Pegasus Episode 14 Recap
> Pegasus Recap
Welcome to the recording of "Speed Cross," a 36-hour road race featuring new teams. Three teams are introduced: Bulls Racing Team with NOEL and her co-driver Qian Yujia, Master Racing Team with Li Aoduo and his co-driver Song Yuandao, and Speeding Racing Team with Zhendong and his co-driver Hong Kuo. The race will have two timed sections, and the winner will be determined by the shortest combined time.
To add excitement, three different cars are provided: a comfortable SUV (high power, good capacity, high fuel consumption), an urban scooter (low power, poor capacity, fuel efficient), and an original best-selling car (at least 15 years old, 0. 8L engine, high fuel consumption), each with only twenty liters of gas. The teams have three minutes to choose. Before the car selection, Zhendong is given an energy drink by someone (implied to be part of a setup).
He feels suffocated, and his alternate personality takes over. This personality immediately picks the old Santana, seeing it as a classic. He then proposes a bet to the other teams: the racer who finishes last must clean the winner's car, and it will be recorded and played repeatedly in the trailer. Li Aoduo and NOEL agree, with Li Aoduo picking the urban scooter and NOEL taking the SUV. The race begins with Zhendong in the Santana in last place.
His alternate personality drives aggressively, throwing luggage out of the trunk to "save fuel," which Hong Kuo notes won't make a significant difference and worries about the high fuel consumption. Hong Kuo remarks on NOEL's skillful driving. Meanwhile, back at the Speeding team base, Zhang Chi and Ji Xing discuss Zhendong's participation, with Ji Xing keen to see if Zhendong is applying the techniques he taught him, despite Zhendong having signed a non-disclosure agreement for the show.
Later, the Santana breaks down. Zhendong's primary personality returns, disoriented and struggling to breathe, only realizing he's on a mountain. Hong Kuo explains Zhendong had a strong reaction to the energy drink and insisted on going for a drive. After getting the car started, Zhendong learns they are far behind, with Li Aoduo ten kilometers ahead and NOEL eight kilometers ahead. Hong Kuo also informs him about the bet his alternate personality made. Zhendong accepts the news without anger.
As the first day's race concludes, NOEL arrives first at the rest point due to her car's efficiency. Li Aoduo arrives with less fuel remaining. Unsurprisingly, Zhendong's team is last. At the rest stop, Li Aoduo mockingly welcomes Zhendong, who is trying to understand his team's strategy. The show's directors arranged for everyone to stay together for program effect. Li Aoduo's team has enough fuel to finish, and NOEL's team is similar.
When Zhendong goes to set up their tents, he finds the tents were thrown away by his alternate personality to "save fuel." Li Aoduo, feigning concern about them using poor sleep as an excuse for losing, invites Zhendong and Hong Kuo to squeeze into their larger tent. The next morning, the race continues. Zhendong asks Hong Kuo if he believes the alternate personality is a better driver.
Hong Kuo denies this, attributing Zhendong's feelings to a "mental problem" that needs to be overcome. Hong Kuo reveals that the rest of the route involves driving downhill along cliff edges, which is Zhendong's biggest fear. He admits that bringing Zhendong here was part of a plan by himself, Zhang Chi, and Shen Xiting, not just for the prize money, but to force Zhendong to confront his fears and cautious nature.
During this section, Zhendong gets stuck in a rut and feels frustrated, comparing himself to the old car and his alternate personality to a high-end vehicle like Li Aoduo's. Hong Kuo encourages him not to give up, reminding him that real dilemmas require self-reliance. Hong Kuo helps push the car while Zhendong maneuvers it free.
Hong Kuo then tells Zhendong that to catch up, he must take the remaining 36 cliff bends at full speed, even if it means risking going off the edge, and Hong Kuo promises to be with him if that happens. Zhendong starts driving the bends with increasing skill. They soon encounter Li Aoduo and NOEL's teams in distress.
