Darren Wiznitskiy contemplated his net worth for the next few days, wondering if he should add another zero before he retires, or even if it will… He was staying home as much as he could to take a rest from all the hectic arguments and unnecessary questionings of his own orders and changes.
The legal department certainly did have a cow when they found out about his improvement to player’s view disorientation, made to be more real when crashing their cars. Instead of a little jerk, they would now see and feel every motion as though they had really crashed their car, and some. And this wasn’t something you could just slap together on any old program, it took him quite a while and many refinements to get it just right, and now they wanted him to get rid of it!
Naw… he’ll just rename the file or something.
Besides that, his fee increase and rewards decrease had seemed to pay off; people were spending more time on lower levels trying to get gold and actually use and improve their skills instead of just taking off and becoming level 26 in a day or two. That means that players would actually know how to play, and only the really good would come up, and then they wouldn’t try to face him, Darren Wiznitskiy as the ultimate boss, as much. But only after they had gotten there… the time would be endless, another good year added before anyone would make it.
That much more money in Darren’s pocket.
That much more leisure time.
That much more retirement money.
That much more fun.
But now, having had enough relaxation, and too many stupid arguments, it was time to jump back in the game and test out another bit of Default.
This time, after suiting up and getting into his custom built full-immersion bed, he went back to the races. And not just any race. He was saving the best for last, and maybe those few days of relaxation were going to pay off, this was the Death Race.
He suited up as McLightning, went down to the garage, and selected a couple of qualified cars for the job. One fast car, and a few moderately speedy cars. All of which had built in armor, defense through the roof, a few good attacks— like a mine dropping system— guns, of course, plus a few more specialties.
Loading up into his semi truck he drove off to his last adventure in the racing district.
The stadium was huge, it was situated way off, past the usual racetracks, and for good measure; the track was that big, explosions went off everywhere.
He checked in and registered as number one, as usual, and as usual, surprising the NPC that he wouldn’t have to wait in line.
McLightning was trembling, he was really going to have a blast. But work had to be done… screw it, this is going to be so much fun!
He absentmindedly made a few notes on his mental checklist just to fool himself that he was actually working. Huge booby-trapped race track, check. Explosions heard before walking in, check.
He got into his supercharged car, souped up with a long distance laser cannon, infinite land mines, an omnidirectional grappling hook, and 10 foot blowtorches… not to mention the spiked hub caps, bullet-proof and explosion-proof windows, and an EMP for those electronic attacks.
The race wouldn’t start for an hour, but he did his routine checks and reconfigurations, and headed off to scope out the track, which wouldn’t do him any good as it changes after every race. Instead he had fun watching as the last five contestants shot at each other, and blew each other up until one last car, on flames, finally blew up just before the finish line, a winner nonetheless.
His anticipation was killing him as he revved up to the check-in point. He got in line, the first behind the starting point.
THREE! TWO! ONE! GOOOOOO!
McLightning didn’t start fast, he let a few get in front of him, just to show them who’s boss, and fired his laser cannon taking one down with a decent explosion.
Then he put the pedal to the medal, carefully placing mines at every corner, watching out for mines that some player had already laid. It wasn’t something he’d have to seriously watch out for so early in the race, but he had an impenetrable belly installed in his car anyways.
He lazily coasted through the track at full speed, narrowly missing a few swinging axes.
But the scenery was impeccable. It went from a nice racetrack into some dark mountains, through a cave with bats and huge monsters you had to avoid, which would actually hit you with their clubs, then out and through more forests, across a bridge that was shattering, all the while having to burst over gaps, and finally into a haunted castle where werewolves chased the high speed cars and tried to bite at your tires. Inside the castle, stones the size of pickup trucks fell and crushed anything underneath, and rolling logs helped you cross the lava flow. And finally they were back to the nice little racetrack, crossing the lap line.
Four laps to go, 26 cars left to explode.
