Chapter 138 - 148

Chapter 138: Little Secret

Seeing Stella’s Acceleration break past the hundred mark,
Derek Su couldn’t help but freeze.

His mind started spinning.
In an instant, countless thoughts formed based on the situation.

For example—was breaking 100 an ability unique to Stella, or could other Mecha Girls do it as well? And once an attribute passed 100, could he still keep allocating MP points to Stella?

As for that extra 0.2, that was something Stella had trained up on her own.

Derek Su focused on Stella’s stats and noticed a plus sign after 100.2—only that plus sign was grayed out.

Did that mean further upgrades were impossible, or that some condition had to be met first?

Derek Su frowned.

The system didn’t explain a thing. It completely threw him off.

And there was another issue—once an attribute went over 100, how were Module bonuses supposed to be calculated?

Too many questions surfaced at once. With the [Ice Breath Waterfall] Module currently equipped—and that Module lowering Acceleration—there was no good way to test anything. All he could do was push those doubts aside for now.

The top priority was finishing the race.

...

Lucy Luo had assumed that once Eternity-01 went all-out on acceleration, Derek Su and Stella would be left behind.

What shocked her was that not only did Derek Su and Stella not slow down—
they were steadily closing the gap.

“No way! Stella’s faster than you?!” Lucy Luo blurted out, stunned.

Ever since she started driving Eternity-01, she had never seen a Mecha Girl faster than it.

“My judgment isn’t wrong.”
Eternity-01 glanced sideways at Stella, who was gradually pulling up alongside them.

She pressed her lips together and said calmly, “That Mecha Girl has top-tier acceleration. She’s absolutely not weaker than me.”

“Damn! That’s ridiculous!” Lucy Luo puffed out her cheeks and slapped her thigh.

At this stage, the track was still dominated by straightaways, and the two Mecha Girls were running at similar speeds.

Even with Stella overtaking, Lucy Luo didn’t have Eternity-01 block her line or attempt a collision.

She was here to race, not to play dirty. There was no need for that.

“Master, should I activate a skill?” Eternity-01 tilted her head slightly.

She remembered Lucy Luo saying that five million could buy a lot of snacks.

If Lucy Luo really wanted it, she could carry her straight to that prize money.

“Not necessary. It’s just a practice race.”
Lucy Luo tapped the control lever with her fingers and said casually, “With a three-minute time gap, even if they’re a bit faster, it’ll be hard for them to catch up. And after us, there’s Alex Zhao and Abraham Lin—they’re no pushovers either. That five million isn’t guaranteed to fly away~”

“But they’re not stable.”

“If they lose because they’re not as skilled, then that’s on them~”

Since Lucy Luo put it that way, Eternity-01 dropped the idea of using her skill.

She quietly tucked in behind Stella, riding her slipstream.

Even though the sand kicked up by Stella nearly swallowed her entire field of vision, Lucy Luo still managed to keep Eternity-01 locked tightly onto Stella’s tail.

If she were driving alone, it definitely wouldn’t have been this easy.

...

Inside Stella’s cockpit.

Derek Su’s view ahead was completely open.
Yet his expression remained tense.

Eternity-01’s driver was impressive. Even with her vision obscured by the sand flung up by Stella’s wheels, she stayed glued to their rear. That wasn’t something you could pull off without real experience and technique. It seemed that even in a world where racing technology hadn’t progressed much, true experts still existed.

Leon Li was one.
And Lucy Luo was another.

As for Chloe Qin—he was nothing but a joke.

“Master, 150 meters ahead—left into consecutive hairpin turns!”

Stella’s urgent voice snapped Derek Su out of his thoughts.

She desperately wanted to widen the gap from Eternity-01. Otherwise, that three-minute time difference would have to be made up by Tunbao and Imperial Scale.

That would be humiliating for her.

At the same time, Stella quietly observed Derek Su’s calm expression through the rearview mirror.

She could sense it—Derek Su seemed to have strengthened her performance.

Thinking back, her performance had been improving ever since that intersection.

This wasn’t something Modules could explain. In the past, that feeling had been vague enough for her to blame on Modules. But during her race with Snowpeak, her Acceleration had suddenly jumped—and she hadn’t had any Modules equipped at the time. After the race, she’d tested it herself and confirmed she really was faster than before. It wasn’t just adrenaline.

