`What? Nani? Huh? No way!
This action scene he was about to risk his life for only had a 50% chance of success…
That success rate was way too low. No way that would cut it.
So, Luke pulled up his attribute panel.
Name: Luke
Age: 18
Strength: 12
Agility: 13
Constitution: 12
Unallocated Attribute Points: 1
For each attribute, the average adult male's median value is 10.
Luke's physical stats were well above average in every way, which was his ticket to being an action star.
But to pull off today's heart-pounding car-jumping stunt, his current stats were still a bit shy of what he needed.
He still had one unallocated attribute point, a reward from his work on Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. He'd been saving it, but now was the time to use it.
This scene demanded lightning-fast reflexes and top-notch body coordination, both tied closely to agility. So, Luke dumped the point into agility.
Agility: 13 → 14
As the agility boost kicked in, Luke instantly felt his body get nimbler, his reaction speed sharper.
Danger Level of This Action Scene: D. Host's Success Rate: 75%.
It worked! The system's estimated success rate jumped from 50% to 75%.
If he had his way, Luke would've loved a 100% success rate, but life's never risk-free, right?
A 75% chance was solid enough. Luke figured he'd take the gamble. If it went south, well, that's just fate.
After warming up, Luke walked over to the sports car driven by Vin Diesel, opened the door, and slid in.
"I'll do my best to keep the car steady. Good luck," Vin Diesel said with a nod.
"Thanks," Luke replied.
He kept it short. The more you talk in moments like this, the more you jinx yourself.
Call it superstition or whatever, but it's like some unspoken rule of how the world works.
The car pulled up to the filming location, and everything was set.
Director Cohen stood behind the camera, walkie-talkie in hand, his face heavy with worry.
"Director, are you really gonna let that kid risk his life like this?" a tall, blonde, good-looking guy asked, stepping forward.
Paul Walker, the lead actor in The Fast and the Furious.
By the later movies in the franchise, you might think Vin Diesel was the main star. But in the first two, Paul was undeniably the top dog.
"You want him to pull it off?" Cohen shot back.
It was a loaded question, but not surprising.
It's only human for a lead actor to not want some side character stealing the spotlight with a big, flashy scene.
It was totally normal for Paul to hope Luke didn't outshine him.
"I swear on my life, I genuinely hope he comes through and nails it," Paul answered sincerely.
Cohen laughed. "Man, you're already this sunny, handsome guy—can't you have just a little darkness in you? You're so perfect it's almost annoying."
"Handsome? Luke's just as good-looking as me. I bet he'll be even more of a hit with the ladies. It'd be such a shame if something happened to him," Paul said. "Director, can he really pull this off?"
Cohen shook his head. "I want him to succeed, but it's tough. Even peak Jackie Chan would find this dangerous."
"Jackie Chan's my idol. I'd love to see another star like him, so I'm rooting for Luke," Paul said.
"Maybe today we'll see a dream crash and burn—or maybe we'll witness the start of a legend. Who knows?" Cohen replied.
"Director, are we ready to shoot?" a crew member's voice crackled through the headset.
With no orders coming, the crew, already prepped, couldn't wait any longer.
"Get ready," Cohen said, no longer hesitating.
"Action!"
Clap!
With the clapperboard's snap, three sports cars roared forward like lightning, chasing down a big rig speeding along.
The truck was loaded with pricey electronics, making it a prime target for the carjacking crew.
The skilled carjackers split into three. One sports car pulled in front of the truck, slowing it down. Another flanked its right side, boxing it in between the car and the highway's median barrier, locking its lane. The last car, driven by Vin Diesel's character—the crew's boss—tailed close behind.
The three cars had the truck pinned from all sides.
The truck driver, sensing trouble, started blaring the horn, trying to scare off the cars, but it was no use.
The sword was drawn, and it wouldn't go back without blood.
Behind the truck, Luke, the crew's point man, calmly opened the car's sunroof and climbed out.
Whoosh… whoosh…
The wind hit him like a wall, tugging at his hair and stinging his eyes, forcing them to squint.
He fought to keep his eyes open naturally. The other carjackers wore helmets to keep their identities hidden for the plot's sake, but Luke had a clear face shot—a nod to his guts for doing this dangerous stunt himself. The audience deserved to see who was pulling it off.
You shine in front of the camera, but you suffer behind the scenes.
Luke lowered his center of gravity, crouched steadily on the car's roof, and without hesitation, leaped forward!
Like a bird taking flight, his movements were smooth and graceful as he soared onto the truck's rear frame, grabbing hold firmly.
Steady. Way too steady.
"That was incredible! He nailed it!" Paul shouted from the sidelines, pumped.
"This kid's amazing. He might just become a legend," Cohen said, unable to hold back his excitement as he pumped his fist.
All eyes were on Luke as he climbed the truck's rear frame and swiftly moved toward the cab.
His movements were clean and fluid, giving off an almost hypnotic sense of flow. Anyone watching would be itching to clap and cheer.
Just one last move to go: Luke had to jump forward to the cab, open the door, and get inside to wrap the scene.
But right as he leaped, disaster struck.
Boom!
The speeding truck hit something, lurching violently and swerving hard to the left.
Luke, mid-jump, lost his balance and started tumbling headfirst toward the side of the truck.
At this speed, falling unprotected to the ground—likely headfirst…
"Oh my God!"
"What do we do?"
The entire crew felt their hearts stop, like someone had grabbed them and squeezed.
In that moment, Luke's mind was crystal clear. He knew he was in mortal danger, but he didn't panic. He stayed calm.
He'd trained himself to be laser-focused during action scenes.
Fear, hesitation—those emotions only made things worse. Staying cool and rational, like a machine, was an action star's greatest asset.
Luke zeroed in on a handle on the truck's exterior.
"I can reach it!"
As he fell off the truck, in that split-second window, he shot out his right hand and grabbed the handle tight.
A searing pain ripped through his arm from the force, but Luke gritted his teeth, swung forward with the momentum, and leaped to the cab's door, yanking it open and slipping inside.
The entire crew was floored. An accident had happened, but before they could even gasp, this kid turned it into a jaw-dropping performance.
After a stunned few seconds, the set erupted in thunderous applause and cheers.
"That was insane!"
"Not only did he save himself, but it looked that good? How'd he do it?"
"Luke, you're incredible!"
"This scene's gonna add at least 30 million to the box office!"
Cohen was so shocked he couldn't speak, his mind replaying Luke's performance. It took Paul nudging him to snap out of it and yell, "Cut!"