novellhall Chapter 162 The Hellcat That Meows
Chapter 162 The Hellcat That Meows
Chapter 162 The Hellcat That Meows
"I really worked hard back then. I felt like the whole world was behind the steering wheel. I won some awards and had a period of glory."
"But this industry relies on youth, luck, and capital. Later, as I got older and injuries started, the sponsors changed to younger, better-looking guys, so I switched to Hollywood, teaching stars to drive and designing stunts. I made a lot of money and felt quite accomplished."
Carlos smiled, a smile tinged with nostalgia and a hint of melancholy.
He turned to look at Chen Xun with a serious expression: "But that longing for pure speed and the racetrack has never truly died out. I just know I can never go back."
Chen Xun listened quietly, and he could feel the weight in Carlos's words.
"I've taught quite a few people using those match videos and the data I've studied."
Carlos continued, "Some learn it for filmmaking, some are wealthy people dabbling in it; they learn it faster or slower, but very few make me feel that those skills have truly been passed down, that they can truly shine in another person's hands!"
He patted the GT-R's dashboard: "Until I met you, you're such a weirdo, you don't learn things like a normal person at all!"
"Jack's right, you are a monster!"
"I can see something in your eyes, not a desire for the glamour of stardom, nor simply that driving is cool. You seem born to sit in the driver's seat, grip the steering wheel, and feel the wind and the scream of the tires."
Carlos paused, his tone becoming more serious: "So, Chen, I'm not just teaching you as an actor who's about to join the crew, I'm treating you as my student, someone who can truly inherit all the knowledge I've accumulated about driving throughout my life."
Chen Xun was somewhat moved.
He hadn't expected Carlos to have such high expectations of him.
"Carlos, I'm just a quick learner; I'm still a long way from being a real race car driver."
"I know!"
Carlos waved his hand: "Of course you're far from good enough! With your current skill level, you'd probably be at the bottom even in lower-level Formula One racing."
Chen Xun: ? ? ?
Carlos didn't see Chen Xun's expression; his eyes were shining: "I want to teach you more than just how to drive a car like that in a movie. I want to teach you my understanding of the racetrack and how to operate a vehicle to its limits."
"Even if you don't become a professional driver in the future, these things will make you stand out from others whenever you hold the steering wheel."
He leaned forward, his voice laced with encouragement and anticipation: "Maybe after you finish making your movies, become famous, and have money, one day you might suddenly feel like trying your hand at racing."
"I can arrange it for you, starting with go-karting, then moving on to a junior Formula experience, and even, if you're really interested, running a low-level touring car race or rally stage."
"Let those rising stars on the track, hyped up by the media, see what real learning ability and a feel for the car are!"
"Tell them that any student I, Carlos Mendoza, teach, even a movie star, isn't on the track for fun!"
In the end, Carlos couldn't help but laugh, a little embarrassed, but his eyes were full of fervent hope.
Chen Xun smiled too, feeling a warm glow in his heart.
Carlos's words made him feel more recognized than any salary figure.
"I will study hard, Carlos."
Chen Xun said very seriously, "It's not for the movie, but for the things you're teaching."
"That's right!"
Carlos slapped his thigh in delight.
Day three of training.
Chen Xun began to get used to the Dodge.
The legendary Hellcat!
The kind that meows!
The Dodge Hellcat is not the same as the GT-R.
It has the soul of an old-school American muscle car, with a large-displacement V8 engine delivering brutal low-end torque and rear-wheel drive.
The straight-line acceleration felt like being kicked!
However, if you accelerate too much in a bend, the rear of the car will start to wobble restlessly.
When Chen Xun first started driving, he suffered quite a few losses, drawing several circles on the spot.
However, the underlying framework provided by the skill attribute orb [Street Driving Instinct Comprehensive], coupled with the various targeted attribute orbs he absorbed in the past two days, allowed him to adapt at an absurdly fast speed.
In just half a day, he had already grasped the basics of getting along with the car, knowing how to use the delicate coordination of steering and accelerator to unleash its power without letting it go out of control.
"Alright, stop!"
Carlos waved.
After Chen Xun parked the car, he opened the car door and sat in the passenger seat.
"You've got the basics down and you understand the characteristics of different car models. If you keep going like this, you're just wasting your time."
"You need a more realistic environment to experience speed and pressure!"
Chen Xun's eyes lit up: "Where to?"
"The track!"
Carlos uttered two words, his eyes gleaming: "I have an old friend who runs a private racetrack not far from here, and it just happens to be empty today!"
"Running laps on the training track and running on the road are completely different experiences from actually running on a racetrack. Want to experience the ultimate speed?"
Chen Xun's heart skipped a beat.
Track!
That is the holy grail in the hearts of all car enthusiasts, even if it is just a small private track.
