Chapter 301: She Actually Defeated Hurricane?
Juliet adamantly refused to let Griffin compete again, especially since his broken leg wouldn’t allow it even if he wanted to. “Where are we supposed to find a substitute at this hour!” Griffin’s teammate was frantic.
Griffin gritted his teeth and insisted, “I can endure it… let me race…” He couldn’t bear to be a burden to the team, not to mention the prize money he was still eyeing.
“Are you out of your mind?” Juliet glared at him fiercely, picking up the helmet from the ground, “Fine! I’ll race for you!”
“You?” Griffin looked up at Juliet through his intense pain, “You can’t compete!”
Juliet wasn’t just anybody; if people found out that a famous actress had come to the North District to race, it would cause a huge stir in the media. The headlines would be plastered with her name for days, and her endorsements would likely suffer.
“What else can I do if I don’t race for you! Do you really plan to continue with that broken leg?” Juliet knew her skills were average at best. She could handle a casual ride, but competing against a fierce opponent like Hurricane was bound to be a crushing defeat.
Hurricane, arms crossed, sneered, “Are you racing or not? If you don’t have a substitute, then leave. Do you expect us all to waste our time here?”
“You!” Juliet’s face flushed with anger, unable to believe this was the racer she had once admired. To him, risking someone’s life was a joke, and his hurtful words made it clear he was no longer the idol she had looked up to.
“I’ll race you.” It was Tina who spoke up suddenly.
Juliet was taken aback, “Tina? You…”
She didn’t know much about Tina, only that she was easy to get along with and had a temper that matched hers. Beyond that, Juliet knew nothing, especially not about racing.
Tina, however, looked confident, making Juliet question whether she could actually ride. “It’s okay, leave it to me,” Tina reassured her casually, a rare good mood evident.
Seeing her confidence, Juliet inexplicably felt inclined to trust her. “Alright, thank you, Tina!”
Hurricane sized Tina up, his voice mocking from beneath his helmet, “You? Are you even old enough to compete? Kid, this isn’t child’s play.”
Though there were younger competitors, none looked as young as Tina, who appeared barely twenty.
“You can ride a bike? I doubt you can even make it past the first track,” Hurricane scoffed, prompting laughter from the crowd who shared his skepticism.
“Find someone else to race, or else it’ll be said that we bullied a young girl,” someone in the crowd jeered.
“Tina…” Juliet was worried, “Don’t confront them directly; these people aren’t here for a fair race, they’re out for blood.”
Even if she wasn’t a skilled racer, Juliet could tell that it wasn’t just Hurricane driving aggressively; several racers seemed to be colluding against Griffin, which had led to his rapid downfall and crash into a roadside bollard.
“How about it?” Tina narrowed her eyes at Hurricane, “Afraid to race?”
Hurricane, provoked, scoffed back, “Joke. What do you take me for?”
“Then let’s not waste time, I’m busy,” Tina said, turning to walk towards the motorcycle on the ground, signaling Griffin’s teammate to help her get it upright.
“Miss Reed,” the teammate recognized her as a member of the Reed family, giving a wry smile, “Griffin’s bike is totaled, and there are no spare parts available.”
“I know you want to stand up for Griffin, but this bike is unrideable now, and you need to be careful of their foul play.”
“Hand me the toolbox.”
Without another word, Tina took the toolbox and bent down to examine the bike. Disregarding the scoffs from onlookers about the bike being irreparable, she efficiently began to dismantle and modify it.
Griffin’s bike was indeed in bad shape, but Tina didn’t hesitate. She removed the decorative parts to reduce weight and kept only the essentials. In less than ten minutes, she had reassembled the bike using only the available tools and parts.
“Wow, Miss Reed, you are incredible!” Griffin’s teammate couldn’t stop praising her. Tina’s modifications not only reduced the bike’s weight and increased its speed but also compensated for the missing parts.
Seeing her success, Hurricane watched with a hostile expression, yet he still challenged, “I want to see how long that junk lasts!”
After a half-hour delay, the race finally resumed. Griffin was carried to the top of the hill to wait for an ambulance. His fracture needed a steel plate, and with limited medical supplies on site, Tina cleaned his wound and bandaged it using nearby tools, also giving him a couple of injections.
Griffin was amazed, not knowing what points Tina had pressed, but he felt the pain diminish significantly and could move his foot slightly.
As the ambulance was en route, Griffin held his breath, focusing on the race between Tina and Hurricane.
“Little girl, don’t say I didn’t warn you,” the racers returned to the starting line, Hurricane taunting Tina as she skillfully mounted the bike and adjusted her position, “Racing isn’t for little girls like you, and I won’t go easy just because you’re a woman. Any injuries are not my concern.”
Tina glanced at him indifferently, “Do I know you?”
She strapped on her helmet and lifted her chin slightly, “You’re not yet qualified to talk to me about racing.”
Taking him for merely stubborn, Hurricane mounted his bike, “Alright, let’s see how long you can keep up this attitude.”
The referee took his position again, lifting the starting pistol. At the sound of the gunshot, Hurricane burst forward, leaving the other racars behind.
