at 250 km/h.
Over the comm channel, Viktor's voice crackled through, calm and cruel.
"You're out of your league, rookie."
Lucas's eyes burned with defiance.
"Then watch me rewrite the league."
He cut right—too sudden, too risky—and for a split second, it seemed suicidal. But the move baited Viktor into adjusting his line, just enough for Lucas to slip left and dive into the inside curve. Their bumpers were almost kissing.
The crowd watching from the overpass erupted in roars and camera flashes.
Mia's voice trembled. "Lucas, if you win, you're not just beating him… you're declaring war."
"I already did the moment I started my engine."
The finish line loomed, a glowing arch of lasers and smoke. But in the rear-view, headlights flared—another car was coming. A third player. One Lucas didn't recognize.
The unknown racer drifted into their lane, forcing Lucas and Viktor to swerve violently. Tires screeched, metal scraped, and the world blurred into chaos.
The race had just turned into something else entirely.