"think!"
He did not hesitate.
"Get on the bus!"
Carlos drove his warhorse, carrying Chen Xun, out of the training base.
As the car cruised on the highway, the V8 engine emitted a deep, powerful roar, quite different from the high-pitched precision of the GT-R.
Approximately forty minutes.
They turned off the highway, drove into a hilly area, and finally stopped in front of an inconspicuous iron gate.
Carlos pressed the horn, a voice came from the walkie-talkie, and the iron gate slowly opened.
Inside is a winding, undulating racetrack.
The area is surrounded by sparse woods, the stands are small, and the facilities look a bit old but are well maintained.
Just as Carlos said, the track was completely deserted at the moment, so quiet that only the sound of the wind could be heard.
An old man in an old racing suit walked out of the pit lane and gave Carlos a big hug.
The two exchanged a few quick words in Spanish. The old man looked at Chen Xun curiously, gave Carlos a thumbs up, nodded to Chen Xun, and then turned and went back to the control tower.
"My old buddy, Diego. We used to race rallies together."
Carlos gave a brief introduction, then drove the Hellcat into the repair area and parked it.
"The rules are simple: for the first lap, I'll drive, and you'll sit in the passenger seat. Look carefully, listen carefully, and feel carefully."
"Second lap, it's your turn. Don't think about breaking the record, just feel the track, feel the car's response at the edge of its limits."
"good!"
Chen Xun took a deep breath and tightened his seatbelt.
Carlos got into the driver's seat.
He seems like a completely different person.
He's no longer the coach who's always laughing and joking.
He is a highly experienced and calm racing driver.
ignition!
The engine roared, as if its soul had been awakened.
He slowly drove the car out of the pit lane and onto the track.
For the first half lap, Carlos didn't drive particularly fast, as if he was warming up the tires or letting Chen Xun get familiar with the track.
As he drove, he explained, "This is a blind bend. The apex is on the right, and there's an uphill section after the bend. Be careful with how you release the throttle."
"This straight section is short, but it's immediately followed by a series of S-curves. You need to brake precisely and enter the curves smoothly."
"This hairpin bend is very sharp, so you need to be decisive when shifting your weight."
Chen Xun tried his best to remember the characteristics of each bend and Carlos's hints.
The tire warming process is complete.
Carlos paused briefly at the starting line.
He glanced at Chen Xun: "Now you are the real Carlos Mendoza."
As soon as he finished speaking, his eyes sharpened, and he slammed his right foot down on the gas pedal!
The hellcat let out a strange cry and was launched into the air!
The intense push-back sensation pressed Chen Xun firmly into the seat.
Unlike the smooth acceleration of the previous GT-R, the Hellcat's acceleration is more brutal and direct, full of brute force.
As he entered the first bend, Carlos used both his hands and feet, his movements so fast they were almost blurry.
Brake, downshift, heel-and-toe rev-matching, turn the steering wheel, and the car slides into the apex of the corner with a slight, controllable slip.
Then precisely apply the throttle at the exit of the corner —
The entire set of movements was fluid and seamless, with not a single unnecessary movement.
The car remained stable in the corner, with the tires gripping the ground tightly and emitting a slight hiss.
Chen Xun's eyes widened.
At that moment, Carlos seemed to be glowing.
Every movement he made was perfectly synchronized with the vehicle's dynamics.
Man and machine become one!
With a brilliant maneuver by Carlos, a golden attribute orb fell from his body:
[Precise Cornering Willpower +10]
Then Carlos pulled off another incredible maneuver, and yet another golden attribute orb fell from his body:
[Extreme Heel-Toe Rhythm +11]
This is not over yet!
With each of Carlos's extreme moves, an attribute orb would drop.
These attribute balls are of high quality, mostly gold, with only a few being purple.
Chen Xun absorbed the energy frantically.
He felt that the skill attribute orbs he had previously absorbed from Carlos [Connection Driving Instinct Complex] and these newly absorbed attribute orbs were merging together and being frantically digested and absorbed by him.
All the theoretical skills I had learned before were suddenly connected in this round of intense practical demonstrations!
Chen Xun understood!
It's not just about knowing how to do it, but understanding why you should do it!
This lap was fast, yet it also felt very slow.
As Carlos drove the Hellcat across the starting line and slowly slowed down to return to the pit lane, Chen Xun was still immersed in the shocking experience, the roar of the engine and the screech of the tires still seeming to echo in his ears.
The car came to a stop.
Carlos let out a long breath, his forehead covered with a fine layer of sweat, but his eyes shone with an astonishing brightness.
He looked at Chen Shi, said nothing, but unbuckled his seatbelt, opened the door and got out of the car. He walked to the passenger side and gestured for Chen Shi to switch seats.