Li Aoduo explains that NOEL's car is stuck on a steep cliff slope, and their car ran out of gas while trying to pull it up, leaving them only able to hold it with a rope to prevent it from falling further. Hong Kuo quickly attaches their rope to NOEL's car. Despite being told by Li Aoduo that getting closer could make the situation worse, Zhendong must position his car carefully.
Hong Kuo instructs Zhendong to accelerate at full speed and pull NOEL's car up while simultaneously executing a sharp L5 turn right near the cliff edge. Zhendong is terrified, flashbacks hinting at a past traumatic experience involving height and cliffs. Hong Kuo urges him on, invoking the spirit and motto of the Dakar Rally: courage, wisdom, determination, freedom. Overcoming his fear, Zhendong fully accelerates, successfully pulls up NOEL's car, and navigates the dangerous bend, saving both teams.
After the rescue, Ai Fei, the co-driver for the Bulls Racing Team, reveals her face to thank Zhendong, acknowledging his bravery. Li Aoduo concedes the victory to Zhendong, stating that Zhendong's heroic act of saving everyone, combined with their own car troubles, made the outcome clear. Back at the team base, Zhendong triumphantly tells Zhang Chi that he managed to keep the car within centimeters of the edge while cornering at high speed, proving he overcame his fear.
Zhang Chi credits Hong Kuo for this breakthrough. Hong Kuo confirms that the whole setup, including the energy drink, was designed with Zhang Chi and Shen Xiting to push Zhendong beyond his comfort zone and force him to rely on instinct and bravery. Shen Xiting admits the energy drink idea was theirs to trigger Zhendong's alternate personality and challenge him. Later, Zhendong returns home to visit his mother, bringing her fresh fruit from the mountain.
His mother is still concerned about his car racing but then shares surprising news: his father, Yu Tai'ang, is alive. Zhendong reveals he already knew because his father called him at the airport before he left, saying he had watched Zhendong's race, which was the moment Zhendong decided to commit to being a racer. His mother recounts her past with Yu Tai'ang, explaining that after failing at the Dakar Rally, he disappeared and never returned.
She tells Zhendong that every New Year's Eve, she receives a silent phone call which she believes is Yu Tai'ang, unable to face his failure and having abandoned them because his desire to conquer Dakar was more important than his family and partners. Despite her heartfelt plea for Zhendong to stop racing and not let his father's obsession influence him, Zhendong insists on continuing.
He states he wants to race, not just to prove himself, but to defeat Yu Tai'ang and show him the strength that comes from family and friends. He feels he lost his true self on a go-kart seventeen years ago and is finding it again through racing with the Speeding team. He accepts the potential hardships of this path and tells his mother he doesn't need protection and must venture out on his own.
He informs her he will complete the next race independently and would be encouraged if she could be there to support him. In a separate storyline, Sun Yuqiang returns to the Speeding team after being away for a week. Ji Xing, knowing he needs money, sends him a significant sum without being asked. Sun Yuqiang reconnects with an old classmate, Wu Linjiang, who is now seemingly wealthy.
Wu Linjiang brags about his success, attributing it to understanding the "information gap" and "standing on the feed." He pitches Sun Yuqiang an investment opportunity involving graphics cards, hinting at massive profits and taking him to his "company." Upon arrival, Sun Yuqiang is met with an excessively enthusiastic welcome from a large group of employees, making him realize he has been led into a pyramid scheme.
He tries to leave, but Wu Linjiang insists he stay overnight to experience the company's atmosphere. At the Master Racing Team base, Wei Qianli harshly criticizes Li Aoduo and Song Yuandao for losing the first rookie race to Zhendong, accusing them of tarnishing the team's reputation. Li Aoduo presents their strategy for the upcoming Baochuan Circuit, which features wider tracks and gentler bends compared to the previous circuit.
Their plan involves a high-risk approach, using a technique similar to drifting called "Trail Braking" to gain time on corners, which Li Aoduo names "Full Moon and Scimitar," noting Zhendong's aggressive cornering in the last race. Wei Qianli dismisses this as unnecessary "fancy tricks," stating that Master cars are superior and simply performing at their trained level should be enough to win. He emphasizes that success in racing primarily depends on the car, although the racer is also important.
