Chapter 1002: Driving for a Joyride
Zhuo Zhuo’s perspective didn’t attach itself to Mike’s body; instead, it kept rising, turning into a god’s-eye view. The camera kept switching, showcasing the full panorama of Los Santos.
At the edge of his vision, the game’s main credits began to roll. Accompanied by a melodious, soothing, and relaxed tune, the surrounding scenery unfolded in all its beauty.
Small buildings lined the beach, with neatly planted palm trees along the roadside. Their dense shade blocked the sunlight, and pedestrians strolled along at a leisurely pace.
These small houses each had their own unique style. Looking at the row from a distance, every single one had a different design. Some had white walls and red roofs, others were all glass, and a few even had swimming pools in their front yards. The streets were clean and tidy, with no trash in sight. The pedestrians were all dressed in beachwear, giving off a very laid-back vibe.
At this moment, two black men walked past the camera. The taller one said, "Man, hurry up and move, you idiot. Why don’t you just ask him if he knows the owner of that house? Or better yet, hire a plane to write in the sky that there are two black guys here about to steal a car, so no one misses it."
The shorter black man replied, "Bro, we’re not stealing cars. This is a legitimate business."
The slightly shorter black man shot back, "Legitimate my ass."
The two men cursed as they walked forward, arriving at a small building with a yellow staircase. They sneaked up to the front yard and spotted two sports cars—one red and one white.
Clearly, these two black men were there to steal cars.
Zhuo Zhuo found himself attached to the slightly shorter one, Franklin, while the other black man, Lamar, told him to pick a car.
Zhuo Zhuo took a look and chose the flashy red one.
But the moment Zhuo Zhuo sat down, Franklin automatically pressed a button. Zhuo Zhuo watched helplessly as the car’s roof folded back, turning it into a convertible.
"Holy crap, this car is pretty high-end!"
Zhuo Zhuo had been worried he wouldn’t know how to drive, but then he saw it was an automatic transmission…
An automatic was even easier to handle than a manual, and in the simple mode, the game provided assisted controls. Players only needed to manage the steering wheel, brakes, and gas—the basics—while the system automatically completed the rest based on the player’s intentions.
For example, if Zhuo Zhuo wanted to drive forward but didn’t know the exact steps, the system would automatically start the engine, release the handbrake, shift into gear, let off the foot brake, and press the gas…
With this series of actions, all Zhuo Zhuo really had to do was handle the steering wheel and decide whether to accelerate or brake. In just a few minutes, players could grasp the basic principles of driving. Plus, during the tutorial, there were very few cars on the road, so crashes were rare. Once players learned the ropes, they could freely explore more advanced driving techniques.
"Damn, how is this guy driving so fast?"
Zhuo Zhuo fumbled around in a panic. Even with the system helping him out, he still crashed into things left and right. On top of that, Lamar was driving way too fast. As a beginner, it was already impressive that Zhuo Zhuo hadn’t been completely left behind.
Additionally, Franklin had a special ability, somewhat like bullet time. When activated, time around him slowed down dramatically, allowing the player to calmly maneuver the car through turns that would otherwise be impossible to react to in time.
The next part of the story involved shaking off the police. This gameplay wasn’t particularly novel—many racing games had similar hide-and-seek mechanics with cops—but under the next-generation VR presentation, Zhuo Zhuo still found it incredibly tense and thrilling.
After finally losing the cops, Zhuo Zhuo followed the GPS back to the car shop.
"Driving for a joyride is awesome. Now I get why rich people love taking girls out for a spin in their cars," Zhuo Zhuo mused as he drove.
The sports car handled beautifully—fast and smooth. With the top down, feeling the cool breeze on his face and taking in the scenery, his mood instantly lifted.
At first, Zhuo Zhuo was a bit cautious, instinctively following traffic rules. But once the cops started chasing him, he threw caution to the wind—cutting corners, driving the wrong way, and doing all sorts of things. After a while, he realized no one seemed to care…
Thinking about it, when you’re being chased by cops every day, who gives a damn about running red lights or driving against traffic? As long as you don’t get yourself killed, it’s fine…
Besides, this was a game. Even if he died, he could just restart.
After driving back to the shop, Zhuo Zhuo got out and saw just how badly the car had been battered.
The entire front end was caved in, the hood was nearly flipped up, and every single headlight was shattered—not one left intact.
If this were real life, repairing that car would’ve made Zhuo Zhuo wince for a year or two. But in the game, it didn’t matter. The shop owner didn’t even say anything; in fact, he praised Franklin.
Zhuo Zhuo could also tell that the game seemed a bit dumbed down. It wasn’t that the characters were stupid—it felt more intentional, mainly to lower the difficulty for players.
Take Lamar’s driving skills, for example. How many new players could catch up to him right at the start? Only if they were already experienced drivers in real life. If crashing the car led to a scolding from the shop owner, most players wouldn’t have a very good experience.