Chapter 4 I Can Help You Win

• Yannick stared at him in confusion. “Huh?”
• Xavier, too, had his jaw drop as he asked, “What?”
• Upon hearing the conversation, the people around began to stir up commotion.
• “Hahaha! Mr. Quigley isn't chickening out, is he?”
• “D*mn, is Mr. Sebastian personally stepping in to take him on?”
• “Come on, come on, place your bets!”
• Sebastian got straight into the car, inserted the key into the ignition, and started the engine.
• “Sebastian, that's not fair! It'll count as cheating if you so much as go even a meter further!” Yannick exclaimed while climbing into his car.
• Sebastian simply laughed in response.
• Xavier, too, hurriedly got into his beloved car and started the engine.
• Naturally, their three cars weren't the only ones on this stretch of the road. There were plenty of people eager to engage in Sebastian's wager.
• As the sound of the green light echoed, all the cars shot off like arrows, disappearing around the bend in the blink of an eye.
• Annabeth leaned on a thick tree branch for support and managed to stand up. With a noticeable limp, she made his way out of the forest.
• The gleam of the car and the roar of its engine whooshed past her like a flash of lightning.
• Street racing?
• These were the first two words that came to her mind.
• It was perfect timing as she was worried about how to get down the mountain.
• As her hearing was exceptional, she could tell that those cars must have been modified. Their speed was noticeably out of sync with their hardware.
• Huh? There's a car that hasn't been modified...
• Moreover, the car was getting closer and closer to her.
• Annabeth was calculating the distance and speed of the oncoming car, when suddenly, she took a few steps forward and stopped in the middle of the road.
• Although Sebastian was a skilled driver, he was still somewhat behind those trust-fund kids who raced often. Plus, they were already extremely familiar with the terrain of this mountain. As a result, he was left behind in the first round.
• Thinking back to the bet he had made earlier, he suddenly felt a pang of regret. I'll have Sven make the naked run for me tomorrow.
• Just then, Sebastian saw a figure about a hundred meters ahead. The look on his face changed abruptly, and he honked the horn several times. Yet, the figure remained unmoved.
• I can't believe what I'm seeing!
• Finally, when only twenty meters were left, Sebastian hit the brakes hard. He almost flung himself out of the vehicle before it came to a stop.
• Even he, who was usually composed, felt an irresistible urge to hurl abuse at that moment. He stared at the figure standing just fifty centimeters in front of his car.
• A woman? He frowned, then promptly opened the door and got out of the car.
• After giving Annabeth a quick once-over, it was evident that one of her shins was held by two wooden sticks, suggesting a possible fracture. In the dimly lit surroundings, it was hard to make out anything clearly. Her face was covered in grime, but her eyes stood out, shimmering with clarity and brightness that seemed to reflect light.
• “Are you trying to get yourself killed?” Sebastian's tone was icy cold.
• Suddenly, a man appeared before Annabeth. He was tall, at least one and a half heads taller than her. His white shirt stood out in the dark night. His handsome features were sharply defined, his eyes and brows deep-set. He was glaring at her, clearly annoyed.
• Annabeth carefully sifted through the memory bank within her body. It seems this situation is commonly referred to as...
• “I'm faking an accident,” she replied earnestly.
• Sebastian fell speechless when he heard that. This was the first time he had ever seen someone act so entitled when faking an accident.
• Seeing the man in front of him looking as if he wanted to kill himself, she added, “You seem to have some misconceptions about people faking accidents.”
• Sebastian's gaze was slightly frosty. I think you're the one with misconceptions about faking an accident! Forget it... I'll just consider it as a stroke of bad luck and let it go. I should be grateful that she wasn't a vengeful spirit.
• He tossed a stack of bills from his pocket, then turned to get in the car.
• Annabeth picked up the stack of bills from the ground and said nonchalantly, “Are you in a car race? I can help you win.”
• Sebastian's steps faltered, his gaze settling on the girl standing defiantly against the backlight. “Are you pulling my leg?” he asked.
• Annabeth glanced at a distance, her voice carrying a coldness that didn't match her age as she said, “You must have just finished your first lap. Most of their cars have a top speed of three hundred and ten kilometers per hour, and with all the twists and turns on this mountain, even at their fastest, it'd take them ten minutes to complete a lap. Taking into account the five minutes you've wasted here, I can have you catch up with them by the third lap.”
• Sebastian's eyebrows and eyes noticeably twitched, the look he gave Annabeth also shifted slightly.
• In the end, Annabeth stated her terms, “I'll help you win, on one condition. You must get me off this mountain and to a hospital.” After giving it some thought, she added, “Of course, I won't be returning your money.”
• Sebastian's expression tensed up slightly as he glanced at Annabeth. Then he turned and headed toward the passenger seat. “Get in the car.”
• Since he had already lost, he was curious to see what tricks this woman could pull off.
• Annabeth maintained a calm demeanor, leaning on a tree branch as she walked over to the driver's seat. She then settled herself in and closed the car door.
• She snapped off a branch, using the thicker part as a makeshift leg. Her left shin was fractured, making it impossible to press the brake, so she had to resort to the branch. She maneuvered the steering wheel with her right hand. Despite suffering from multiple soft tissue injuries all over her body, she was fortunate enough to still have use of both hands and, for the time being, one leg.
• It clearly seemed impossible, yet under her methodical actions, the car surprisingly started up.