Why the bug I wrote became a core gameplay mechanic?!
Chapter 235 - 234: A Large-Scale Tortoise and Hare Race

Chapter 235: Chapter 234: A Large-Scale Tortoise and Hare Race

"OK, brothers, I announce that the first Wildfire Youth Challenge begins!"

In the game, as Heilong gave the command, the motorcycles in the front row took off like unleashed wild dogs, roaring as they sped furiously ahead!

Since there were a large number of players participating, even on the first day, and after a selection process, there were still over a dozen contestants. Thus, Heilong had to arrange the players in several rows, just like a bicycle race.

And as the host, to be fair, he naturally placed himself in the very last row.

This kind of arrangement is actually quite common in speed racing events. However, since many players had neither participated in nor thoroughly understood similar events, there were still some who questioned it, asking, "Why do they get such a big starting advantage by being at the front?"

Heilong didn’t pay much attention to this view but simply explained, "It’s OK, there’s no real starting advantage here, and it’s unlikely to have much of an impact on the race results."

At first, people didn’t quite believe him, but very soon, they realized Heilong was right.

Because it’s not crucial how early or fast you run, the key is to avoid accidents!

These motorcycles zoomed at high speeds on the road, quickly widening the gap, but it wasn’t long before the following contestants started to see bikes and riders that had been hit so hard they’d flown a long distance away.

What a disaster!

According to the game rules, if a crash happens on the road, the first player to arrive at the scene must perform the correct emergency treatment within a set time frame. Whether they provide incorrect treatment or flee the scene, there will be corresponding penalties afterward.

For other players who enter the scene, there are no mandatory requirements.

After all, if everyone had to stop and render aid, the scene would likely be very odd—everyone crowding around the victim, it would be unclear who should administer the aid.

What if you think bandaging is needed, and I believe the Heimlich Maneuver is appropriate, yet there is only one victim—they can’t all start fighting over it, right?

If one person administers incorrect aid, should only that person take responsibility, or should everyone present take responsibility? No matter how you handle it, it would seem a bit odd.

Thus, the game is set up so that only the first person to enter the scene of the accident needs to take responsibility for providing aid.

This game rule had been functioning normally in previous gameplay, and most players adhered to it.

But today’s situation was obviously just a tiny bit different.

Most contestants chose to simply ignore the injured on the road!

For those behind, the accident had nothing to do with them anyway—it wasn’t considered fleeing—so why would they stop?

However, for the player who was first to arrive at the scene of an accident, on one hand, it was because slowing down so suddenly could actually cause problems, and on the other hand, if they stopped to render aid, they would definitely be passed by many others. So they would rather carry the burden of fleeing the scene than get off their bike.

Of course, there were also participants who happened to be striving for a no-accident record and, after a moment of inner conflict, still stopped to provide aid.

They had thought stopping would essentially mean giving up on the race, but unexpectedly, after a token attempt at rescue and covering with a white cloth, when these participants got back on the road, they discovered their rankings were, in fact, gradually improving...

That’s because every few kilometers, there was a brand-new accident to witness!

The route Heilong had set was twice as long as the one he usually drove on a daily basis, totaling over 100 kilometers. Even without accidents, it would take at least half an hour to smoothly finish the race.

And to expect no accidents over such a long period?

That was next to impossible!

A lot of the players who were in the very front were initially very pleased with themselves. After running for a few minutes, feeling like they were leaving everyone behind, especially as they sped past front-row buddies who had crashed, they were extremely satisfied with the experience.

But the issue was, their happiness soon turned into sorrow when a slight collision sent them spinning 360 degrees on the spot, launching into a spectacular somersault before plummeting back to the ground—a smooth, silk-like process.

Then the police cars and ambulances arrived posthaste, the doctors in white coats bowed respectfully, and the participants were carted off under a white cloth, directly into the next phase—the village feast.

Once an accident occurs, the score is naturally canceled.

...

Meanwhile, Chen Tingquan, as the official OB (Observer) in the live broadcast room, was also providing full commentary!

