F1: The Making of a Racing God

Chapter 29 A real man masturbates with one hand

As the brain's initial protective mechanisms wore off, a piercing pain, like an electric current, shot through my arm and into my head.

The bones in his right hand may be broken.

The worst part wasn't even that; with each breath, a sharp pain shot through his lower right rib area, making him afraid to breathe too deeply.

The worst part is that the pain gradually worsens as Shu Long uses his left hand to forcefully operate the steering wheel.

The pessimistic estimate is that the ribs may also be affected.

The thought of giving up flashed through his mind, but when he thought about the money that would have to be spent in the future because of today's failure, Shu Long's mind immediately perked up.

Who dares to touch my family's money? I'll fight you to the death!

At the same time, a new entry called "Energy Special" with a 100% unlock rate also appeared abruptly in Shulong's panel.

However, at this moment, Shu Long had no energy to care about these things. He parked the car in the last unfamiliar starting grid, and the red traffic lights ahead began to light up one by one.

Shu Long blinked hard, squeezing away the tears that had just welled up in his eyes from the pain. He then simulated shifting gears a few times, finding the least painful position.

Lights out, start running!

Perhaps the pain spurred him on, and this start was nothing short of the best in history. He had only shifted into third gear when he surged from 28th to 17th on the starting straight.

It sounds like a lot, but it's actually only about five rows of positions.

The bad news is that the drivers in the back row are relatively less skilled, so it's normal for them to be able to overtake like this.

The good news is that two of the front-row drivers who posed a significant threat to Shulong have now retired.

Entering the first curve, brake and downshift.

Shu Long wanted to use his right hand to help stabilize the steering wheel a little, but his right forearm suddenly roared out a silent protest, which was probably a cry of pain - "Shifting gears is fine, but if you dare to use force to turn the steering wheel, believe me, I'll die on the spot!"

The KZ2 go-kart has no power steering at all. Previously, Shulong was able to operate it with one hand on his own track only because the track was too small and the speed was too low. Now, on this large track, the cornering speed is close to 80 km/h, and the steering wheel is ridiculously heavy.

When he wasn't injured, he probably wouldn't have been this strained, but now, when Shulong exerts himself, he feels his eyes turn white.

Not only was it painful, but I also couldn't breathe properly.

After enduring five bends in a row, a short straight finally appeared, allowing Shulong to catch his breath.

Despite putting in so much effort, this time he not only failed to rise in rank, but actually dropped from 17th to 18th.

There was no way around it; it hurt too much to control the car. In order to protect the inside line, Shulong had no choice but to ride on the kerb slightly, but that one move almost knocked his soul out of his body.

Fortunately, the 85% [endurance, tolerance] is not to be underestimated. Everyone knows that when physical strength is pushed to the limit, it is all about perseverance. The "tolerance" in this entry includes the ability to withstand various negative physical conditions.

As he got used to driving the car for the first two laps, Shu Long gradually became accustomed to the rhythm of driving the race car with one hand, and was even able to ignore the constant pain to some extent.

Those who have watched the Death Tape Race in Initial D know that, in addition to the steering wheel, controlling the car's center of gravity is also crucial for steering.

This is what Shulong is currently doing on racing cars. If neutral steering is the most efficient way to use tires and traction, then what Shulong is doing is adding just the right amount of oversteer on top of neutral steering.

By braking more aggressively than usual when entering a corner, Shulong transfers most of the vehicle's weight to the front wheels while reducing the downforce on the rear wheels. This slight slippage of the rear wheels helps him to steer the vehicle with less effort.

A more aggressive throttle response when exiting a corner allows the car's center of gravity to return to the rear wheels as quickly as possible, thus mitigating the aftereffects of "corner slippage" through subtle control of balance.

It's thanks to the KZ2's advanced design with both front and rear brakes that such extreme tracking is achieved. In the past, a two-stroke direct-drive go-kart with only rear-wheel braking would have locked up and fishtailed long ago.

Excessive tire slippage will inevitably affect the transmission of traction, but this is the only way to avoid it at present. If we don't do this, I feel that my body might not be able to withstand it after a few laps.

