As Zheng Mao pressed down the joystick, he was prepared for the drone to crash.
However, upon entering the turn, Zheng Mao was astonished to find that at such high speeds, the Black Wolf was flying incredibly stably, without any drift. Following his commands, it weaved and phased through the track as if it had a life of its own.
"It's so stable!"
He never imagined that a drone could possess such maneuverability at a blistering 180 kph. Steering at 80 kph was entirely different from steering at 180 kph.
An average drone enthusiast could easily control a drone to turn at 80 kph after a couple of days of practice.
Even the most elite professional racers couldn't guarantee they could freely maneuver a drone at 180 kph.
Zheng Mao knew he wasn't at the level of a top professional. The only reason he could execute high-speed directional changes was because the Black Wolf had gained sentience and was actively cooperating with his commands.
Taking a deep breath, Zheng Mao kept his left hand on the acceleration joystick and pulled the right joystick to the side, angling the drone. Utilizing the artificial wind on the track, he increased his speed once more.
With the wind's assistance and navigating through two consecutive S-bends, Zheng Mao not only caught up to the second tier but also started to latch onto the tail of the first tier.
On the commentary desk, the announcers widened their eyes and shouted with disbelief.
"Is this even humanly possible? Navigating three S-bends at over 180 kilometers per hour!"
Inside the Black Wolf team's lounge, the atmosphere was heavy with despair. Seeing the Black Wolf overtake one opponent after another, they suddenly stood up, hope reigniting in their eyes.
Team manager Liu Yi lightly punched Chen Yuan Shan's shoulder, "Old Chen, you're too much! You fixed the Black Wolf but lied to us, saying it wasn't repaired."
"Confess, where did you find a master modifier who could boost the Black Wolf's performance to such terrifying levels?"
Chen Yuan Shan was in a daze, his eyes vacant, answering a question that wasn't asked, "I never imagined he was a true master modifier!"
...
Zheng Mao paid no mind to the external discussions, his entire focus concentrated on controlling the drone.
Overtaking the second tier and trailing the first tier meant he was at best in fourth place, which was far from enough. Only a championship could save the team from disbandment.
Zheng Mao gritted his teeth and pushed the joystick to the maximum. With the engine roaring, the Black Wolf's speed increased again, closing the gap with the leading pack.
By this time, the race commentators had recovered and switched the camera to the first-tier teams.
"The Black Wolf team's secret weapon is incredibly powerful; they've successfully caught up to the leading pack. However, ahead lies our specially designed obstacle: they need to pass through a hoop and then execute a 180-degree turn, or they'll crash into the obstacle and be eliminated on the spot!"
"Beautiful! The 'Kong Duan' team merely reduced speed and perfectly navigated the first obstacle with a large drift. The 'San Yue' and 'Cang Lan' teams' drones have also arrived; they are slowing down to prepare for the turn."
"The Black Wolf team's drone has arrived too. What is he doing?"
"Oh my god! Look, not only did he not slow down, but he actually increased his speed! Turning at such a speed has a very low success rate, and even if he succeeds, the wings might break off!"
Sprint, flip, gyrate!
Under the gaze of thousands, Zheng Mao piloted the Black Wolf drone, flipping it upside down and right-side up. At a breakneck 220 kph, using the baton to adjust its center of gravity, he incredibly flew out from the obstacle point upside down.
Drones primarily rely on propellers for thrust; being upside down easily turns them into spinning tops, losing control.
If he hadn't been out of options and the distance to the leading drones was too great, Zheng Mao wouldn't have dared to attempt such a maneuver.
Pull back, counter-rotate, lateral flight!
Zheng Mao operated with lightning speed, the joysticks seemingly sparking. Relying on the high-precision chip crafted by Jing Ming Qiu, the Black Wolf drone perfectly stabilized and, at 220 kph, sped towards the next obstacle.
The spectators at the arena, witnessing this spectacular display, couldn't help but stand up and erupt into thunderous applause!
"This maneuver by the Black Wolf team is truly brilliant!" the commentator exclaimed, also standing up. "After this death roll, he has left the 'San Yue' and 'Cang Lan' teams behind. Now, only the 'Kong Duan' team remains!"
"It's the final 50-meter straight sprint. Who will claim the championship? Let's wait and see!"
Zheng Mao kept his eyes fixed on the 'Duan Kong' team's drone ahead, constantly making minute adjustments to the Black Wolf's angle, using the air resistance it generated to increase the Black Wolf's speed.
Fifty meters, thirty meters, twenty meters.
The gap between the Black Wolf and the 'Duan Kong' team's drone narrowed. Just as it was about to catch its prey, a burst of flame erupted from beneath the 'Duan Kong' team's drone, significantly increasing its speed and crossing the finish line just before the Black Wolf.
The Black Wolf followed closely, a mere half a body length behind, missing the championship by a hair. But this did not dampen the audience's cheers!
Unlike the crowd, Zheng Mao was deeply dejected. After setting the Black Wolf to automatic return, he removed his FPV goggles and walked back dejectedly, just as Chen Yuan Shan approached him.
"I'm sorry, Coach," Zheng Mao said apologetically, his face full of remorse. "I've disappointed you. I couldn't win the championship, and I couldn't save our team!"
Chen Yuan Shan chuckled, half amused and half resigned. "You silly kid, why push yourself so hard! The investors didn't require us to be champions; finishing in the top three is more than enough."
"That's a relief! We got second place, so the team is saved..."
The other members of the Black Wolf team rushed over, lifting him into the air and cheering, tossing him skyward.
Team manager Sun Yi was also beaming with joy. However, he didn't join the celebration. Instead, he led team engineer Li Yong to the control console and carefully collected the Black Wolf.
He knew that while Zheng Mao's efforts were crucial to this victory, the greatest contributor was undoubtedly this Black Wolf drone!
The Black Wolf was custom-made by him through a master, and no one on the team understood its capabilities better than he did.
Reaching speeds of over 200 kph, maneuvering through numerous obstacles at maximum speed with such ease was not something that could be achieved with a mere 100,000 yuan modification fee.
"Old Li, what's the deal with this drone?"
Li Yong shook his head vigorously. "Manager Sun, I'm not entirely sure. This drone hasn't undergone significant modifications, except for a dozen chips on the mainboard; the rest is original."
"However, these original parts have been subtly altered. To measure exactly where the modifications were made, it would require a complete disassembly and measurement with professional equipment."
"The only thing I can confirm is that this is the signature modification technique of those international team master modifiers – not selecting high-performance parts, but directly fabricating the most suitable ones."
"Ah, Manager," Li Yong paused, "Didn't Coach Chen have someone repair the Black Wolf? Why don't you just ask him?"
Sun Yi slapped his thigh forcefully. "Right! Why am I guessing here? I should just ask!"
"Coach Chen, Coach Chen! Where did you find..."
Sun Yi had only asked half the question when he suddenly noticed several pairs of eyes secretly staring at him!