Chapter 132: Me on the Inside, Her on the Outside
Stepping out of the conference hall, Derek Su still felt a little dazed.
Seriously—who would believe this?
Blink once, blink again, and a Mecha Girl had basically fallen into his lap for free.
And he hadn’t even tried to haggle.
She was the one who insisted on giving herself away.
When he took the contract in hand, it felt unreal, like a dream.
The bidders waiting outside the hall felt even more unreal.
“Why is it this kid again?”
“He even took TB-21. How much did he pay… what? He didn’t pay anything? What the hell?”
Thirty million to buy a top-tier Mecha Girl—and that was on an IOU.
Zero money for a high-performance Mecha Girl—no IOU required.
Is Mecha Island run by his family or something?
When he’d won Imperial Scale, Derek Su hadn’t really noticed the predatory stares around him.
But now, after taking TB-21 as well, he felt them clearly—hostile, vicious, like they might rush him and skin him alive at any second.
He immediately ducked behind Imperial Scale.
Instantly, his sense of security shot through the roof.
“TB-21!” The functional Mecha Girl grabbed TB-21’s hand and pulled her aside, anxiety written all over her face. “Why would you sell yourself for zero money? If someone threatened you, just nod or blink!”
A cold gaze swept over from behind.
TB-21 instantly straightened, chest out, standing at attention.
Her eyes went wide, and she shook her head fiercely.
“Ending up like this is entirely my own choice. It has nothing to do with anyone else!”
The functional Mecha Girl was completely baffled.
It really felt like TB-21 had been threatened—but TB-21 looked like someone calmly marching to her own execution.
Sigh.
Mecha Girls these days were truly impossible to understand.
The functional Mecha Girl could only shake her head and watch as TB-21 followed after Derek Su and Imperial Scale, her head hanging low.
...
“From now on, you’ll be called Tunbao.”
Derek Su casually shook two characters out of his phone dictionary.
The TB-21 beside him rolled her eyes so hard she nearly saw her own brain. She was a high-performance Mecha Girl adored by drivers and clubs everywhere—and here she was, being treated like this.
Naming her by flipping through a dictionary?
What kind of attitude was that?
Wasn’t this way too perfunctory?
Only Imperial Scale knew that Derek Su using a dictionary was already a mercy. No matter how random it was, it was still better than whatever he might come up with himself. After all, even a dictionary was unlikely to randomly spit out something like “Big Thunder.”
“Tunbao… not bad.” She nodded.
“Alright, thank you, boss. From today on, my name is Tunbao. Your naming sense is truly impressive—clearly very learned.” Tunbao immediately broke into a bright smile. Whether Derek Su had been perfunctory or not didn’t matter anymore. As long as Imperial Scale thought it sounded good, she’d accept being called Taobao if she had to.
They returned to the auction seating.
When it spread that Tunbao had been acquired without spending a single cent, Mr. Xavier and Zane both looked like they’d seen a ghost.
“Derek Su, tell me honestly—do you have some kind of background?” Zane said mysteriously. “If you’ve got hidden connections, say it now. I’ll definitely behave myself around you from now on.”
“Mr. Derek, you’re the first person ever to pull off a zero-dollars purchase at an exhibition auction.” Xavier gave him a thumbs-up, admiration all over his face. “Imperial Scale, Tunbao, Stella, plus Zane’s Lingwind—that’s four Mecha Girls already. There are still more than four months before Panlong Mountain. We’re only one short of the quota. That’s easy to handle.”
“Heh, I didn’t expect it to go this smoothly either.”
Derek Su smiled faintly, quietly taking credit without saying a word.
Stella clasped her hands behind her back and walked up to Tunbao, sizing her up from head to toe.
This Mecha Girl was also tall and well-built.
But she didn’t give off the same oppressive pressure as Imperial Scale, nor did she threaten Stella’s throne. She could easily serve as a Pineapple-bearing guard. If she wanted to completely suppress rebellion, strengthening her forces was only natural.
So…
She pulled out a brand-new Pineapple helmet.