To enhance the viewers’ experience, Chen Tingquan made a series of arrangements, selecting many from his followers to serve as broadcasters, on-site medics, and referees.

Along this more than 100-kilometer-long track, there was a follower at intervals, primarily responsible for real-time reporting of information.

Also, at some critical turns and complex traffic sections, which were the accident-prone areas, dedicated followers were arranged for broadcasting. Chen Tingquan could switch to their cameras at any time in the broadcast room to view the passage of the vehicles.

Road Rage Simulator, the game in question, didn’t have an official god’s-eye view OB feature, and thus couldn’t provide real-time updates on all racers’ statuses with a god’s-eye or professional racing perspective, like some racing games.

This would lead to a decrease in watchability.

But perhaps it was precisely because of the lack of official mechanisms that the race was broadcast in a more realistic manner. So instead, the popularity only increased!

Especially when the live camera captured the accident scenes, it would trigger a barrage of comments in the live broadcast room.

Chen Tingquan was like a professional football commentator, referring to the list of players while introducing the current situation on the field.

The contestants, wanting to be conspicuous, had mostly chosen different appearances, so with the list of pictures and names in hand, Chen Tingquan could easily identify which number each player was.

"Okay, currently the first one to pass the No. 5 Accident-prone Area is the No. 8 contestant, Huo Zhi Gaoxing!

"Unexpectedly, I remember when passing through the No. 2 Accident-prone Area, Huo Zhi Gaoxing was only in fifth place; who would have thought that he would overtake and move into first place now!

"Such a change in ranking has nothing to do with his driving skills, because the four contestants originally ahead of him have all been involved in accidents and have sadly left the race, entering the ’banquet for the whole village’ stage.

"Huo Zhi Gaoxing has vividly shown us what it means that being fast in a straight line isn’t truly fast, being fast on turns isn’t truly fast either—it’s not getting into accidents that’s truly fast!

"Who can’t twist the throttle? Who can’t take the corners? What are you waiting for, picking up vegetables?

"This is simply a large-scale tortoise and the hare race, and the few hasty hares that were in the lead have all crashed into the stakes. I wonder if there’s anyone ’waiting for a rabbit by the tree stump.’

"Okay, let’s now look at the situation in the No. 4 Accident-prone Area. The No. 11 contestant passing through is the well-known streamer Heilong, and we can see that his instantaneous speed is probably a lot faster than Huo Zhi Gaoxing’s. The reason he fell behind earlier is that he stopped to assist two fellow contestants.

"They are about to go through the upcoming accident-prone section! The good news is that the vehicles involved in earlier accidents have been efficiently towed away, but the bad news is that it seems a ’dumbass car’ targeting the vehicles ahead has spawned here!

"Although this kind of dumbass car only attacks specific targets, due to its many uncivil driving behaviors, it can still cause significant disturbances to the vehicles behind.

"Let’s see how Heilong deals with it.

"Great! A beautiful glide through the gap—as we can see, Heilong’s motorbike’s rearview mirror almost grazed by the side of that car, just a few centimeters closer and our official seed player could have been out of the race.

"It just goes to show, old ginger is indeed spicier, deserving of being the defending champion on this road.

"Let’s now pay attention to the special invited contestant from the short video platform, motorcycle influencer Zhuang Xiaoyu. If I remember correctly, Zhuang Xiaoyu was supposed to start from the second row.

"Strange, the No. 4 contestant, also arranged in the second row, has already passed through the No. 4 Accident-prone Area, but where is Zhuang Xiaoyu?

"The broadcaster from the No. 3 Accident-prone Area also hasn’t seen her; after all, her appearance should be easy to recognize, and it’s improbable there was an oversight.

"The broadcaster from No. 2 reports having seen her, okay, then we’ll immediately dispatch an inspector to search between No. 2 and No. 3 Accident-prone Areas.

"Found her! It seems Zhuang Xiaoyu has been in an accident and has been carried away!

"Ah, this is truly a pity, the contestant we had high hopes for, Zhuang Xiaoyu, unfortunately, fell at the No. 2 Accident-prone Area, not even making it to the No. 3 Area!"