As Yang Fan stepped to the edge of the hull and took out a signal gun…
“Puff~”
“Puff~”
“Puff~”
On the race lanes, all the [Ship Maidens] lifted their bows.
Every [Ship Maiden] was waiting for the gunshot, ready to burst forward at the very first instant.
“Damn it! Zheng Hao, you idiot!”
“I thought you had some grand plan! So confident? Racing me with an [E-grade Ship Maiden]? Without the boost of a ‘Support Talent,’ you think you can beat me? If you beat me, I’ll eat…”
Gripping the helm tightly beneath him, Zhou Hang squeezed so hard that the [Ship Maiden] under him winced in pain.
“3…2…”
At the same time.
Inside the [Demon Ship], Mo Yurou’s face began to pale.
Truthfully, she was already deeply moved that Zheng Hao was willing to take her into the race.
But when it came to a real, head-on competition, she knew her stats would be crushed by the other [Ship Maidens].
“It’s over… Zheng Hao, what are we going to do?”
Her despairing eyes looked at Zheng Hao, yet his expression remained calm. He was thinking about something else entirely.
“10 magic points… That’s not even enough to raise a few of your attributes… Hey! Zheng Hao!”
“We can’t even win the race! Why are you thinking about that?!”
“Who says we can’t win? Now… raise the propeller speed to the maximum!”
“Huh? But… but the gun hasn’t fired yet! We can’t move until it does!”
“I’m just telling you to increase speed, not move.”
“But if we do that… once it starts, won’t I just shoot forward immediately?”
“Exactly!”
“We’ll use the launch to create distance! While they’re still accelerating, we’ll rely on our high starting speed to pull ahead! That way, even with the speed difference between us and the [C-grade Ship Maidens], we can still stretch out some distance!”
“Huh? Launch… can you really do that?”
“Why not? I call this… a catapult start!”
He pressed the throttle button on Mo Yurou’s black-stockinged thigh. Her face flushed instantly, and she let out a soft hum.
“Mm…”
“Buzz buzz buzz~”
The propellers beneath the water began spinning rapidly, churning up a trail of bubbles.
In this world, because the original author lacked proper knowledge about ship mechanics, these [Navigators] would only start their [Ship Maidens] properly after the gunshot.
But ships were, in essence, not that different from race cars.
Before the gunshot, pre-igniting and warming up the engine was common knowledge among yacht racers. Zheng Hao had learned these basics before transmigrating.
The natives of [Demon Sea Star] knew nothing about this!
Beneath him, Mo Yurou’s face grew redder and redder.
Under her black stockings, her fair skin flushed with a bewitching pink hue.
The movement of the hull triggered corresponding reactions in the [Ship Maiden]’s true body.
“Don’t be afraid… accelerate! Push it!!!”
He kept pressing against her thigh, and the dial shot up to its limit of [40].
Zheng Hao felt as if he were lying atop a furnace. Sweat began forming across his body.
In a flash!
“2…1!!!”
“Bang!!!”
Yang Fan fired a [signal flare]. On the four race lanes, three [Ship Maidens] began to tremble and vibrate. After bubbles churned beneath them, they slowly accelerated forward!
“It’s starting! With three [C-grade Ship Maidens], shouldn’t the Yang Family’s ships take the lead immediately? That idiot Zheng Hao. Racing isn’t flirting. A speed gap is a real gap. I say he’ll be half a lap behind at the start!”
“…”
After the gunshot, the crowd burst into heated discussion.
Liu Ruyan crossed her arms, watching with the air of someone waiting for a show.
But…
“Vroom vroom vroom~”
No one expected it!
Right after the gunshot, it was not any of the [C-grade Ship Maidens] that shot out first.
It was the [Demon Ship]!
Like an arrow already drawn on a bowstring, the [Demon Ship] shot forward with a “whoosh,” tearing through the starting line and leaving behind a spray of white waves!
“Vroom vroom vroom~”
Like a streak of black lightning, it flashed ahead!
While the other [Ship Maidens] were still building up speed, the [Demon Ship] had already surged 200 to 300 meters ahead!
“Holy crap! W-What was that?!”
“Did it just fly past?!”
“What the hell?! I’ve seen an S-grade [Ship Maiden] start before, and even that wasn’t this fast or this fierce!”
“…”
Silence fell over the crowd!
That battered, twisted, seemingly fragile black hull was charging ahead alone, the first to rush toward the turning line!
“Ruyan… Mo Yurou’s start seems… even stronger than yours?”
Lin Man stared with her mouth wide open.
Liu Ruyan’s pupils shrank, and the corner of her mouth twitched. “No! Impossible! I’ve seen Mo Yurou’s stat panel before. Her propeller speed is only [40]…”
“Then… that start just now?”
“If there’s nothing wrong with the [Ship Maiden]… could it be Zheng Hao… did Zheng Hao do something to Mo Yurou?”
“Zheng Hao?!”
“What could he possibly do?!”
“He…”
Her disdain slowly faded. Thinking about how Zheng Hao had seemed like a different person lately, Liu Ruyan’s gaze became uncertain. “Could it be… some special technique taught by Zheng Yunlong?”
“Has he been hiding his strength all along?”
She stared at the [Demon Ship].
On the sea, waves surged. Although it had shot far ahead at the start, it was still an [E-grade Ship Maiden]. Soon, its insufficient speed allowed the three [C-grade Ship Maidens] to catch up, draw level, and prepare to overtake!
“Tsk… That start just now had something to it…”
“Could it be Zheng Hao has been playing dumb to fool everyone? Some big sea-region sailing technique secretly taught by his father, Zheng Yunlong?”
At the starting point, Yang Fan also watched the [Demon Ship] in surprise.
But after a short moment, he smiled in understanding.
“Technique? In the face of absolute stats, technique fades into insignificance…”
“The three [C-grade Ship Maidens] have already overtaken him. After this turn comes a straight stretch. They’ll probably leave the [Demon Ship] half a lap behind…”
He shook his head. Although the [Demon Ship]’s start had been brilliant and eye-catching, that was all it amounted to.
“Vroom vroom vroom~”
“Vroom vroom vroom~”
At a rotation speed of [40], the [Demon Ship] struggled toward the turn. Meanwhile, the other three [Ship Maidens] had already pulled ahead by a ship-length.
“Damn! I didn’t expect it… You spoiled brat actually have some tricks!”
“I’ve never seen that technique even in the major sea regions! I underestimated you!”
“But that ship is still trash! From here on out, I’m leading!!!”
On the leading [C-grade Ship Maiden], Zhou Hang shot Zheng Hao a surprised glance.
He had been pressing firmly on his [Ship Maiden]’s thigh without letting go. As they approached the turn, he swiftly tapped the deceleration control behind the [Ship Maiden].
“Whoosh whoosh whoosh~”
The small ship rapidly reduced speed to [30], edging closer to the inside of the turn.
Everyone knew that turns must not be taken at full speed!
If a C-grade [Ship Maiden] attempted to turn at full speed of [60], the sharp turn could cause the hull to tilt and capsize. Or, if the turn was mistimed, it could crash into the [reef zone] outside the curve!
In either case…
A single mistake in handling would end the race for that [Ship Maiden].
Zhou Hang clearly had studied this turn carefully.
Only at the precise limit of the corner did he drop speed instantly, gently turning the helm. As the bow began to rotate, he pressed the [Ship Maiden]’s thigh again, carefully increasing speed.
“Vroom vroom vroom~”
In the next moment, the [C-grade Ship Maiden] hugged the inner curve, gradually shifting position. Just as the hull began drifting toward the outer edge, she completed the turn successfully and narrowly cleared the corner!