Tina did not panic; instead, she closely followed the lead, drifting beautifully around the first bend, hugging its edge. “Number twelve is quite interesting, keeping up with the Hurricane; looks like a veteran,” someone remarked as they watched her maneuver. The crowd couldn’t help but gather around to discuss.
From a higher vantage point, Juliet watched Tina swiftly overtake the Hurricane within moments, her heart gripped with worry for her. The recent memory of Hurricane aggressively pushing Griffin to the brink was fresh, marking his clear, malicious intent. Tina facing such a person was a cause for concern.
As Juliet fretted, she saw Hurricane repeat his tactic, aiming to collide with Tina’s car to push her towards the cliff’s edge. “Tina!” Juliet’s heart clenched, almost yelling to stop the race. Life was more important than victory, and the thought of explaining a tragedy to Tina’s family was unbearable.
Sensing Hurricane’s approach and his blatant aggression, Tina didn’t even turn her head. She maneuvered her motorcycle, dodging away deftly. “She dodged Hurricane’s car! How is that possible, in such a tight space, how did she manage such precise control!” exclaimed an onlooker. “Terrifying! I’ve only seen such moves in international competitions; it takes decades to reach such skill!”
Before the crowd could recover from their astonishment, Tina accelerated fiercely, speeding ahead. Hurricane, relentless, followed closely, his engine’s roar nearly drowning out the shocked cries of the spectators.
Tina’s speed increased even more, sweeping past like a gust of wind. Despite Hurricane’s efforts to catch up, he was thwarted by Tina in the final bend where she blocked his path. “You!” Before he could even curse, his bike lost balance and overturned, resulting in him crashing harshly onto the ground, breaking two ribs and entangling his foot in the motorcycle. “Ah! My leg!” His screams shocked the audience, but Tina, undisturbed, crossed the finish line smoothly.
“Tina! You are amazing!” Juliet rushed up incredulously, embracing her tightly. Tina, face expressionless, removed her helmet and walked over to Hurricane, “I told you, you’re not in my league.”
The spectators were in awe, staring at Tina in disbelief. The arena fell silent. Then, someone shouted, “My God! She actually beat Hurricane?!” “How is that possible? With Hurricane being so formidable, how did she manage to leave him in such a disgrace?” “I’ve never witnessed such an incredible live race; today has truly been eye-opening!”
Speculations about Tina’s identity buzzed among the crowd, guessing which racing team’s prodigy she might be, possessing skills far beyond seasoned racists. Juliet, standing by, couldn’t help but feel proud. Tina was, after all, a child of the Reed family.
“You! You played dirty!” Hurricane, in agony and sweating profusely, glared at Tina, wishing he could devour her. He had been racing for over five years and had never encountered an opponent like Tina, whose skills greatly surpassed his, and who was equally ruthless.
“Played dirty?” Tina raised an eyebrow, looking down at Hurricane as he painfully extricated his foot from the wheel, “So, you know it’s a dirty trick?”
Reed family or not, it wasn’t for others to discipline, especially not someone like Hurricane, who lacked sportsmanship. “Bitch! You dare insult me!” Never had Hurricane felt such humiliation, unable to bear the pointing and whispering around him, he tried to attack Tina despite his injured foot.
However, before his fist could reach her, someone grabbed and slammed him back to the ground. Tina looked up to see Jared stepping down from his car, his presence chilling as he glared at the man on the ground. “My woman, you dare touch.”
The coldness around him was palpable, each word falling like droplets on ice, “Want to die?” “Uncle?” Tina looked at him, puzzled about where he had come from.
“Tina.” Jared quickly approached, draping his coat over her shoulders, “Cold, aren’t you?” The mountain’s chilly night wind was harsh, and despite Tina’s racing suit, Jared was always concerned she might catch cold. “Not cold,” she shook her head, feeling the warmth of his coat enveloping her.
“How dare you raise your hand to my Serena?” Hayden, who had subdued Hurricane, increased his grip, causing the man to howl in pain before kicking him over. Tina racing in the North area had been news to him, and he had rushed over immediately upon hearing it from Jared.
Jared made sure Tina was alright before turning to the groaning Hurricane on the ground. “Overestimated yourself.” His words were cold, dismissive as if viewing trash, not sparing another glance at someone who dared race against Tina.
“I advise you not to move.” Tina stood behind Jared, her gaze cold as she observed Hurricane, “Your ribs are broken, your right foot severely fractured; any movement will only cause more damage.”Content property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.
While not a fatal condition, she was not inclined to help someone like Hurricane, feeling even a slight movement of her finger on his behalf was a waste of time. “Save me… please save me…” Hurricane, his consciousness fading, stretched out his hand, pleading for Tina’s medical attention.
“Beg me, and I should save you?” Tina looked down at him. “Tina…” Juliet stood by, watching Jared protectively standing by Tina, silent for a moment. She had heard of the marriage alliance between the Reed and Farrell families but had rarely seen this legendary Mr. Farrell. Known as a notorious waste, Jared’s demeanor always seemed regal.
“It’s alright, let’s go.” Tina casually turned the page, signaling Juliet to head home with her.