Awakening the War God

Chapter 74 Overtaking

"So, what's on the line? Let my fiery-haired buddy here have a say!"

Thomas didn't want to make the call on the wager himself, so he passed the torch to Gabriel. Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

"Anything goes, as long as you're cool with it!" Maria responded nonchalantly.

Gabriel ruffled his hair and took a step forward, a sly grin forming on his face. "Since we're all in high spirits tonight, let's up the ante and go rogue! Miss Adams, if you lose, you got to hand over the lingerie you got on today, top and bottom. I'll hang 'em up on the wall like a trophy!"

The wilder, the better.

Gabriel knew when dealing with an arrogant woman like Maria, the most entertaining thing was to poke fun at her.

Peeling off Maria's lingerie and panties would be a provocative challenge, akin to playing with fire.

It was a guarantee that Maria would be fuming.

Maria's expression soured immediately.

She looked dark, her eyes murderous.

"You're courting death, you son of a bitch! Guys, get him! Beat the crap out of this guy for insulting Maria. He's got to pay!"

Before she could say another word, Luca couldn't contain himself any longer.

Like a dog on a leash, he lunged forward, barking like crazy.

Maria was his dreamboat, the one he'd been chasing after all this time.

Taking Maria's lingerie and panties would be an outright insult to her and a provocation to him.

With Luca leading the charge, several young men surged forward.

They all looked indignant, ready to pound Gabriel.

"Back off!"

With a stern face, Maria spun around and shouted it out.

The young people immediately wilted.

"Maria, this weirdo bastard, he..."

Indignant, Luca was about to charge forward, but once again, Maria shouted at him, "Shut up. This is my affair. It's not your place to intervene!"

Yvonne chimed in with a sly grin, "No need to talk, Luca. This red-haired dude dared to speak to Maria this way; he's toast. You don't need to get involved!"

Luca, visibly frustrated, wore a resentful expression but dared not say another word.

After all, he was somewhat afraid of Maria.

Maria was no pushover.

Seeing Luca keep his mouth shut, Maria turned back around.

Her striking eyes carried a mocking smile.

Her two canine teeth stood out.

They added a touch of cuteness, but also a hint of menace.

She glared at Gabriel and said, "You've got some nerve, daring to make that request to me!"

In Silverwood, no one had ever dared to be so disrespectful in their speech to her.

Gabriel, however, just shrugged nonchalantly and said, "You said anything goes, but now you're hesitating and trying to scare me off. If you don't want to, that's fine, but you shouldn't have bragged about your generosity earlier."

Proud people couldn't resist being provoked.

Someone as proud as Maria was bound to take the bait.

"I agree. If I lose, you can do it, but I want you to do it yourself. Whether you can or not depends on your capability!"

As expected, Gabriel's guess was spot on; Maria agreed.

But there was a fierce determination in her eyes, and her words were menacing.

She endured the wrath within her and intoned, "For you guys, if you lose, I'll use scissors to cut off your manhood!"

This proposed bet had taken a confrontational turn.

This competition became even more interesting because of these two unconventional wagers.

Hearing the threat of cutting their manhood, Yvonne chuckled and covered her mouth. She said to Maria, "You're so wicked, Maria!"

The group of young people burst into laughter at this.

Gabriel, however, remained unfazed.

After all, his manhood was as unbreakable as adamantium.

Poor Thomas, on the other hand, felt a chill down his spine.

This bet was getting way out of hand, and he might end up losing his pride.

But the decision was out of his hands. Gabriel, with a cheerful smile, said, "Alright, it's a deal. After you agree, you can't back out!"

And so were the wagers settled.

"Don't you worry!" Maria's eyes sparkled with expectancy as she responded, "We've got a top- notch, ultra-sensitive camera set up at the finish line, ensuring that even the slightest difference can be spotted! Plus, we've got Bill, a renowned professional race referee, who's as straight as an arrow when it comes to making calls! And as for me, Maria, I'm willing to bet and accept the outcome!"

Gabriel couldn't help but gasp at the manly temperament of Maria, despite her delicate appearance.

He nodded and said, "Alright, that couldn't be better. That guy with the small eyes is bound to be putting something on the line too, just like us. And if he loses, he'll be castrated too."

Now there were four players, of course there should be four stakes.