“O brave Tunbao, prepare to accept the coronation of the Pineapple King!”
“Once you put on this helmet, you will no longer be an ordinary Mecha Girl. From this day on, you may not touch any fruit other than Pineapple. Violating this is betraying the teachings of the Pineapple King… Now then, before becoming my Pineapple Guard, do you have anything you wish to say?”
Tunbao stared blankly at the solemn Stella.
She didn’t really understand what Stella was on about, but she could vaguely sense that Stella was asserting her status—as Derek Su’s primary Mecha Girl. If this “coronation” succeeded, she’d become Stella’s subordinate.
Outrageous! They were all high-performance Mecha Girls. If Imperial Scale treated her like a subordinate, fine—but Stella? On what basis?
She planted her hands on her hips and glared at Stella with her chin raised. “Huh? Just because you’re the boss’s primary Mecha Girl doesn’t mean you—”
Imperial Scale: “Ahem.”
“Y-you… you…” Tunbao’s momentum instantly collapsed. She stammered for a long time, then took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and gathered herself. Finally, she lowered her head and pressed it against the Pineapple helmet, speaking in a muffled voice.
“From today onward, I am your Pineapple Guard. Long live the King. Long live the King. Long live the King forever.”
“Hehehe~” Stella patted Tunbao’s head, completely satisfied. “Very good. Don’t worry—this Pineapple King has your back. If you’re bullied inside the club, just say my name.”
“Then… what about outside the club?”
Tunbao looked at Stella eagerly. Stella stood with her hands on her hips, radiating confidence.
“Outside the club?” Stella paused, eyes darting around. “Outside the club, of course you report Imperial Scale’s name. I’m the Pineapple King—she’s the Pineapple Rebel King. I handle the inside, she handles the outside.”
Derek Su: “…”
Maybe it really was time to confiscate the novels Stella had been reading.
At this rate…
the Stella Club might actually turn into a Great Pineapple Empire.
...
The exhibition auction came to an end, and Derek Su returned with a full haul.
The news that he’d secured Imperial Scale and Tunbao for just thirty million was quickly printed in the papers. The headline read:
[Shocking! The Magician’s Miraculous Methods—Top-Tier Mecha Girls Willingly Slash Prices? High-Performance Units Practically Given Away?]
That night, the story spread rapidly across major racing forums and community groups.
Chloe had just returned from shopping, her mood light and cheerful.
She walked into the living room and saw Blazing Wind and Viper sitting in front of the TV.
[According to reports, the driver known as the King of Knox and “the Magician,” Derek Su, spent only 30 million—via an IOU—to acquire the top-tier Mecha Girl DL-01, and obtained Mecha Girl TB-21 without spending a single cent. With the addition of these two powerful Mecha Girls, the rise of the Stella Club is now unstoppable. Next, let’s hear what the experts have to say…]
“DL-01? TB-21?” Chloe frowned.
Those designations sounded strangely familiar.
Very quickly, she remembered. Weren’t these the two Mecha Girls she’d personally negotiated with at the exhibition auction? They were her absolute favorites.
DL-01 was noble and powerful, with a special ability.
TB-21 was well-balanced and could adapt to many types of tracks depending on her modules—extremely convenient.
She had been willing to pay a high price, even raise her bid, to secure either one. Yet during negotiations, both Mecha Girls had mercilessly “shown her the door.”
And now?
Thirty million.
An IOU.
Buy one, get one free.
Those three phrases slammed into Chloe’s mind again and again, making her head spin.
Her brand-new handbag slipped from her fingers and hit the floor with a dull thud.
Her whole body trembled, her face flushing red.
Even taking several deep breaths in a row did nothing to calm her down.
Suddenly, she charged toward the TV, took three big steps, and kicked it over.
“Derek—Su—!!!”
“AAAAAAH—!!!”
Staring at Chloe in front of the TV—hair disheveled, looking like a raging demon—
the weak and helpless Blazing Wind and Viper could only cling to each other, huddled on the sofa, trembling uncontrollably.
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