ACT 8 – 8000RPM 'The Requiem of Silence'

Fu Huo slowly made his way into Route F5. The weather was extremely windy, tree branches wiggled wildly and leaves flew around through the wind as it blew hideously into the night. It was the same kind of presence one would get everytime he or she travels through Route F5. It was like the mountain's own way of welcoming it's visitors.
Ku… Thanks for giving me another chance to prove myself. I'll use this victory to show you that I am worthy. I won't let you down.

The Evo V strolled past the winding tunnel sections, and around the remaining sections of the hillclimb, passing by stained walls and battered roads along the way.
The Sky Dragon flaunted it's sheer power on the uphill, as the engine roared and echoed through the tunnels and chassis shot out and glided through the roads ahead.

It seems to be in good condition. Fu Huo used the rest of the way to warm up, and executed some mild cornering with his vehicle. If I go faster, it sometimes understeers frequently if I don't brake hard enough… And I still haven't changed my suspension settings, yet they're still close to stock. I haven't been able to afford any further modifications for this car other than the increase in power output.

The LanEvo V finally made it up to the starting point. Fu Huo wasted no time and positioned his car next to his opponent.
He briefly stepped out to greet his opponent.

"I appreciate you coming here," said Alex. "I am privileged to be able to race one of you under Zui Hou R."
"Exactly how it should be. You should never had come at our faces and diss my instructor like you did," replied Fu Huo.
"I apologise again," said Alex, "Pardon me,"
"Hmph… Now all you've done is trap yourself. Me and my LanEvo will teach you some respect," continued Fu Huo.
"You'll have to earn it first," fired back Alex. "Well then, shall we begin?"
"Anytime," replied Fu Huo sharply. "Let's go."

The two made their way back into their vehicles in a hurry. Wind began to blow strongly, and leaves spread across the air almost constantly.
He seems rather conceited. Alex buckled up his seatbelt.

Sly made his way in between the cars. Wind blew violently into his face, as he raised his hand for the countdown.
Revs soared, and engines growled, as Sly finally completed the count, "Go!"

Both cars finally took off. Tyres screeched wildly, as the Lancer quickly dominated on take off.
However, the MR-2's start up was also rocket-like, and held almost held its ground against the Evo.
Let's see if I still remember how it's done… Left path first then right? Or was it right path first, then left?

The LanEvo was slowly pulling away from the red SW20. Fu Huo slowed down significantly on the first sharp corner, allowing his opponent a chance to close the gap.

His car sounds tuned. Yet he handles it as if it's completely stock.
Alex completed the turn losing minimum speed.

Hurry up. Fu Huo slammed on the throttle, demanding his car to speed up. Power from the single turbo eventually aided him, yet unclearly worth the wait. Music pumped through and serenaded the battle, 'Inspire' – Ayumi Hamasaki

Fu Huo wildly braked, clutched in, shifted as he struggled to manage his car's weight like he often managed to do, while Alex followed by clearing the set of S curves in a similar fashion. The low speed technical section was continuously annoying Fu Huo early in the race.

'fusa wa shisou na egao erande'

Another hairpin curve, Fu Huo geared down very quickly, then released his left foot and utilized a split second to brake with the same foot, as he kept his right on the throttle while turning sharply into the apex.
Alex merely let his vehicle slide into the corner with minor error, using his car's balanced weight as an advantage, position his car ideal for the exit.
Valves hissed, as Alex's twin turbo SW20 soon kicked in some boost.

'moto morashi serifu narabete'

Fu Huo also later felt the boost kick in, finally reaching high revs.

'atama nnaka mashiro de'

Fu Huo glanced at his mirror quickly. I still haven't seem to shake him off. But don't worry, I'll get rid of you in the tunnels!
Alex kept the pressure on his opponent, keeping very close to the LanEvo.

'Kanjyou nakushita furi wa soro soro owari ni shite'

From behind, Alex struggled to work out Fu Huo's style. He seems pretty ordinary to me. But could this be what he wants me to think?
Alex began to dictate the pace, pushing Fu Huo further. It was his way of making his opponents show him what they were hiding. "You have no choice! Speed up!"

'Sou hito wa hitori ja ikirenai
Sonna atari mae no koto to ka
Sou ai datte na kya ikirenai
Imasara mi ni shimiteru'

Fu Huo was already giving it one hundred percent of his skill. The battle was much tougher than he expected. So early in the race, he had already nearly begun to choke.

'Mou konna jidai dakaratte
Sorette dou iu iiwake
Nee ai dato ka yume dato ka wo
Kuchi ni suru koto wa'

Fu Huo now greatly felt the absolute need for power. Yet he was unable to harness it quick enough, as much speed is further lost into the next hairpin.

'kakko warui koto nanka janai'

The tunnel section was finally coming up. Alex ran Fu Huo out of options. This is bad, I have to be behind for the shortcut to work!
Fu Huo had no choice but to maintain his pace.

