Liam knew the reality of the situation.
Watching the movie was a thrill ride, but surviving inside that world required absolute peak performance.
First and foremost, he needed god-tier driving skills.
That single requirement alone would crush ninety-nine percent of ordinary people.
He also needed peak physical conditioning, lethal hand-to-hand combat skills, and expert marksmanship.
Only then could he thrive in a high-octane world filled with ruthless criminals and street-racing syndicates.
Fortunately, his first task was solely focused on collecting the sensation of extreme speed.
As long as he didn’t actively seek out a firefight, he could avoid getting killed before he grew stronger.
He only had forty-eight hours before the jump.
The preparation window was brutally short.
Liam had a solid foundation in driving.
But he was well aware that his current skills were nowhere near the level of the suicidal daredevils in Fast & Furious.
[Ding.
To aid in the initial cinematic crossover, the system is gifting the host a Starter Pack.] Liam immediately focused his mind.
He guided the holographic cursor and double-clicked the glowing gift box on the interface.
[Racing Simulation Training Ground unlocked.] [Time Dilation Active at 1:100.
One hundred days inside the simulation equals exactly one day in the real world.] [Warning: The training ground can only be activated once.
Once you exit, the dimensional door will permanently close.] [Note: If you fail your first crossover mission, you have no prior rewards for the system to penalize.
Therefore, the penalty for failure will be total system unbinding.
The system will abandon you and seek a new host.] Liam clenched his jaw.
His fists tightened until his knuckles turned white.
“I will succeed,” he whispered into the empty cab.
“Failure is not an option.” When the ultimate opportunity to rewrite his destiny fell into his lap, he was going to seize it by the throat.
The math was simple.
Entering the simulation for one hundred days would only cost him one day of real-world time.
With two days left before the jump, Liam decided to dedicate a day and a half to pure driving.
That gave him one hundred and fifty days inside the simulator.
He would spend his remaining twelve hours re-watching the first Fast & Furious film.
The plot might shift, but the core mechanics and soul of the cinematic universe would remain unchanged.
Familiarity was his best weapon.
After that, he would memorize the specs, handling, and engine layouts of every vehicle featured in the movie.
Never fight a battle you aren’t prepared for.
That was the most valuable lesson he had learned in the military.
Liam drove his modified cab back to his house in the suburbs.
He immediately transferred the two hundred dollars he had made from his shift to his mother’s Venmo account.
He sent her a quick text saying he had urgent business out of town for the weekend.
Time was running out.
He walked out to an isolated, heavily wooded area behind the property.
“Activate Racing Simulation Training Ground,” Liam commanded.
[Racing Simulation Training Ground activating…] With a sharp hum, Liam vanished from the forest without a trace.
When he opened his eyes a second later, he was standing in the middle of a vast, desolate desert.
Lined up in a perfect row behind him was a fleet of high-end vehicles.
Ferraris, Dodges, Chevrolets, Fords, and Nissans gleamed under the harsh sun.
Every brand and spec was readily available.
[Welcome to the Racing Simulation.
Please select your difficulty.
A: Easy.
B: Normal.
C: Hard.
D: Nightmare.] “If I’m doing this, I’m going all the way,” Liam muttered.
“Men need to be ruthless with themselves.
I choose D.” [Nightmare Mode confirmed.
Curriculum includes: High-Speed Drifting, Precision Donuts, Burnouts, Launch Control, Reverse Pursuit Driving, and Two-Wheel Sliding.] [Duration set to 150 days.
A housing and cafeteria module is located on the right flank.
Difficulty will exponentially increase with each passing day.
If you cannot handle the stress, you may choose to exit.
Quitting will permanently close the simulator.] [Do you wish to begin?] “Yes.” [Initiating High-Speed Drift Training…] …
Liam had grown up around the smell of burning rubber.
Thanks to his father, he had a solid baseline and spent years privately experimenting with racing techniques.
He believed he could forge top-tier driving skills through this grueling 150-day boot camp.
Furthermore, Liam had enlisted in the military at nineteen and served for four solid years.
His physical stamina, reflexes, and pain tolerance far exceeded that of an ordinary man.
He had total confidence he could survive the simulation.
Years of hardship had taught him a brutal truth.
Success never comes out of nowhere.
Even with a miraculous system, a lack of effort would guarantee his elimination.
When fate finally smiles on you, you have to bleed for it.
…
In the blink of an eye, one hundred and fifty days passed within the sun-scorched simulator.
During those endless days, Liam flawlessly completed every top-tier racing module thrown at him.
Some of his extreme maneuvers weren’t entirely perfect yet.
But he had pushed his body and mind to their absolute limits.
Time was up.
He would have to improvise the rest once he crossed over.
Liam reappeared in the quiet woods right where he had vanished.
In his mind, he heard the heavy, metallic thud of the simulation doors locking shut forever.
He jogged back to the house.
It was already noon the following day.
He had to hurry.
He didn’t own a desktop computer.
The old Dell laptop he used in college had died years ago.
After his honorable discharge, his entire severance package went straight to his father’s medical bills, leaving him with nothing for luxuries.
Liam pulled out his smartphone and opened his browser.
He quickly found a free streaming site hosting a high-definition rip of The Fast and the Furious.
He hit play and watched intently.
Released in 2001, the film had aged perfectly.
The street racing, the crime, the adrenaline, and the underground culture still radiated a chaotic, intoxicating energy.
The plot was straightforward.
Brian O’Conner, an undercover LAPD officer, infiltrates the Los Angeles street racing scene to solve a string of high-speed truck hijackings.
He embeds himself into the crew run by Dominic Toretto and accidentally falls in love with Dom’s sister, Mia.
After surviving life-or-death races and rival gang shootouts, Brian forms a deep, unbreakable bond with Dom, cementing the franchise’s legendary theme: family.
As soon as the credits rolled, Liam switched to studying technical manuals.
He meticulously memorized the specs of the Mitsubishi Eclipse, the Mazda RX-7, the Toyota Supra, and the iconic 1970 Dodge Charger.
The system had warned him that the plot might dynamically shift once he arrived.
But by knowing the characters, their cars, and their ultimate fates, Liam could predict their moves and stay ahead of the chaos.
With his mind crammed full of engine schematics and movie lore, Liam finally collapsed onto his small bed and closed his eyes to rest.