Chapter 130: Calling on Someone

"Second place is still second place; at least you’ve maintained your lead in total points," Zheng Xiongzhi said with a wink, trying to console the King of Heaven, Zhang, who had just lost his championship title.

"Haha, you’re overthinking it, brother. Do you really think I’m that petty?" Although Zhang was disappointed, he didn't care too much about the result; after all, this was just the filming of a reality show, not a pursuit of Olympic gold.

"What I’m most concerned about right now is where our champions have run off to. Where is the beautiful Lin? Where is Mo Shu?" Zhang had been looking around for a while but hadn't even caught a glimpse of them.

"The beautiful Lin had to catch a flight for other work, so she left early," Xiao Yao explained from the side. "As for that kid Mo Shu, it seems he was also tied up with other commitments, so I gave him permission to head back early as well."

Hearing this, Zheng Xiongzhi teased, "Hey, look at them, acting like big stars—they didn't even wait for the whole group to gather."

The speaker meant no harm, but the listener was sensitive. Xiao Yao, the head director, misunderstood Zheng’s joke and, fearing he might be expressing dissatisfaction, quickly clarified, "Brother Zheng, please don't take it the wrong way. They really weren't acting like divas; they waited for over an hour before leaving."

"What? Over an hour?" Zheng’s heart skipped a beat. He wasn't concerned about whether they were acting like stars; he was stunned that Mo Shu had managed to outpace them by such a significant margin.

"Uh..." Realizing he had unintentionally demoralized the team of the King of Heaven again, Xiao Yao gave a vague grunt and quickly changed the subject.

Still, for Mo Shu, this gap wasn't particularly large, especially since reality shows were completely unfamiliar territory for him. Had they been on a racetrack, Zheng Xiongzhi’s confidence would surely have been even more shattered.

Watching Zheng’s shocked expression, Xiao Yao found himself admiring the young driver, Mo Shu. One day, he really had to see Mo Shu race in person and witness how this kid bullied his competition on the track. In the past, this wish might have been difficult to fulfill, as Mo Shu had already advanced to the international circuit, requiring Xiao Yao to take a long leave of absence to travel abroad.

But now, the "Yunding Peak Downhill Race" initiated and planned by Mo Shu was about to be held right here, before the eyes of the Nanshan citizens. Perhaps on a weekend in the near future, Xiao Yao could bring his family or invite a few close friends to drive the half-hour trip to the outskirts of Nanshan City and witness a world-class racing event in person.

Of course, this was part of Mo Shu’s original intent. Even if the path to promoting racing culture was filled with thorns and obstacles, Mo Shu was determined to try. For his new competition, winning "Extreme Partners" was undoubtedly a great start. As long as the ratings for Nanshan TV’s "Extreme Partners" were compelling enough, Mo Shu’s fame in China would surely skyrocket once the show aired.

***

After a full day of filming, Mo Shu was exhausted. Even so, he didn't intend to go home and rest. After bidding farewell to Xiao Yao, he immediately contacted Wang Yu, who was at home trying to kill time.

On the phone, Mo Shu explained what the system had told him. The two reached an immediate consensus: they would never cancel the "Yunding Peak Downhill Race." It was a competition they had built with their own hands, and they would not let it die. On the other hand, Wang Yu decided to leverage his entire network to find the person the system had mentioned—the killer who had murdered the Racing God Ah Jie and possessed the other ring—as quickly as possible.

While waiting for Mo Shu, Wang Yu had already made dozens of calls. His request was simple: ask if anyone knew anything about the Racing God Ah Jie or any drivers around him. However, many people hadn't even heard of Ah Jie, let alone a driver in his circle. After half a night of research, Mo Shu and Wang Yu realized that finding this person was truly like finding a needle in a haystack.

Mo Shu, who had been staring at his computer screen all night, finally reached his limit. His neck and lower back began to throb, and waves of soreness and pain started to crawl along his spinal nerves.

"God, we aren't private investigators. Where are we supposed to find someone like this?" Mo Shu collapsed onto Wang Yu’s bed, groaning.

"Sigh... why don't you stay here tonight? Call your parents to let them know you're safe, and we'll continue searching tomorrow morning," Wang Yu said, his own throat dry from talking on the phone all night.

"It's settled then, sleeping!" The limp Mo Shu rolled over on the bed, seemingly having no energy left even to wash up.

"Hey? How come you’re hogging my bed? Where am I supposed to sleep?" By the time Wang Yu realized what happened, Mo Shu was already drifting into a deep sleep, showing just how exhausted he really was. Who would have thought that filming a reality show would be more tiring than a full day of racing? And all that "credit" had to go to the beautiful Lin.

Mo Shu rarely slept as soundly as he did that night; even a nightmare at dawn couldn't wake him. In his dream, he was bound and strapped to an operating table by members of the Vermin family, who seemed intent on repeating every torture they had inflicted on Black Mirror upon him. Their ugly, terrifying faces flashed before him, accompanied by sinister laughter that sent shivers down his spine. Finally, a familiar yet blurred voice echoed in his ear. Mo Shu listened closely—it sounded like Wang Yu calling his name, though the voice seemed to come from very far away.

"Mo Shu... Mo Shu..." The voice grew closer, and the pitch-black world before Mo Shu’s eyes suddenly flickered with threads of light.

***

Mo Shu snapped his eyes open, realizing the nightmare had ended—in fact, it was Wang Yu waking him up.

"Ugh, did I have a nightmare?" Mo Shu asked groggily, rubbing his temples.

"I don't know about your dreams, but I do know someone is waiting for you at the gate," Wang Yu said, pointing out the window.

"Waiting for me? Come on, man, this is your house. Who would come looking for me here?" Mo Shu began to think. Besides his parents or Wang Yining, no one knew he had spent the night at Wang Yu’s place. Wang Yu’s serious expression and detached tone made Mo Shu realize he wasn't joking, and the fact that Wang Yu didn't recognize the visitor made it all the more suspicious.

Filled with doubt, Mo Shu quickly got dressed and ran out of the villa. As he approached the main gate of the Wang estate, he clearly saw a man with a slightly hunched back chatting with the security guard.

He didn't recognize him—he was certain of that. However, the man, who had been chatting happily with the guard, suddenly stopped as if he had sensed something. He straightened his posture and slowly turned toward Mo Shu, a faint smile on his lips. Yet, that smile felt "ill-intentioned" to Mo Shu.

"May I ask, are you looking for me?" Mo Shu asked, feeling wary. The business with the ring was still quite ominous, but seeing the man’s advanced age, Mo Shu maintained a respectful tone.

The hunched man’s smile seemed to deepen. He lifted his chin and replied, "God Mo, could it be that I’ve made a mistake?"

Mo Shu paused, not understanding what he meant. The man lowered his head, pursed his lips, then looked back up and said, "Heh heh heh, could it be... that you weren't the one frantically looking for me?"

When those words were spoken, Mo Shu’s eyes widened like copper bells.

Damn it! And here he and Wang Yu had spent half the night busting their backs.

The killer of the Racing God Ah Jie, the holder of the other ring, the host of the rebel system leader, and the former best friend of the legendary predecessor.

A mysterious figure with so many identities and a history of heinous crimes had come uninvited, appearing right on his doorstep!