ACT 4 – 4000RPM 'Resurrection'

"This is a GC8 after all…"

After countless contemplations, Fu Huo finally felt he could give racing a bit of a rest from his mind. However, it was Minako that he could not steer clear of. Everything was either 'What if' this and 'What if' that. He could not blame himself for his hypocricy.

Almost a month had passed since Fu Huo had been removed from the street-racing scene. As days and days had passed, he began not to miss it. Perhaps it was for the best. But the fact that Minako was going to follow his ways stood at the back of his head.

Well, I've been forcefully retired. Does that mean, Minako will retire with me too?

The young fool jumped into many conclusions again. Does it have to wait until she crashes like I did…?

Later during that week, Fu Huo had been called in once again by the organization. It was perhaps another assignment, he assumed. Stepping up from his couch, he quickly got dressed and took with him his tools and equipment, which consisted of guns and ammo.

So Shijian thinks I've been corrupted? Phuh… its not like Zui Hou weren't corrupt in the first place. Technically, we're all dman corrupt.

He slipped in a small pistol attached hidden to his leg in case of emergency, then came the leather jacket and sunglasses which matched his cunning image. Layers of his hair fell along the sides, as he combed it smoothly while a large portion to the right hung almost directly beside his right cheek.

Stepping out of his apartment, Fu Huo stood along near the sidewalk awaiting his ride. It was not Fu Huo's regular working day, as he would either walk to Koda's or drive to Zui Hou.
He waited patiently, as the sound of the ever-familiar 3000GT slowly drew closer.
It's been a while…
Kumiko stopped by to pick him up as she was on her way to work.

"Miss me?" said Kumiko, as one of her usual catch phrases.
"Oh, do I ever," replied Fu Huo. But this time, he did mean it.

The 3000GT once again cruised along the streets during the morning, as opposed to her usual flight along the provincial areas. Kumiko had been moving slower and slower on different occasions. It was a sign that she had finally tried taking it easy. Her need for speed had been seemingly satisfied, yet not too shy to give a bit of kick once in a while.

It had also been a while since Fu Huo had been close to Kumi-chan's beauty. He stared at her light brown skin as she motioned smoothly on the wheel and shiftknob. His hormones began to act up on him again. He desperately wanted to turn to the side and grab Kumiko. He wanted to grab anything he could and hold her like he owned her.
Instead, he merely placed his hand softly on Kumiko's hand, as she gently switched gears.

"How've you been, Fu?" asked Kumiko softly.
"Good…" replied Fu Huo, burning inside, "You know Ku… I really appreciate it when you told me that you trust me,"
"Of course, hun," cheered Kumiko, "I just hope you trust me too,"
"Yeah… always. You're the master after all, haha," sucked up Fu.

Fu Huo did not take his hand off Kumi's. He continued to caress her softly while she acted normally and continued to cruise the streets.
"Hey, Fu," and idea struck Kumiko's mind, "…Did you know what is so special about Zui Hou R's NSX-R?"
"Uh… KYOKO?" guessed Fu Huo.
"Well, yes, but other than that, apparently the Emperor made a very nice extra to it! He somehow managed to have the roof customized as a targa-top!" cheered Kumiko.

"Wha…?" confused Fu.
"You know, the detatchable roof? That usually only come with the NSX-T's, the R model doesn't come with it. But Zui modified the scoop so it just sticks out before the flattened surface so it doesn't get in the way. So it still has the big-ass shark fin at the back, but you can tear the roof off this motherfer!"

"Uh… what's so special about that?" smirked Fu Huo.
"It's so cool!"

Moments later upon arrival at the base, the two had began to make their way to the central garage, the 'X branch'. Surprisingly for Fu Huo, there seemed to have been some work done around it. Inside the massive garage seemed to be a car covered in cloth, hiding itself from the others. It caught Fu Huo's attention, as he tried to work out the shape of the vehicle in sight.

"What's this, Ku?" wondered Fu Huo.
"Oh, that? That's what I brought you here for," explained Kumiko, "Because you're my favourite apprentice, haha,"
"…What?"
"Don't you get it? Go on. Unveil it,"

Fu Huo walked over to the car hesitantly as Kumiko began to explain further, "I hope you haven't forgotten the deal you made. You should thank the Emperor for this,"

Oh… so that's what's she's talking about… So this is… oh it can't be…!