Alex observed on, watching the LanEvo closely from behind. Not bad at all. He is able to push his car for as much as it can do in its current state. It is like he can suddenly squeeze out such performance on a lightly tuned vehicle. He is really something.
The MR-2 charged on, not letting his opponent widen the gap any further.
Could he be planning to use one of F5's secrets?
The MR-2 followed on, as Fu Huo tried to squeeze as much power into the very minor straighaways into the sharp curves.

'Sou hito wa hitori ja ikirenai
Sonna atari mae no koto to ka
Sou ai datte na kya ikirenai
Imasara mi ni shimiteru'

Fu Huo finally saw an opening for a second path in sight…

'Mou konna jidai dakaratte
Sorette dou iu iiwake
Nee ai dato ka yume dato ka wo
Kuchi ni suru koto wa, kakko warui koto nanka janai'

Fu Huo was unsure of what he should do at that point. He continued to accelerate; yet he could not decide which path to take in time, as Alex continued to pressure him and kept the heat on.
Being trapped in front, he continued to accelerate his LanEvo through the normal path. He stormed through confidently and on guard, swaying his vehicle occasionally. He was unable to execute his original plan, as he was meant to be tailing for it to work.

It was one of the rare occasions that Fu Huo had to really push his car to the limits that he could actually feel the slight bit of turbo lag and loss of time and speed in cornering.
He glanced at his rear view briefly, Shit, where is he?
Fu Huo had just now realized that his opponent had disappeared. Where did he go? Did he crash?

The slight panic distorted Fu Huo's driving greatly. It was one of the common flaws with young street racers, and Fu Huo still has much to learn. Oh no… Did he…?
His worries were solid. Alex had used his own strategy against him. Am I gonna lose here again?

There was absolutely no such will to quit in Fu Huo's soul. Yet his anxiety combined with certain difficulties with his vehicle became almost unbearable. The harder I push it, the harder it is to control! It understeers a lot, but when I tackle the corners slowly, it takes time for it to pick up it's pace again.

Fu Huo did not understand why his LanEvo seemed to be constraining him. Yet deep inside, he was yet to realize that he was finally breaking the barrier of mastering the basic control of a normal car, to requiring the next vessel to amplify and enhance his already mastered skills. It was only a matter of time…

Each and every corner, Fu Huo's cornering and turn-ins have been rather aggressive, as he could not take the pressure any longer. Why isn't my LanEvo being as agile as it's meant to be? I don't get it! It feels… so… heavy!

Despite the already impeccable agility of the LanEvo, it still was not enough for Fu Huo. However, having equipped his vehicle with sound systems, subwoofers, DVD player, and other entertainment devices, along with huge, seemingly over-sized rims, his car had been more or less made as a show car.

Fu Huo had finally exited the tunnel. He swiftly swerved his car to the inside on the first blind turn that greeted him. I can't take this anymore, where is he?

It was almost déjà vu when Fu Huo suddenly caught sight of his opponent lunging out of nowhere from a hidden opening on the mountain, catching Fu off guard.

Miss me? Alex shot himself out of the tunnel, easily overtaking Fu Huo in a split second and stealing the lead.
Fu Huo slammed the brakes hard to avoid collision, yet before he knew it, his opponent was already speeding away. The slight panic and surprise gave fuel to Fu Huo's rage.
His turn-ins were far more out-of-control than they were a while ago.

You won't get away with that!
Fu Huo was barely in control of himself. His lines were so close to the inside, yet cornering was rather sloppy and almost hit the wall.

Hurry up! Piece of crap!
Fu Huo kept his foot on the throttle. His entry speeds were almost far too fast for him to turn.
His impatience was getting to him, and finally he caught glimpse of the SW20's taillights.

As the SW20's lights flashed, Fu Huo throttled on, eager to catch his opponent.
Alex maintained control of his vehicle, cruising down the rest of the section with delicate movement of his lightweight, agile chassis.
However, the LanEvo and Fu Huo's tenacity brought them closer to the SW20.
His entries were faster, yet the rest was sloppier than Alex's, as he was already losing much hope with his tyres. Little did he notice how hard he was pushing them since the beginning.
Even as the MR-2 slowed down for the next sharp corner, Fu Huo continued to stretch out a little bit more throttle.
Hurry… hurry up!
Fu Huo did not care about the opponent's vehicle drop in speed and continued further. Yet, Alex had already set up for the blind turn, which Fu Huo had not realized.

Wha…?
The LanEvo was now too fast into the S curve. Fu Huo struggled to maintain control of his car. However, there was an opening which Alex left for him. Go on, take it. Alex seemed calm and cruised on.
Fu Huo turned madly into what may be his last hope to pass his opponent.

Thump…!
The LanEvo was going in way too fast for the curve as Fu Huo turned in aggressively, causing his vehicle to smash its bumper into the wall. Shit…!

The Evo V's left headlight shattered, along with the foglamps, as they scattered across the road. Portions of its front bumper were grinded into the apex, and off came pieces of its front lip.
The car swerved out of control, it's rear end sliding outward, as the car continued to spin itself out.
Fu Huo panicked and slammed the brakes and did whatever he could to stop his car.
Yet the momentum of the car gained from the sharp turn in speed pushed the car on, as it continued to spin, forming a 90-degree angle. The car's rear had also hit the rails briefly, then skimmed through and scraped the wall hard, along with the spoiler nearly being stripped.
The Evo's left side mirror had also smashed, and shattered to pieces on the road.