He hadn’t done too much to handle the other players yet, beside planting plenty of mines and scorching a couple of cars who got too close— which didn’t do too much damage besides giving them a little scare— he had to scope out opportune explosions and plan for the next few laps.
But now, onto lap two, he knew these players had it in them. They had already bested the first lap of obstacles, and now, if they had the guts, beat McLightning.
He kept up his routine of planting land mines, but after having positioned himself well, fifth from last, he had a good twenty cars in front of him, with his advantage.
This time around the land mines were splattered all across the track! It seemed that quite a few other players had a good stock and planted them everywhere, fortunately a well equipped machine gun handled the majority, but just enough for him to pass by with only a few being set off.
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He came up to the next player soon enough. McLighting bashed him sideways, causing him to spin and get cut in half by a swinging axe.
The next car was just as unfortunate, one shove and he flew off the track and hit a tree, totaling the car, and the player.
Throughout the rest of the forest it was fairly uneventful, but as he got into the caves he managed to machine gun the player’s tires making him wobble out of control and hit a wall, not fatal. So he planted a few land mines strategically so the car would have to run into one any way he drove.
The next had suffered from a direct laser beam, heroically emerging from the cave’s exit in a burst of flaming car parts.
He got to the lake and saw the next three crossing the flimsy wooden bridge. He took aim and got at least one with the laser cannon, all the while burning the bridge behind him, leaving no path for the following cars, if they had made it this far already. Of course the bridge would fix itself, but that would be a good twenty seconds.
He sped through the forest, catching up with the next few players. He met them in the castle entrance and witnessed one which had just gone down, getting bested by a possessed tree that had fallen over right in front of him. The car crashed into the trunk and the Werewolves attacked… a pleasant default, getting ripped out of a car by Werewolves.
The next part was a bit tricky, having to be on the lookout for booby-traps while trying to target a speeding car. He had finally managed the next kill on the lava log contraption, simply bombarding the player with bullets until the car suffered major damage. McLightning didn’t get the kill, the car slid off the log and fell into the lava.
McLightning got through the lava logs, sped off, and came out of the castle, back to the stadium.
Players in the bleachers cheered. NPC or not, there were a lot of watchers, and they all loved the explosions, the tension, and waiting to see who would come out on top.
Three laps to go, 14 car left. Boy this race was really a killer.
He was still well positioned, only one car behind him and twelve in front. Another good lap would of course thin that number down.
On the first section he planted a heavy payload of mines, making sure all too many were laid inside blind corners and frequently travelled locations.
Then he picked up again, off through the forest and through the caves before coming to the next player. He didn’t waste time to attack, firing the laser cannon as much as possible. The player started to swerve dangerously trying to evade the next laser beam, and he did well, the cave’s roads were full of sharp turns. But McLightning loved to see the terror coming out. He’d get him soon enough.
The player had started retaliating, sending back grenades. McLightning swerved a few times, but still got hit, the damage was negligible. A few he dodged skillfully, and shot at when impossible to evade otherwise. But as expected, the grenades kept coming. He aimed for the back bumper and hit one right as it came out, sent the car hurtling forwards out of control, flipping a few times before finally coming down upside down.
McLightning drove by with his middle finger out the window.
The next was also quite further ahead, the players thinning out now, and he sped through the lake, over the bridge, and into the castle, carefully noting any tree that might start moving.
The castle was still the hardest place to get by, as shown by the number of wrecks underneath stone slabs, rolling boulders that crushed a few cars into the walls, moving floors that took one down a path that dropped a hundred feet into the lava… it was well thought through, and he’ll have to find out who made it and give him a raise. (It was AI generated)
Again he found someone trying to cross the lava logs. And he had already thought of what to do. His grappling chain shot out, grabbed the bumper of the car and McLightning reversed, pulling the car off the log and into the lava. Oh, the slow motion sinking, the sound of a deadly splash, fire being suffocated by the flowing lava… it was music to his ears.