Fu Huo slowly began to unveil the cloth on the car. Portion by portion, revealed black exterior as he saw his face reflecting on such an immaculate finish on the vehicle.
Fu Huo could not believe his eyes. He began to fling the cloth away and finally revealed Kumiko's little present for him – the rebirth of his Lancer Evolution V.

"You should see your face, Fu," teased Kumiko.
"I'm blown away…" expressed Fu Huo, "Damnit, Ku, I love you! I love you so much! Oh my God!"
"You gotta thank Zui too. After all, he was the one to allowed this to happen,"

He walked around his beloved Evo, examining the exterior. Some vast changes were indeed present. The front bumper is different. The foglights were gone, the spoiler has been replaced with a wing, the rims were different, and the mirrors – virtually everything. It was like it was a brand new car.

"Wow… all these new parts!" exclaimed Fu Huo excitedly, as he peeked into the window of his new ride. The back seats have been totally stripped out, the speakers and amps are missing too.
Wow… I guess they went all out with the weight reduction…

Fu Huo continued to ogle at his new set of Enkei rims. His car has been completely restored and transformed.
Kumiko walked over to him and handed over the parts list, indicating the exterior changes to his vehicle. Fu Huo took the list and examined it;

MUFFLER: ZUI HOU R
SPOILER/WING: HKS KANSAI
FRONT BUMPER: HKS KANSAI
AERODYNAMIC MIRRORS: ZUI HOU R
WHEELS: ENKEI
CARBON HOOD: MONSTER
CARBON TRUNK: MONSTER

Kumiko began to explain, "Your car is not only more aerodynamic, but we've modded the inside as well. The upped stress resistance, weight reduction, ECU upgrades were only some of the modifications the Emperor and I had done to it. The cooling system and drive system have been adjusted too along with the intake and exhaust system. The transmission has been upgraded and I've tampered with the gear ratios a bit along with the triple plate clutch, while I've also put on a new set of tyres. But the real changes are what you'll experience once you start driving it. But take care of this car, you hear? Because I doubt this will last as long as we expect…"

"What makes you say that? You think I'll crash again?" wondered Fu Huo.
"No… it's not that. The car itself is… well, heavily modified that it might eventually destroy itself. Don't worry; I'm sure you'll figure it out. Oh, and if you need a tyre change, the Emperor will just charge you for it through your account in Zui Hou's Tyre bank – so far, you have 3 free sets of super slicks in your account. That's not much now, is it?"

"But the tyres it has on now aren't superslicks, are they?" asked Fu Huo.
"…No," giggled Kumiko, "Don't worry about it. Just trust me and drive it."

Fu Huo did not know whether to keep his eyes on his new car, or Kumi's gown. Nevertheless, he had to ask, "Wanna come for a ride?"

"Sure!" smiled Kumiko. He's only discovered the changes in his vehicle's new appearance. But with its performance, there is a slight catch to it. I'm sure he'll figure it out instantly as soon as he drives it…

The two had stepped inside the reborn Lancer Evolution V, and finally, Fu Huo had excitedly started the engine. The Evo rolled on into the test track, as Fu Huo could not wait to launch his vehicle.
The subwoofers and some amps were taken out, but at least I could still play music on this thing…

At long last, Fu Huo launched his car enthusiastically out of the pits to 'Appears' – Ayumi Hamasaki and floored the gas.

"Its acceleration is so much better now!" claimed Fu Huo, as his new Evo shot past the starting line.
"Yes, and it should be much more efficient too. Observe," suggested Kumiko.

Fu Huo was still in control even as the Lancer picked up speed so quickly. The first corner was up. He was able to turn so easily and fly past the apex with very little effort.

Bang-bang-bang!

Fu Huo noticed the car's great increase in acceleration and response, as he completed the corner with a minimum loss of speed. The LanEvo continued to dive into the next set of S-curves.

B-bang-bang! Pow!

Kumiko sat beside Fu patiently at the beginning, yet after a while, she became a little shaken as she did not expect the blend with the new car settings and Fu Huo's abilities would mix in so quickly and produce such a result. Fu did not slow down his pace at all, yet he seemed effortless through each obstacle.
It was almost as if Kumiko could not keep up with Fu Huo's new power, even as she sat next to him during his test run.

