Star Hunter.

Was there cheating involved in Chapter 266?

Was there cheating involved in Chapter 266?

After the person in charge of tracking the red track reported to their superiors, they sent over the footage they had just captured. Shortly after, they received a notification that there was no need to adjust the tracking and conversion rate of the track's monitors. Instead, they sent another person to track the "Caibing" flying car.

Meanwhile, in addition to several major Star Alliance media outlets, the Szel family's research team was also tracking the flight status of each vehicle in the competition, and of course, they also noticed Xilin and his group.

Because of Naimi's participation, even though the "Caibing" car didn't perform well at first, they still sent special personnel to follow it. It wasn't that they expected them to perform well, but rather that they hoped to know and react immediately if the car had an accident.

"It seems that Naimi isn't as bad as we thought," said one of the tournament organizers.

Another person agreed, saying, "Indeed, that's their true strength."

"The circular loop design wasn't unconventional back then; rather, even if it was designed, no one could fully utilize its advantages. This was one of the reasons why the 'vegetable cake' design was phased out. But now, the drivers in these cars can clearly handle such a loop design!"

"I remember that the circular loop was activated by electromagnetic effects combined with manual control, so that the flying car could use the outer rotation to make cornering faster, but that was always considered to be just theory. I never thought that I would actually see it with my own eyes one day."

"The micro-control of the spiral arc and excitation angle is simply perfect," one person said, pointing to the image on the screen that had been significantly slowed down.

"If I remember correctly, there was a design for a 'vegetable pancake' that used a 'scale-like propulsion' technique?"

When this person mentioned "scale-like propulsion," the others fell silent. After more than ten seconds, someone spoke up, saying, "If scale-like propulsion were actually designed as it was back then, it would only exist in theory."

Now that one theory has become a reality, no one can be certain whether "scaly propulsion" is still just a theory.

Subsequent types of flying cars derived from the original "vegetable cake" flying car, as well as some new types of flying cars, have all incorporated "scale propulsion." However, the ones actually used in competitions are not like the original design. When everyone realized the "irrationality" of this design, they could only make some changes. The changed designs are no longer called "scale propulsion" but are given different names based on the type and style of the changes.

Skyplane's shuttle-shaped flying car, the Sharp Blade flying car, and the Lightning Crescent flying car are all equipped with secondary propulsion designs derived from "scale propulsion." Some parts of Skyplane's shuttle-shaped flying car have secondary propulsion that resemble the pelvic, pectoral, and caudal fins of a fish, while the Blade and Crescent flying cars also have secondary propulsion designs that match their respective models.

Secondary propulsion makes the car faster. However, it also demands a higher level of driving skill from the driver; a slight lapse in attention can lead to unimaginable consequences, such as a fatal crash. Of course, this is also part of the excitement of the race.

The three flying cars ahead on the red track have gradually been caught up by Xilin and his team. One of the cars, perhaps due to excessive tension during acceleration and being affected by Xilin's "vegetable pancake," made a momentary lapse in control and crashed into the tunnel wall while navigating a spiral bend. Fortunately, the car's safety features are quite good; at least the two people inside are not in life-threatening danger. Support personnel will arrive shortly to carry them out for treatment.

This car that made a mistake wasn't the first to malfunction since the start of the race; several others had done so before it. However, most of the cars performed quite well.

After passing two flying cars inside the passage, Xilin drove "Caibing" and left the other two cars further and further behind.

This track was originally the longest, with the most spiral bends and track nodes. Compared to other tracks, it would definitely require more effort and time for drivers to navigate. However, at this speed…

The technicians watching the race outside were analyzing "Caibing's" performance, unaware that Naimi, sitting inside the flying car, was even more astonished than they were. Naimi knew that "Caibing" could fly very fast, but that was only under the condition of flying in a straight line without many difficulties or obstacles. Now, it was facing one spiral curve and track node after another!

The car barely slowed down when going through spiral curves and track nodes!

Now that she has gradually recovered, Naimi checked the official information on the track and the current overall rankings.

There's a chance, there definitely is!

Xilin controlled the rudder with one hand and adjusted the controls with the other, but to Naimi's surprise, he couldn't see Xilin's movements clearly at all, regardless of which hand he was using. Even when Naimi concentrated all his attention, the view was completely blurry.

Xilin's operational skills were far more impressive than they had imagined.

"How many more spiral bends and nodes are there?" Xilin asked, but his gaze never left the view window in front of him.

Taking a deep breath, Naimi calmed herself down and reviewed the analysis. "Not counting the one we just passed, there are seventy-three more spiral bends, twenty-nine of which are continuous spirals exceeding three loops, with seventeen nodes—five large nodes and twelve small nodes. The previous one was a four-loop spiral, and the parameters are..."