He crossed the lava logs unscathed once more and sped up to find the next awaiting players.
It wasn’t until crossing the lap line did he find the next one. Burning badly, smoke billowing from the hood, McLightning passed him by, giving a little sympathetic land mine, knowing he wouldn’t even be able to reach the caves anyways.
Two laps to go, 8 players left…
He found the next one trying to time the axe’s swings right, so McLightning bumped him, shoving him right into the path of another swinging axe… bye bye.
The next car was also suffering trying to get through the axes… come on! You already had three laps to figure it out. Well, a good blast of fire handled that idiot for good.
He had to rush through the forest and the caves before finding the next, hardly any left, but after those three laps, these guys had gotten a good lead.
He ended up watching a good kill by another player who had a saw blade come out of the side of his car and cut the other in two.
He congratulated the winner of that skirmish with a grappling hook and good tug, just as he boosted off a ramp. The car flew above the mud pit, stopped midair, and went straight down with a muddy gulp.
He watched as another had managed to bump one player, causing him to overshoot the turn and wind up falling into the lava. The guilty player was skilled, and fast, and didn’t even have to take a ride on the lava logs, simply boosting over the river of lava, somehow controlling himself like he was hovering… oh, he has to get that mod for himself, thought McLightning
McLightning tried to get him on the bridge crossing the river, his laser cannon striking a few times, but the guy had a shield. That could be handled. He sped up, got close, grappled him and kept the laser cannon going until the shield broke. The car seem nearly indestructible, but after another few seconds of lasers, fire and machine gun fire, the car exploded.
Coming down to the last few, they would either have to kill themselves or McLightning would have to do it for them. He sped up to catch what might happen, the inevitable.
The last three were all bunched together, or at least close enough that he could see them all still fighting over first place. Maybe they were a team and agreed not to kill each other… stupid.
One lap to go, four players left.
McLightning caught up and had a go at the last, attempting a good shove, but the timing wasn’t right, the guy must have boosted ahead or something.
He tried again, but as soon as he got close enough, another player had a shot laser beam, blasts of fire had engulfed him, and grenades showered down upon him.
That was unbearable, he’ll have to get back at them from long distance.
The ensuing lap was gruesome. He would get attacked, and hardly be able to get in a few good shots. His laser cannon was used frequently, but as much as he tried, aiming it properly was impossible. The machine gun was the only thing that might work, but he couldn’t get close enough…
He let them go for now, winding through the caves and trying to think of something.
Here’s one bright idea! He fired the laser cannon at a tree, it fell over and right into the path. First place had gone down, the next had swerved violently, while giving warning shots with his machine gun, and passed unharmed. McLightning tried to get in a good shot. He managed a glancing hit with the laser cannon, but it hadn’t totaled the car.
He hurried through the lakeside bridge, getting one just in the straightaway in front of the castle, somehow, involving a bad swerve, werewolves and a possessed tree… one to go.
He sped up, but boy, this one was fast, and knew the terrain already, but so did McLightning.
He followed through he castle, just missing him on the lava logs, and they exited the castle without a fatality.
This called for desperate measures, the final measure. Something that wasn’t planned for here and now… But he had to do it.
He flipped the casing and pushed the big red button.
A ginormous blue spiked turtle shell flew up and into the distance… just before the finish line…
But for this, he came prepared, he gave himself protection, and his car as well.
Shiny walls of a high-durability shield encased him and his car. He took a anti-rads pack out, used it and a second.
Now prepped, he waited and listened…
BOOOM!!!
The trees shook, the crowed screamed and suddenly stopped, the map blurred out, then everything else.
A wave of bright white light filled the sky, it came bursting through the trees, felling everything in it’s path… McLightning’s health ticked down slowly…
A good minute later, he drove forward to see the real damage.
The road was still there, but the trees were all gone, burning…
He rolled up to the finish line, a smile slowly creeping onto his face.
McLightning wins!