F1: Starting with a Simulator Master

As he drove onto the long straightaway trying to keep up with the car in front, the world disappeared.

Disappearance in the literal sense.

The four wheels of the car in front whipped up a huge water dragon, which was not just a semi-transparent particle effect like in the game.

That was clearly a wall.

A white, despairing wall made of countless splashing water droplets.

Visibility: zero, not even close, practically zero.

In iRacing or Assetto Corsa, even with all effects turned on, the water mist is just a filter covering the screen.

Most hardcore gamers who prioritize performance will even turn off particle effects to gain a perspective similar to a wallhack.

Even with low graphics settings, Luo Xiu insisted on using all effects, which meant he would face the particle effects in the game.

They developed the ability to drive blindly by listening to the sound and identifying the location.

However, the visual difference is much greater than in the game, which makes Luo Xiu feel a little uncomfortable.

He blinked subconsciously, trying to see further into the distance.

But it was still that white wall that kept assaulting his visual senses.

Faced with a white wall devoid of any reference points, Luo Xiu lost all visual anchors in the real world.

The Mind Palace couldn't simulate a sufficiently realistic water particle effect, but it can do something more important.

At this moment, Luo Xiu was different from the others.

On the Sepang racetrack in Luo Xiu's mental palace, there is a Luo Xiu driving a race car that completely overlaps with his real self.

The difference is that in addition to the white wall, the Temple of Thought also has a virtual signal marking driving lanes and braking points.

Luo Xiu was confident that even with his eyes closed in the real world, he could still pinpoint his position on the track before he closed his eyes.

He can drive blindly, just like a rally driver who dares to speed along the road by only listening to the route book.

However, he didn't rely on a road map, but rather on real-time coordinates simulated within his mental palace.

The mental display shows that there are still 200 meters to the 100-meter brake sign; although it is not visible, it is definitely there.

Faced with a white wall devoid of any reference points, Luo Xiu lost all visual anchors in the real world.

But that didn't matter. Luo Xiu completely surrendered his body to instinct, his right foot still not letting up.

The best braking point in rainy weather is 100 meters from the brake sign. Braking even a meter earlier is a waste, and braking even a meter later will result in crashing into a wall.

At that moment, everyone became blind, and no one dared to push themselves to the limit before braking.

Except for Luo Xiu.

"T4, standing water, keep right."

Chen Pengfei's voice came through the headphones, accompanied by static.

This is information that the Mind Palace cannot simulate in advance.

Following the instructions, Luo Xiu fine-tuned the steering wheel, and a minefield was immediately marked on the track map in the Hall of Mind.

There are 20 meters left until the 100-meter brake sign.

Suddenly, a screeching sound of tires locking up and skidding came from ahead, followed by a muffled thud.

Squeak—Bang!

A yellow shadow, like a bowling ball, locked its front wheel straight in place. Without any attempt to recover, it slid straight off the track, crashed into the grass, and slammed into the tire wall.

That was the car driven by the Malaysian driver who was just ahead of him in the queue.

For a moment, Luo Xiu even had the illusion that the car wasn't running on asphalt, but skating.

Luo Xiu carefully cut through the corner, and the car shook slightly.

That was the feedback when driving over the shoulder.

Unlike the others who avoided the puddles and road shoulders, Luo Xiu deliberately drove one of his wheels onto a road shoulder that looked darker in color.

The car shook violently, and the steering wheel tugged wildly at his hands.

"The water is too deep on the inside of the shoulder; taking this route now will waste time."

Luo Xiu was silently calculating in his mind.

Then, he deliberately drove over the white line in the center of the track.

"The wet paint makes the tires grip much worse, like ice skating..."

Luo Xiu kept trying various routes, even those that were clearly places he should avoid, he still actively explored.

In Chen Pengfei's view, this was simply courting death, but for Luo Xiu, it was a necessary survey.

Just like the water trap mentioned in TR.

Luo Xiu still braked at the 100 mark, but instead of following the usual lane, he avoided the puddles that had caused the car in front of him to veer off course.

This is the characteristic of rainy weather in Sepang; it's not as clear and harsh as dry weather.

The grip on the ground is unpredictable in the rain, making it quite deceptive.

If the grip on dry ground is a smooth curve, then the grip on rainy ground is a jagged staircase.

You never know whether your next step will be a step on a step or a misstep.

"Grip is... weird. It's not linear!"

Luo Xiu pressed the TR button, and the sound returned to the P room.

There was no tension or fear in his tone that Chen Pengfei had expected.

On the contrary, this statement actually carried a strange sense of excitement.

Luo Xiu felt as if he had received a set of Olympiad math exam papers he had never seen before, which was very challenging.

On the simple personal data panel in the Hall of Mind, he found the Rain Combat Ability section.

Without hesitation, he deleted the "S" rating that he had originally set.

Instead, a huge, constantly flashing red question mark appeared.

Rain-based combat capability: To be determined

Luo Xiu looked at the white wall that had risen again not far ahead; it was the closest car to him at the moment.

"This rating must be recalibrated using this real rain."

"That mistake of misjudging physical fitness as C-level, which almost led to my death in a two-stroke go-kart, must never be repeated."

Luo Xiu said this to himself.

For the first twenty minutes or so, Luo Xiu was getting used to the track and testing the car, going in and out of the pit several times, but never completing a full lap sprint.

Until the last ten minutes of the game.

Luo Xiu originally only intended to do one last long-distance test, but after going through several corners, the recalibrated race car developed a strange chemical reaction with him.

That's the feeling of getting smoother the more you run.

As he cut past the T12, Luo Xiu glanced at the timer on the steering wheel.

It was so green it looked almost purple.

"Pushing now." (I'm going to fly around in a circle.)

Luo Xiu's voice was casual, as if he were saying, "I want to drink some water."

In the P room, Chen Pengfei's brows furrowed instantly.

The rain hasn't let up, and the track conditions are extremely poor. Most of the vehicles have already retreated to the pits for safety.

At this point, trying to compete in the flight lap is pointless except for increasing the risk of a crash.

He didn't even notice that Luo Xiu was currently on the track in S3 (the third timing segment), and subconsciously assumed that Luo Xiu was planning to start sprinting on the next lap.

Without any hesitation, Chen Pengfei pressed the TR button, his tone stern:

"Negative. Box now, I repeat..."

(No. Get into the station immediately, I'll repeat...)

However, just as his voice was uttered...

The timer leaderboard on the big screen suddenly jumped.

Chen Pengfei's unfinished word "Box" was abruptly stuck in his throat.