Although Naimi explained the situation clearly, his legs were still trembling slightly, and his fingers touching the screen hadn't warmed up yet. However, he was no longer as afraid as before; instead, he felt an indescribable excitement.

  

This is real racing, true racing!

Without much consideration of body shape or auxiliary analysis, Naimi even felt that Xilin could fly very well even without a navigator.

The two cars on the same track have been left far behind, and in the real-time overall rankings, "Caibing" is overtaking one car after another.

Now the audience outside the arena is also starting to realize that the vintage flying car is about to unleash its power.

When there were 33 spiral bends left on the red track, "Caibing" was ranked 41st.

With nineteen spiral bends remaining, "Caibing" had already climbed to eleventh place overall.

With seven spiral turns remaining, "Caibing" was in fourth place, just behind the top three seeds who had been leading the pack.

At this moment, the people watching the race from outside the track and in other places have gone crazy.

First, it was the Crimson Red track, dubbed the unluckiest track of the year; second, the car that caught up was an antique "vegetable pancake," a model long forgotten by history; third, nobody had ever heard of this dark horse!

The cars and drivers who can participate in the "Freedom of the Wind" competition have all participated in many influential events in their respective star systems before being invited to the "Freedom of the Wind" competition. Everyone knows about these people to some extent, but the driver of this car is a complete stranger to people. He is so unfamiliar that no one in the circle has ever heard of Xilin.

This wasn't an illusion. During the time "Caibing" caught up, everyone was paying close attention to it, far more than to the top three leading cars. That kind of speed navigating spiral curves and nodes was simply beyond human capability; many had never witnessed such a feat in their lifetime.

"Did they cheat?" someone asked.

"Is this how you cheat?! Show me!"

"This is fucking unbelievable!"

According to the original plan, Yuan Xingming and his group, who were standing in the stands, were supposed to move to the next stage of the race halfway through to watch the competition. However, they did not expect that Xilin's "Caibing" car would perform so well. So Yuan Xingming and the others stayed there, because only from there could they see the surveillance footage and related analysis that the media had specially set up for "Caibing".

Initially, the others were unwilling, but as the competition progressed, no one suggested leaving.

Yuan Xingming stood with one foot on the edge of the stands, one hand on his hip, the other pointing at the image of "Cai Bing" in the center of the field. He loudly announced, "See that? That's my buddy!"

This statement is clearly more about showing off than about issuing a warning, unlike the previous one.

There are three spiral bends left, and it's impossible to say which of the four cars will be the first to break through. The red track has more distance remaining than the other three. But no one can be sure now, so everyone is accelerating, vying for the first victory.

Naimi stared intently at the rankings and track map on the screen, his heart pounding. He didn't say anything to Xilin. Xilin didn't ask how much was left either; he simply sped off, knowing exactly how much of the race and corners were ahead of him.

wow——

The four cars on different tracks all rushed out of the tunnel at roughly the same time. Tianhang's shuttle-shaped car was the first to go out, followed by Fengmang's blade car, Xilin's "vegetable pancake" car, and Shandian's crescent car in fourth place. These four cars stirred up the emotions of the entire audience. The fifth car, however, was still some distance from the first four. At least in the early footage from the same monitor at the track entrance, the fifth car was not among them.

"Twenty-five points!" Although it wasn't the first place's forty points, Naimi was already satisfied. After all, they had chosen the most unlucky track of the year. Naimi even wondered if Xilin had accelerated directly at the beginning of the track without considering his own adaptability, would he have been able to win the stage now?

Thinking about this, Naimi felt very ashamed; he had held everyone back.

"Get ready for the second stage!" Xilin interrupted Naimi's thoughts and quickly adjusted the state of the car.

The next stage is in the rainforest, with two light walls 100 meters apart forming the track. There will also be height restrictions after entering the second stage, which will increase the difficulty.

After exiting the tunnel of the first stage, everyone can see their own ranking and the rankings of others, but now there is not much time for everyone to express their thoughts. Everyone is putting all their effort into the second stage, and this period is the time to go all out and close the gap.

However, when everyone gathered on the same track, a clear problem was discovered. The "vegetable pancake" was like a streak of lightning, rushing forward at such a speed that even those who witnessed it without the aid of surveillance cameras couldn't help but get goosebumps.

Does that guy always drive at that speed on the track...?

Inspired by Xilin's "Vegetable Pancake," Tianhang, Fengmang, and Shandian's Seed Flying Cars all accelerated simultaneously. In the past, only the three of them were leading the way, so according to strategy, they wouldn't use full speed to charge forward. But now, with a "rebellious" guy rushing ahead, their arrogance wouldn't allow it.

As a result, the gap between the top four and the rest gradually widened, while some cars that had been unlucky enough to choose less desirable tracks were now revving up their engines to catch up. Apart from the top four, the rankings of the cars behind them began to change. Tobia and Akio's triangular cone car started in the thirties at the start of the race and has now climbed to twenty-eighth. Hopefully, they can push even further forward when they officially enter the second stage.