Even Gabriel had to take the risk of potentially being castrated. That small-eyed guy couldn't be allowed to avoid it either.

Luca muttered curses under his breath, initially contemplating refusing the challenge.

But then, with a second thought, he realized that with his and Maria's skills, there was no way they could lose.

Surrendering at this point would just make him look weak in Maria's eyes.

With this in mind, he put on a brave face and grinned, "Alright, fellas, get your scissors ready. We're gonna have some fun with it later!"

The young crowd cheered once more.

With everything set up, Maria and Luca took the lead and headed for the finish line.

Gabriel and Thomas were the first to choose their cars, and after they made their selections, Maria and Luca each picked their vehicles.

The four cars inched up to the starting line.

The glamorous car girls, each holding a pair of flags, waved them high in the air.

As they waved their flags, the spectators began a loud countdown.

"Three!"

"Two!"

In the first car, Maria, gum-chewing and brimming with confidence, prepared herself.

Thomas, in the second car, appeared somewhat nervous.

It was his first time behind the wheel of a real race car.

Luca, in the third car, shot a sly grin while glancing sideways at Gabriel's car.

He had always had a bone to pick with Gabriel and planned to teach him a lesson.

Gabriel, in the fourth car, remained the picture of calm.

Just as the race was about to kick off, he casually pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and took a drag.

The thunderous roar of engines filled the air.

"One!"

Finally, the countdown reached one!

The car girls lowered their flags, and the race was on.

The four cars raced past the starting line one after the other.

Maria, in the first car, quickly surged ahead, leaving Thomas in her dust.

Luca, also a whizz in this, with his lightning-fast reflexes, closely followed Maria.

But soon as he started, he made a sharp turn right.

Gabriel, on the other hand, had been overly nonchalant at the start.

He took a leisurely drag from his cigarette as he eased into the race.

However, Luca's car suddenly rammed into his, causing him to exclaim, "Damn!"

The collision was abrupt, and Gabriel's car swerved wildly, veering off the track. He quickly regained control of the steering wheel, narrowly avoiding crashing into the guardrail on the right side.

Once his car was stable again, Gabriel found himself trailing behind.

At that moment, his eyes turned steely. He couldn't believe Luca, that troublemaker, had dared to play dirty with him. Gabriel was determined to make Luca pay for that move.

Right from the start, the two leaders had built a considerable lead.

Maria was comfortably in front, while Thomas, having overtaken Luca, was now in second place.

Luca closely followed Thomas and was in third place.

Gabriel was at the rear of the pack.

The initial stretch of the track, marked by two red lights, was a straight shot.

With a clear path and no external interference, all four drivers shifted into high gear, slammed the pedal to the metal, and sped ahead.

The cars were identical in make and performance, so at this point, their speeds were more or less the same, and none could pull away from the others.

But soon, they faced their first challenge. After the two red lights, they approached a crossroads with people waving signs signaling the upcoming turn.

Beyond the turn was an urban village in the process of being demolished.

Although Maria had pulled ahead of Thomas by a good margin, she remained completely focused.

In her mind, she replayed the scene of a previous competition where Gabriel had managed to pass her van on a curve.

"How did he managed to not slow down for the turn?"

She couldn't fathom it out no matter how.

Just to be cautious, she shifted her right foot over to the brake pedal.

Soon, as Maria took the lead, all three cars began to decelerate.

However, there was one car that still charged into the curve at a blazing speed of over a hundred miles per hour.

It was Gabriel's car.

"Is this guy out of his mind?"

Luca exclaimed as he watched Gabriel's car in the rearview mirror.

At that velocity, maintaining control in a straight line was challenging, let alone navigating a curve.

Driving like this was practically inviting disaster!

Yet, Gabriel's car not only caught up with the slowing Thomas but also overtook him.

Then, it overtook Luca as well, almost entering the curve alongside him.

At that moment, Luca's speed had dropped to just over sixty miles per hour.

Gabriel's car, on the other hand, was still cruising at a staggering one hundred and twenty-three miles per hour.

At such high speeds, instead of flipping over, his car executed a controlled drift, successfully overtaking Luca in the process.

"How in the world is that even possible?"

Luca wore an expression of disbelief as he watched Gabriel pull ahead of him...