And there it was, the black LanEvo V had finally come to a stop.
It can't be…
Fu Huo sat in silence, killing his engine.
What is this crap? Is this a bad dream?
He sat there for a while, not saying a word or moving a finger. He was too stunned and shocked of what had just taken place.
After a few moments, he clenched his fist and began to pound his hand on the steering wheel in anger and frustration.
What am I now?

Fu Huo stepped out of his vehicle. He briefly walked around it, with all the pain within himself, surveying the damage of his precious LanEvo bit by bit.
It's worse than I thought…

Moments later, the red SW20 came strolling past and finally stopped nearby for a moment.
"Hey man, are you okay?" called out Alex.
"I'm fine. Please don't bother me," replied Fu Huo rudely.
"Are you sure? Do you need any help?" continued Alex.
"I said I'm fine!"
"Look, there's no shame in receiving my help. Do you need a tow truck? The Bu Xia De staff had prepared one just in case," explained Alex.
"No thanks! Just leave me alone already!" demanded Fu Huo.
"So be it," said Alex. "Just one thing though, Fu. Although you have shown an impressive display of skill no doubt, there are still things that need be acquired through time and dedication. Your hunger and greed for absolute power is what's constraining you, my friend. It will be your downfall and has lead to the absolute destruction of the Sky Dragon tonight. And in my hands, I have begun your silent requiem!"

Fu Huo was torn. He had failed in many aspects. He failed Zui Hou R, failed Kumiko, and above all, failed himself. Alex's words were nothing short of sharpness. Fu Huo could no longer bear to look at his fellow team members; especially the likes of Shijian… and most of all, Kumiko.

"I'm disappointed to see you reduced to what you are now," quoted Alex, "Goodbye, Chuan Fu Huo… It looks like you were nothing like Fukada Kumiko after all. You don't have enough of what she has."

The Burning Ruby slowly made a U-turn and finally sped off, leaving Fu Huo and his damaged LanEvo V behind.

The tides have now risen. The battle between Bu Xia De versus Zui Hou R is now at a 2-2 draw, ending with Chuan Fu Huo losing the deciding race that counted. Ironically, it was both LanEvo's of Zui Hou R had suffered the two losses.
The war had supposedly been over. But it just was not to be. There is not a chance that both teams would leave the score as it is, leaving Alex dissatisfied with his victory.

Route F5 had finally cleared out, and silence pierced the air once again.
Yet there remained Chuan Fu Huo and the ruins of what was once the Sky Dragon of D1 and Zui Hou R. He remained in his car, merely listening to soft music, attempting to calm down his senses.
Still in shock from tearing apart his beloved car, Fu Huo leaned back and stared at the darkness. Fortunately, his car was still functional and movable, as he drove slightly out of the way from other cars. Fu Huo ignored all the other drivers that went past him, including Shijian, whom relentlessly offered his assistance to no avail.

Several moments later, as the night grew quieter, Fu Huo remained in his seat. At a distance, he faintly heard the sound of another approaching car. Fu Huo decided to continue to ignore it.
Yet the car had not just merely passed by. It moved in and parked right next to Fu Huo and his vehicle.
What could he want? wondered Fu Huo, staring on at the mountainside.

He then heard the door open and shut. He then glanced to the side, and realize that it was a very familiar 3000GT VR-4 Turbo that had parked next to him.

"Are you going to come out?" called out Kumiko.
Fu Huo began to settle down a little. He was prepared to face the worst.
Stepping out of his vehicle, he slowly made his way around the car and greeted Kumiko.

"What happened Fu? Tell me," said Kumiko in a warm, motherly voice.
Fu Huo began to spoke slowly and softly, and explained everything.

"I see…" said Kumiko.
There was a long silence. Neither of them could work out anything to say.
Until Kumiko decided to speak ahead, "It's…okay, Fu."
"Ku…" murmured Fu Huo.
"I'll take care of the rest…" said Kumiko sharply.
"…What?"
"Don't worry. I said I'll take care of the rest! Let's go home. It still runs, doesn't it? Should I call a tow?" asked Kumiko.
What does she mean, she'll take care of the rest? "Yes, it still runs."
"…I can't let anybody insult us anymore," began Kumiko, "That Alex has done enough,"
"K-Ku…?"
"We have to regroup," explained Kumiko, "I'm not gonna let this battle end like this. Zui Hou R will subdue all that gets in our path from now on!"

Without any further comments, both drivers had slowly made their way out of Route F5 in the middle of the night.
They both drove down the rest of the way and back into town.
The handling of Fu Huo's LanEvo had drastically changed. It was much more sluggish, and very distorted in terms of performance. It was a painful reminder while Fu Huo continued to drive.

The short-lived glory of D1's Sky Dragon had finally worn out…