Chen'er took a few deep breaths to suppress the excitement in her heart and quickly switched seats with Carlos.
Gripping the steering wheel, still warm from Carlos's body, and stepping on the pedal, he felt his blood slightly heating up.
Don't overthink it!
Carlos's voice came through, with a slight, almost imperceptible tremor: "Just as you feel, this track and this car are yours now."
Chen'er nodded, her eyes calm and composed.
He slowly drove the car out of the pit lane and onto the track.
Unlike Carlos, who started off at breakneck speed, he first ran a little faster for most of the lap to get a feel for the track again and to re-establish a lineage between himself and the ferocious Hellcat.
He could feel something different inside his body.
The level 5 attribute of Shi's super strong temperament, reaction speed and power control, at this moment, created a wonderful chemical reaction with the completely integrated driving skills.
His perception of vehicles became more acute, his hand and foot movements more precise and efficient, and he even seemed to be handling them with ease.
The second lap has officially begun.
Chen paused briefly at the starting line before stepping on the gas.
The Hellcat roared and charged out again.
The acceleration remains ferocious.
But Chen'er's body steadily bore the G-force, and her arms smoothly controlled the direction.
Entering the first bend.
It's a blind bend!
Chen'er almost instinctively did the same thing as Carlos.
But he seemed to move even faster than Carlos!
The braking points are more precise, the downshifting and rev-matching actions are more natural, and the steering wheel rotation amplitude and timing are just right.
The car traced a smooth arc, cutting right along the line Carlos had indicated for the apex of the corner, and the throttle was released smoothly as it exited the corner and went uphill.
Carlos sat in the passenger seat, his eyes widening.
This smoothness and accuracy —
This is nothing like someone who has only systematically learned to drive for three days!
This is clearly the kind of rhythm and control that only a driver with considerable track experience can demonstrate!
Following Shi's series of S-curves, Chen'er's performance made Carlos hold his breath.
Heavy braking, rapid left and right steering, precise weight transfer —
In Chen'er's hands, the Hellcat's body seemed exceptionally lifelike, like a black fish swimming quickly and steadily through the curves.
The tires remained on the edge of grip, producing a pleasant friction sound, but there was no obvious loss of control or slippage.
Chen perfectly replicated and even optimized Carlos's line and operation on every corner.
Because of Chen's superior physical attributes and nerve reflexes, his movements are even faster than Carlos's when it comes to corners that require extremely fast and continuous operations!
When Chen drove the Hellcat through the last corner with a near-perfect line, and sped across the starting line at full throttle to complete his second lap, the lap time displayed on the dashboard was almost two seconds faster than Carlos's lap.
On a private racetrack, two seconds is a huge difference.
The car gradually slowed down and drove back to the repair area.
Chen Xun parked the car and turned off the engine.
The noise of the track was instantly replaced by silence, leaving only the slight ticking of the cooling engine and my own hurried breathing.
He turned to look at Carlos, wanting to ask how his driving was going.
Then he froze.
Carlos sat in the passenger seat, not looking at him, but staring blankly at the track ahead.
This once cheerful and even somewhat cynical former race car driver and tough coach now had red eyes, and large tears rolled down his dark, rough cheeks without warning.
He didn't utter a sound, but let the tears flow freely.
Are you alright?
He drove a grown man to death!
Can you believe this?
Carlos turned his head sharply and wiped his face hard, but the tears seemed endless.
He stared at Chen Shi, his voice choked with emotion, yet tinged with almost frantic excitement: "I'm perfectly fine! The better it gets!"
He grabbed Chen'er's shoulders, his fingers trembling slightly from the force: "Although you were the one driving just now, it was as if I was driving too. It's like the things I taught you have come alive in your hands!"
He rambled on, "I've taught so many people, and I never imagined I could actually see that feeling in another person—that feeling I wanted to achieve at my peak but never quite got there!"
"You not only learned it, you surpassed it!"
"Because you're stronger than me, and faster than me! God! You're the real successor!"
Carlos let go, leaned back against the muscular back, looked up at the car roof, and chuckled, "That old Diego is probably watching the timer in the control tower right now. He can't believe that I, Carlos Mendoza, can train a student in Hollywood who's faster than me! Fuck! This life was fucking worth it!"
Looking at Carlos, who had completely lost control of his emotions, Chen'er felt a pang of sadness and didn't know what to say.
He never expected that his driving would bring such a huge emotional shock to Carlos.
He could sense that it wasn't just about speed, but also about dreams and legacy.
After a while, Carlos gradually calmed down, wiped his face haphazardly with his sleeve, his eyes were still red, but his smile was incredibly bright.
He pushed open the car door: "Let's go! Get out! Let that old man Diego see what he's made of!"
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