[Daily Quest has been Issued!]
Luca sat up and stared at the system's interface mistrustfully.
He vividly remembered the last time it dispensed him a Daily Quest related to the race. It wasn't a moral one at all, so Luca feared this one might be similar.
[-·-BEAT THE BACK STRAIGHT TIME OF THIS 56-LAP RACE-·-]
[CLEAR IT IN LESS THAN 8.00 SEC]
Luca squinted his eyes at the read again before nodding understandably. This one was more ethical and felt like a quest indeed.
An almost impossible one.
It meant Luca had to launch out of Turn 13 with the perfect exit, deploy every ounce of ERS, and hold the throttle flat while managing the car's aerodynamics like a balancing act.
He would have to prevent any wiggling, wasted motion, or slight hesitation in the throttle.
Even if he did all these things—nail the exit, deploy full ERS, keep the car perfectly balanced—he still wouldn't beat such a time when the average run down the back straight hovered around 10 to 12 seconds for even the fastest cars.
Luca rubbed his forehead. He was thinking of ways to win the race, and the system was providing more distracting thoughts.
Seriously, the only way Luca could accomplish this Daily Quest was by using Sync Buff. With no Sync Buff, he might as well kiss his almost one-year streak of completing Daily Quests goodbye.
[Reward for Completing Saturday's Daily Quest: (EXP)
-Tire Wear Management +1
Reward for Completing Saturday's Daily Quest: (Tools)
[Consequence for Failing Saturday Daily Quest: Punishment
Luca stood up from the bench, sheer disbelief written all over his face.
He wanted to commend the system for its absolute mastery in manipulation.
Offering five Catalysts for this? The system really knew how to put two and two together.
Beating 8.00 seconds on Shanghai's back straight was a joke, and the system was trapping Luca with hope. It was like dangling a key right in front of his face, only to move it away just as he reached for it.
The sore throat punishment wasn't even that bad, but Luca WANTED those Catalysts. He sighed, realizing he was standing before sitting down again.
"I'll try. It doesn't cost anything to try, after all."
"...Ahead of today's main event, we'd like to remind all attendees to follow the safety protocols in place. Please remain in your designated areas, and for those in the Crown Hospitality Club, hospitality services will continue throughout the race...."
"...Team strategists are finalizing their race plans, mechanics are making last-minute checks, and drivers are preparing to take their positions on the grid. Stay tuned as we count down to lights out...!"
Luca was fully armored in Jackson Racing's Blanche, save for his gloves and balaclava. He picked up his MP3 and earpiece before walking to a locker and tossing them in.
After that, he moved out into the main garage, his own teammate nowhere to be found. Sometimes, Luca wondered what Rodnick actually did before a race. Nothing?
"Luca?" "Are you ready?" "You're looking sharp mate!" "All set?"
"...Please give a warm welcome to the President of the People's Republic of China, who is here to witness the return of Formula 1 to Shanghai..."
The English announcement followed right after the Mandarin version, and a sonorous round of applause filled the circuit.
"The president is present?" Luca whispered, his gaze fixed on the wall-mounted TVs in the garage. The President of China was on his feet, waving to his people. "Nice."
"...This is a reminder: all non-essential personnel must vacate the pit lane in the next three minutes..."
The race was set to kick off in the next five minutes, and all drivers were expected to manually roll out their cars to their respective grid positions within the next few minutes.
Luca stared straight ahead as the meticulous Jackson Racing crew attended to his racing suit, ensuring everything was well-fitted and secured. Meanwhile, Mr. Matthews and the rest of the strategists gave a final rundown of how the race would unfold for Luca.
He was starting on softs. Two pit stops planned, both replacing the soft compounds with another fresh set. And aggressive would be his racing approach.
Mr. Matthews predicted great points for the team this Chinese Grand Prix since Rodnick was starting at P3 and Luca at P5. If the race ended this way, they were already walking away with the most points.
So, it was up to Luca to join Rodnick in the podium spots, and for Rodnick to maintain his position or climb to P1.
Speaking of Rodnick, he finally emerged into the garage, fist-bumping every crew member he walked past before approaching Luca.
"Softs today for you, brother. Don't burn through them too fast," Rodnick said with a chuckle. "Just promise not to get in my way when it matters, alright?"
Luca nodded, though his mind responded differently. "Don't worry," he replied. "I plan on seeing you on the podium, preferably from a step higher."
It took Rodnick a few seconds to process the words, and then he laughed out loud, patting Luca on the shoulder like some drunk bloke in a bar. "We'll see," he muttered before pulling on his balaclava.
Luca put on his own as well, and the crew resumed their endless prodding over his body.
Eventually, he was geared up and ready to go. The Ferraris waited by the side like horses before a charge.
[SYNCHRONIZING HOST....]
[SYNCHRONIZATION COMPLETE]
[Host is now synced with Ferrari (JRX-92B)]
**Alright, Luca, let's have a clean rollout. Systems are all green**
**Softs today, remember. Manage them well, especially into Sector 3**
A brief pause as Luca waved the Jackson Racing crew beside him goodbye, moving the Ferrari forward.
**Bring points home. This is a big one**
Luca nodded, his helmet bobbing up and down as he entered the pit lane, moving under the trampoline tunnel. "Copy. Let's do this."
The home straight gradually filled up with single-seaters of varying colors, weaving left and right.