Xilin is currently in first place, but Naimi noticed that Xilin's expression remained calm, just as it was before the competition began. Naimi admired this; she guessed he was a legendary expert, or perhaps a robot, otherwise how could he be so composed? Didn't he say he had never participated in a racing competition of this level before?

The second stage began with the same course as when Xilin and his team were test-flying: flying at a certain distance from the forest.

After flying here, the three flying vehicles behind simultaneously prepared to activate special sound and magnetic field waves. These fluctuations would affect the vines, trees, and birds, but they only needed to deal with a few. However, Xilin was different.

Xilin made the "vegetable cake" release a wave frequency that was considered rather useless, the same as that emitted by the isolation net. This wave frequency would keep the animals away from this place, and only the plants would be dealt with.

Plants often cause far more trouble than animals, so many people who received the frequencies emitted by the "vegetable cake" didn't understand why Xilin would do this. However, the next moment, they understood.

After the vegetable pancake released its wave frequency, the large bird that had flown towards them turned and flew towards other flying vehicles. The vines, trees, and other moving plants below began to stir. Just then, a ring of serrated wrist blades popped out from the edge of the "vegetable pancake," and these serrated edges began to rotate, instantly sawing off the swung vines. At the same time, a flash of electricity appeared on the flying vehicle, and its surface became exceptionally smooth. Some plant vines that managed to avoid the serrated edges had insufficient hairs to hold onto the flying vehicle and simply slid off. Only some plants with leaves like suction cups could possibly entangle themselves with the flying vehicle, but even a slight tilt of the vehicle was enough for the serrated edges to cut off the branches.

Therefore, with double insurance, wherever the "vegetable cake" flies, the severed vines are flung away, while the culprit leaves without a trace.

This was the method they had originally agreed on, but Naimi felt something was off; it wasn't what she had imagined. It was moving faster than expected, and the pressure from the people around her made her very uncomfortable.

Xilin wasn't competing; he was more like venting.

Naimi didn't understand why Xilin was acting this way, and he didn't dare to ask. He felt that Xilin was terrifying right now. Although he didn't have any expression, was not serious, and didn't smile, he still felt extremely dangerous.

Sitting in the navigator's seat less than half a meter away from Xilin, Naimi didn't dare to breathe loudly. He didn't need to give any flight advice. Xilin was probably more familiar with the terrain and environment than he was, or perhaps Xilin didn't care at all. Wherever he flew or who was in his way, he treated them all the same.

The serrated edges of the "vegetable cake" resonated with many racing enthusiasts. Regardless of whether such a design would affect flight, the scene undoubtedly got many young drivers excited.

Faced with vines, some choose to dodge, while others choose to meet them head-on, but the latter will undoubtedly reduce speed, making it a difficult decision. However, this gear-like shape might be a good choice; even if it slows down, it won't reduce speed by too much, right? Didn't you see it's still flying that fast?

The "vegetable cake" is very fast, but its flight path is not a straight line, but a curved one. The tilt of the vehicle surface will change constantly during the flight to ensure that no branch will get tangled in the vehicle body. Although the vehicle body is very smooth, it cannot stop those suction cup-like, and some rather strange plants, which may also pose a certain danger.

Each flying car is equipped with some corresponding mechanical devices to deal with the situation. Some of them have saw-like gears, but those are small gears that pop out from the car and are not as effective as "Cai Bing".

The "vegetable cake" is as slippery as a fish in the forest, slipping out from the tentacles of a predator, and if it can't slip off, it will "bite" with its serrated teeth.

In addition to testing the drivers' skills, the second stage focuses on the ability of various flying vehicles to handle similar problems. This is a stage that allows the use of loaded weapons, and all kinds of methods, such as mechanical, laser, and biological, are emerging one after another. After the race, the spectators will vote on their favorite methods according to their own preferences, which is a rare data acquisition method for the Szel family.

The second stage was the shortest of all seven stages. After passing through the forest, Xilin and his team were the first to break out of the stage. Sharp Blade was in second place, Lightning Crescent was in third, and Sky Flight's Shuttle was in fourth. As usual, the four cars were not far apart, especially the last three cars, which were only one after the other. Relatively speaking, "Caibing" was slightly larger than the other three cars.

This is about the advantages and disadvantages of different car models. Different car models will have their own advantages and disadvantages in different stages of the race.

"Forty points! Now we have sixty points!" Naimi was very happy, but she was not complacent, after all, only two-sevenths of the way through had passed.

The green forest had just passed, and soon a dark world came into view.

The towering columns of mud heralded the start of the third stage, the dirtiest of all.

After all the flying cars had flown out of the forest, two people appeared in a spot in the woods. They said something, then disappeared, leaving only the rustling sound of their footsteps in the forest.