Fortunately, this aggressive driving style, which feels like it could lose control at any moment, not only results in reckless line selection but also creates a highly aggressive visual effect, making you feel like you might get elbowed by the rear of this race car at any moment.

In racing, there's no room for politeness or deference; it's all about taking advantage and pushing your luck. Anyone labeled a rookie doesn't even qualify to take on the challenge.

When fear creeps into the confrontation, it leaves obvious gaps in both driving style and route selection. On the contrary, the bleeding spirit ignited by pain allows the Dragon-Binding Blade to seize these gaps, and with the assistance of [Fiery Eyes], its progress is far faster than it expected.

Another yellow flag was issued during the race. The drivers were indeed a bit too hot-tempered on the track today, thanks in no small part to the older female staff who helped them before the race.

This time, not only did it eliminate three opponents for Shulong, it also helped him make up for the time he wasted in the back row of cars.

After another nine laps of continuous attack and defense, the race reached the middle stage, and Shu Long miraculously rose to fourth place.

It was like a stunt show of overtaking without any resistance, but Shu Long, who had been highly focused, only felt that his vision was a little blurry and his lips and throat seemed particularly dry.

What's going on? Could it be that his old problem has flared up again?
Wait a minute! I don't feel sleepy this time.
On lap 14, Shu Long finally got close to the back of the three cars battling ahead.

They fought so fiercely that Shu Long didn't dare to launch an attack easily for a while, lest he be dragged down by some novice and die together with him, which would be a great loss.

On lap 16, the third-placed car lost its rhythm after attempting to overtake on the outside while being blocked by two other cars, which finally allowed Shu Long to find an opening.

But just as he gritted his teeth and rode onto the shoulder to make a strong overtake on the inside, an unexpected slip of the right rear wheel almost caused the car to spin out on the spot.

Fortunately, the slow corners were easier to adjust, and the slightly sideways car blocked the track perfectly. This time, the overtaking maneuver was almost a suicide mission, which is why there was no mishap.

But what exactly happened just now?
On the track model that Shulong had imprinted in his mind, there was nothing that would cause the wheels to lose traction.

Aside from the white lines marking the track boundaries, it's not raining now, and without water, the white lines won't...
Only then did Shu Long, amidst the needle-like pain in his right arm, notice a strange chill. Looking down, he discovered a large, darker patch of liquid that had appeared beneath his black racing suit, clearly soaked with some kind of liquid.

In the blink of an eye, a streak of bright red blood was flung out by the inertia of Shulong as he braked into the corner, and dripped onto the edge of the track.

Is there bleeding? When?
Aside from that one devastating tail strike at the start of the game, what other possibilities are there?
Karting suits are designed to be cut- and abrasion-resistant, so that drivers won't suffer further secondary injuries on the ground when they get off the kart in an accident.

But this thing isn't a solid iron armor. When sharp fragments hit a human body with at least tens of kilograms of force, the clothes might not tear, but the flesh underneath could be damaged.

The pain from continuing high-intensity procedures after a fracture is so overwhelming that even now, Shulong can't really tell which part of the stinging pain is coming from the bleeding wound.

Since we can't tell the difference, let's just ignore it!

After the sudden slip, a sinister plan gradually emerged in Shu Long's mind.

With less than four laps left in the race, and given the injury and unstable car control, it's unrealistic to expect to use this remaining distance to get back to the front row. The drivers who can get to the front row might not be that strong for Shulong, but they are definitely not bad.

Shu Long is now at his physical and mental limit and can hardly afford any additional risks. But what if some controllable unexpected situation occurs on the track?
On lap 17, Shu Long spent the entire lap observing the racing lines and offensive and defensive habits of the two drivers ahead of him.

On lap 18, Shu Long deliberately took an unusual center line at the hairpin turn on number 12, setting a trap by braking hard, which somewhat disrupted his rhythm.

Starting from the nineteenth lap, someone was already laying the groundwork for their all-or-nothing gamble later on.

By constantly pressuring the car in front to adapt to his offensive rhythm, and by appropriately yielding at the crucial moment of vying for position, he created the illusion that the other side was tough and effective.

