On May 20, 2021, the Monaco Grand Prix arrived right on schedule.
Alex Sun reached Monte Carlo with the Prema Racing team—this most unique of street circuits in the world. On one side lay the luxury yachts along the Mediterranean and the city's classical architecture, radiating Monte Carlo's trademark opulence. On the other side were the cold, unforgiving barriers pressed tightly against the track. Narrow and packed with corners, the layout offered virtually zero margin for error, its brutality laid bare.
Inside and outside the paddock, the air buzzed with noise and tension. Drivers and mechanics went about their duties, cameras stood ready, and a major battle was about to begin.
The moment Alex Sun stepped into Prema Racing's pit area, the familiar mix of engine oil and rubber lingered in the air. At the same time, a clear system prompt sounded in his mind:
"Side quest triggered — Demonstrate Strength in Monaco."
Alex Sun felt a sharp jolt in his chest. He hadn't even seen the full requirements yet, but the system's mention of "generous, targeted rewards" was enough to stir his competitive instincts.
He quickly reined in the excitement of just having arrived at the circuit and locked the task firmly in the back of his mind.
Now was not the time to dwell on it. F1 Practice Session 1 was about to begin, a crucial chance to absorb experience from top drivers and lay the groundwork for what came next.
Over the past few weeks, Alex Sun had gradually grown closer to Leclerc, to the point where the two had come to be friends in their own right. Now, with the race taking place in Leclerc's home city, he didn't overthink it. After sending a quick message, he headed straight for the Ferrari pit garage.
He found an unobtrusive spot near the edge of the garage, notebook clenched in his hand. His eyes stayed fixed on Leclerc's car as he carefully jotted down notes, all the while silently worrying for his friend.
As Monaco's local hero, Leclerc carried the full weight of his hometown's expectations and was one of the clear favorites to win. Alex Sun's attention never left him.
He focused on Leclerc's cornering lines, braking point choices, and rhythm control in the high temperatures—exactly the decisive factors for Monaco, and the same core techniques Leclerc had deliberately emphasized to him before.
But no one expected the session to take such a sudden turn.
Not long after practice began, an abnormal sound came from Leclerc's car. Moments later, the engine fell silent, and the car rolled to a stop in a runoff area. The entire Ferrari garage plunged into dead silence.
Team radio soon delivered the diagnosis: gearbox failure. Leclerc was forced to retire after completing just four laps, finishing dead last in nineteenth place.
A home favorite eliminated so early— the contrast was shocking.
The mechanics in the garage wore expressions of deep regret, and the local fans along the circuit let out a collective sigh. Alex Sun's grip on his notebook tightened, his chest heavy with disappointment on his friend's behalf.
His brows knit slightly as he reminded himself inwardly that motorsport offered no guarantees. Leclerc's sudden failure was yet another reminder of how unforgiving this circuit could be.
Alex Sun quickly wrote down "Gearbox failure warning" in his notebook. He hadn't encountered such a problem himself yet, but it was something he needed to stay alert about—he couldn't allow mechanical issues to become a stumbling block on his own title run.
After Leclerc's retirement, Alex Sun finished updating his observation notes and forced himself to calm down. His friend's misfortune only deepened his understanding of how dangerous this track truly was.
Just as he was focused on reviewing what he'd learned from F1 practice, another system alert sounded, cutting through his concentration.
This time, the tone carried a clear warning:
"Conflict detected between previously triggered side quest 'Top Driver Track Logic Research' and current core side quest 'Demonstrate Strength in Monaco.' The two cannot be carried out simultaneously.
Reason: The 2021 F2 Monaco round adopts an extremely compact special format. The tightly linked schedule makes it impossible for a driver's time and energy to support both tasks at once."
In truth, Alex Sun hadn't forgotten this at all—nor had he forgotten the "Top Driver Track Logic Research" side quest he had triggered earlier.
From the very beginning, he'd planned to juggle both tasks and claim double rewards. Even though Team Manager René Rosin had repeatedly stressed during the pre-race briefing, "This round's schedule is extremely tight. You must stay fully focused on your own race and absolutely cannot be distracted," the temptation of double rewards had still made Alex Sun gamble on it.
This F2 Monaco format was downright brutal. There was zero practice before qualifying. As a pure street circuit, the track wasn't closed in advance, and there wasn't even a chance for a track walk amid the constant traffic. Everything depended on simulator data alone.
The schedule density was even more ruthless. F1 Practice 1 ended at 10:30, with F2 qualifying starting at 11:00—just thirty minutes to switch mental gears. After F1 Practice 2 wrapped up at 14:00, the first F2 sprint race kicked off at 15:00, leaving no time to catch one's breath.
On paper, the sessions didn't overlap. In reality, it was a do-or-die test of stamina and focus. One side demanded total concentration for qualifying; the other drained mental energy through observation and analysis. The two simply couldn't coexist.
Either he split his focus watching F1 and risked hurting his qualifying and sprint race performance, or he committed fully to his own preparation and gave up extracting track logic. Racing was his absolute priority. He would never risk his core competition for a side quest. The plan for double rewards was doomed.
Alex Sun felt a quiet sense of relief that the system had issued the conflict warning in time. Otherwise, his greed for extra rewards might have caused him to misjudge his priorities and compromise his main event.
Without hesitation, he mentally asked the system for a solution.
The reply was concise and decisive:
"The core cause of the mutual exclusivity between the two side quests is the conflict in time and energy allocation created by the compact schedule. They are incompatible.
The host must abandon completion of the 'Top Driver Track Logic Research' side quest at this round and focus entirely on the core side quest 'Demonstrate Strength in Monaco.'"
The loss of attribute points from abandoning the quest made Alex Sun wince. He couldn't help probing the system cautiously:
"Bro, if I give up 'Top Driver Track Logic Research,' can the rewards for the core quest 'Demonstrate Strength in Monaco' be increased a bit? Watching those points go to waste really hurts."
The moment he finished speaking, the system responded with a direct compensation proposal:
"Request received. To compensate for the loss caused by abandoning the side quest, a compensation mechanism is activated.
Early unlock of main quest reward 'Guardian of the Machine' trait (reduces car wear by 10%).
Unlock condition: Win any Sprint Race or Feature Race at this round."
Alex Sun's grip on the notebook tightened sharply, his breath catching for a split second as exhilaration flooded his chest. He'd only dared hope for a modest boost in rewards—he never imagined the system would offer compensation of this level. Giving up the side quest wasn't a loss at all; it was a huge gain.
More importantly, winning was already his primary objective for this weekend. The unlock condition aligned perfectly with his goals, adding no extra burden whatsoever.
He had prepared exhaustively for Monaco: thousands of simulator laps, strategy plans for different car conditions, every detail refined again and again.
He knew exactly how difficult this circuit was. Narrow, packed with corners, and almost devoid of overtaking opportunities, it demanded peak skill, experience, and mental resilience, with every team pushing to the limit.
Yet with the lucrative "Guardian of the Machine" reward now in play—and his determination to win already unshaken—Alex Sun felt no hesitation at all. If anything, his resolve only grew stronger.