Fu Huo began to push the car harder, with the valves hissing and revs quickly flying, he began to notice a strange new addition to his vehicle. What the hell is that noise?
Kumiko held on rather tightly to anything she could hold on to. It was almost as if Fu Huo's driving was scaring her.

Bang-bang!

Many of the things Fu Huo had trouble with previously seemed to have gone the moment he started driving his new car. He also knew that all this would have came at a price.
His car was dominant in both corner entry and exit.

"H-hey…Ku…" called out Fu.
"Uh… yes? What is it?" struggled Kumiko.

The Evo glided through the hairpin curve with such velocity, almost piercing through the air like a bullet.

"W-what is going on with that loud banging noise?" wondered Fu Huo.
"That's what I've been telling you about, Fu," explained Kumiko, "This was not any ordinary tune-up. If taken on the road, your car is the ultimate weapon that wipes the floor with all other road racers!"

Fu Huo zoomed straight past each section, almost without slowing down at all. It was as if his car was both fast in and fast out. His agility in the corners was supreme and mobility was vastly efficient.

…Such power! Kumi-chan is right… Now let's see what this thing can really do!

Before he knew it, Fu Huo was already in the final section of the test track. The handling was so much different from the previous car. So responsive, Fu Huo could basically make it do anything he wanted to do with it.
He dashed further on and quickly zoomed through the grid.

"Oh my…" called out Kumi, "You've just beaten the course record by nearly a second!"

Fu Huo continued to cruise along in his Evo, laughing hideously like he could not get enough of his new power. He felt virtually invincible. It was almost as if he could leap tall mountains in a single bound, and chomp it down with one swipe.

Fu Huo could not think of anything else; nor his misson, nor his allies, but his lust for absolute power…

"Hello, Maya," greeted Raide, who stood outside Koda's after calling out for her during the afternoon, "…Would you mind if I have a word with your sister?" he asked politely.

"Not at all," replied Maya, crossing her arms as the calm wind blew softly into her face. "…Want to sign her up for Dreadnaught already, I see? It's not like she's that good,"

"Minako in DNR? To be honest, I haven't really thought of that. But I believe she has some potential. I saw her race first hand during her debut on the downhill, and it was just marvelous," praised Raide.

"Hold up. I'll go and get her," confirmed Maya, walking back into the café. As she expected, she easily found Minako during her cleaning shift. She was mopping the floors quietly and patiently, humming to herself different tunes at random.
"Yo, Mina," called out Maya, "Someone here to see ya, girl. He's outside,"
"Okay," replied Minako softly.
"Oh don't worry, it's only Raide. No need to be shy," teased Maya.

Without saying another word, Minako stepped out of the café to greet Raide briefly.
"You… wanted to see me?" she spoke.
"Yes, good afternoon, how are you?" greeted Raide.
"I'm fine, thanks,"

Raide slowly walked partially around her and began to explain a few issues; "You've been driving the D1 Route for a while now, haven't you?"
"Um…yes,"
"…As a D1 local, you've basically know the whole way back to front and front to back, don't you?"
"Well, I wouldn't say as much," replied Minako shyly, "But you can say that I've done it enough times to get sick of it,"

"Is that so?" continued Raide, "I was watching you race against that foreigner. Call it luck if you want, but I'd say it was not a bad performance at all. Your skills seemed natural that night,"

"My opponent was slow and unfamiliar with the course," excused Minako, "I did not use any special technique,"

"That's not the case," objected Raide, "Your approach, your sense, your style… they all faintly remind me of Fukada Kumiko and Chuan Fu Huo,"
"But it was Fu Huo who was navigating for me that night. He was the one who advised me on my actions," explained Minako.
"I see… However, I would like to find out how well you hold up on your own. If you are free, please race with me tonight at ten on Route D1,"

"Um… with all due respect, what gives you the slightest idea that I'd be interested in racing again?" replied Minako.

Raide looked deeply at Minako. He looked at her with a rather blank expression for a certain time, and finally replied, "…Because I know what you really want. I know what you've been wanting all this time…"

He paused, and smiled to himself briefly, then spoke, "I know that you want to become better than Chuan Fu Huo…"