Finally, on the last lap, Shu Long first overtook the second-place finisher in the first three consecutive corners, putting pressure on the first-place finisher and forcing him to abandon his defense against the second-place finisher and instead block Shu Long's line.

As we approach the long straight before Turn 12, the second-place player clearly had the attitude of "I'm going to take your inside line here." Before gaining a head-to-head position, the safest thing for the first-place player at this point was to block the inside line in the braking zone.

The key issue is that Shulong is now pressing up from behind, looking like he's preparing to take the outside line and carve out a corner.

The current number one is Dan from Great Britain. Despite encountering several unfortunate incidents this year, his overall performance has been quite good, earning him a spot in the World Championships.

As a long-time adversary who had suffered greatly, he knew very well that compared to the Second, an American they had never met before, the one who had dominated them for almost a whole year was the one they could not let go of.

As for whether it would be another trap that would be manipulated into stepping into it, Dan no longer cared about that and chose to block the external lines.

In any case, the outside players have an advantage when going out of corners, which is an effective strategy for defending the inside offense.

Unfortunately, the hot-tempered South American didn't care about anything else. Seeing that such a big gap had been left in the paint, and that Shu Long dared to try to climb over on the outside, he immediately pushed towards the center line.

Besides dispelling Shulong's unrealistic fantasies, this move was also to create a late braking exit angle for himself. In this way, by using a "V" shaped cornering line, he could not only squeeze into Dan's line, but also make up for his own exit disadvantage to a certain extent.

Brake hard! Then understeer!
Thanks to the KZ go-kart's front wheel braking design, the tires are very easy to lock up when the grip suddenly weakens under the strong clamping of the brakes.

After a run of bad luck, Shulong finally got his chance. The second-place finisher precisely caught up with the last remaining small patch of rut in the brake zone where the tire rubber was most abundant.

As expected of a driver from South America, he immediately straightened the steering wheel the moment he noticed the understeer and regained tire grip by applying more pressure to the brakes.

The slippage lasted only a moment, but he had already adopted a late braking strategy. By the time he was ready to enter the corner, Dan was already blocking his way. To avoid a collision and a time penalty, he had to slam on the brakes again. In the rush, the balance between the gear and the engine speed, which he hadn't had time to adjust, was completely broken.

The torpedo that suddenly appeared from the side startled Dan. Although there was no collision, Dan was somewhat blocked from exiting the corner by the second-place runner. Meanwhile, Shu Long had already leisurely cut into the inside line and passed him, returning to the lead after seventeen laps.

Then, unsurprisingly, he crossed the finish line.

"Did he win? Dude, are you sure we didn't see wrong? Did he really win?!"

"Racing number 263, yes, if nothing unexpected happens, you can start reading your prepared script."

The two commentators in the studio, who had followed Shu Long's racing career almost all the way, felt both wistful and proud.

Those who can enter this industry, besides their own professional skills, are mostly pure motorsport enthusiasts.

Of course, it's unavoidable that they each have their own preferences to some extent, but in a competitive sport, ability is the most influential credential.

When you lack ability, no one cares how difficult things are for you. No matter how hard you try, you only impress yourself. Others will have plenty of excuses to look down on you and discriminate against you.

But if you have the power—you can even make the black side white for you!

Fortunately, Zhou Guanyu dispelled most of the doubts in the industry a year in advance, letting them know that a five-star red flag needed to be prepared backstage for the podium and that the Chinese national anthem needed to be added to the radio program.

Since entering this circle, Shu Long has not faced too much criticism. He hears more criticism from players in other clubs outside the arena, but inside the arena, there is more amazement and comparison.

In the broadcasting room, Stan, whose eyes had been following the protagonist under the eulogy, noticed something amiss and quickly patted his partner, who was still passionately reciting the hymn he had been composing for two months.

"Joseph, something's wrong. The dragon seems unable to stand up."

"what?"

Joseph was initially annoyed by the interruption, but when he looked in the direction Stan was pointing, he immediately exclaimed in surprise and hurriedly called the medical staff on the sidelines to check on the situation.

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(End of this chapter)