Now, that same surge in acceleration was happening again.

When she first encountered Eternity, the pressure it gave her felt suffocating, like facing an overwhelming rival.

That pressure was still there—but it no longer felt quite so stifling.

“Master definitely has some little secret that boosts my performance,” Stella thought.

The realization left her both happy and confused.

She was happy because Derek Su had this special ability—one that could make Imperial Scale and the others stronger and stronger too.

That meant the Stella Club would only keep getting better.

What confused her was…

Those nights when she hadn’t slept with Derek Su. When she’d sneak out alone to train, setting up traffic cones at the pier, endlessly practicing turns and straight-line acceleration to push her limits. She’d believed all that effort was making her stronger.

But was it really her own effort?
Or was it Derek Su all along?

Had all that hard work meant nothing?

There was no time to think.

The corner was already right in front of them.

Just before reaching the turn-in point, Derek Su cut the control lever early.

Then he yanked the handbrake, sending Stella’s body sliding sideways.

At this speed on sand, losing control was dangerously easy.

Entering the first hairpin, he chose a more conservative line.

Screee—

The tires scraped violently against the sand, producing a teeth-grinding sound.

Stella slid outward toward the edge of the corner.

The instant they hit the apex—

Throttle on.
Grip returned.
Corner exit.

The entire sequence flowed like a precision-engineered machine.

Stella felt as if she wasn’t being controlled by a human at all—but by a computer.

She instinctively glanced at Derek Su’s stern profile.

Derek Su looked handsome when fully focused, though he really did resemble a machine.

Unlike Stella, who had all kinds of thoughts running through her head,
Derek Su was completely free of distractions.

He had just used a classic Sidebreak through the turn, leaving Stella positioned perfectly along the left side of the exit.

It was an excellent line—almost no adjustment needed.

Ahead was the second sharp right-hand turn.

So—

At the moment of turn-in, he braked and snapped the control lever to the right almost simultaneously.

Derek Su didn’t immediately straighten the controls.

With the wheels locked, Stella continued sliding in her original direction. Locked front wheels offered very little steering response, preventing the nose from turning right too early. All of this was just preparation before the real entry.

A fraction of a second—barely a blink.

And the optimal entry point had already arrived.

Derek Su released the brakes. Stella’s nose snapped to the right.

The body rotated rapidly, lining up perfectly with the exit.

Then he cut left and went full throttle out of the corner.

A seamless combination of Sidebreak and Scandinavian drift.

The flashy maneuver was almost completely hidden by the swirling sand.

All Lucy Luo and Eternity could see was Stella ahead swaying through the hairpin like a drunken man, barely keeping it together.

At the most dangerous moment, the rear nearly slammed into the nearby rocks.

And just like that, the gap between them and Stella was blown wide open by the hairpin turn.

...

Chapter 139: Cunning Old Foxes

“Derek Su and Stella are having a hard time pulling away from Eternity. Looks like it’ll come down to the last two stages,” Xavier Young said, rubbing the stubble on his chin, worry and regret flickering in his eyes.

He and Lumina were sitting in front of the TV.
They’d been watching the race nonstop since it began.

“That Mecha Girl, Eternity, is really strong,” Lumina said seriously, recalling the past. “I was at the exhibition auction with her back then. She was the finale piece—a top-tier Mecha Girl. As the most popular speed-type, her price was bid up to 1.9 billion. Later, during private negotiations, she went with a young ace from the GPC Club. Final deal was 700 million.”

“That expensive?”

“Yeah. Top-tier, after all.” Lumina shrugged.

“So Eternity hasn’t even used her skill yet? If she does, she’ll be even more terrifying?” Xavier Young’s eyes widened.

He and Lumina had experienced Stella’s speed firsthand.

On a straight track, it took less than half a minute for Stella to completely leave Lumina behind.

On a track with lots of corners, if Derek Su was driving, it was even more outrageous… one corner, maybe two, and they’d already lose sight of Stella’s taillights.

So how fast was this Eternity, really?

And if Eternity activated her skill—just how terrifying would that be?

Xavier didn’t dare think too deeply about it. He only knew the pressure on Derek Su and Stella had to be immense. Maybe after this race, he should take them to soak in some hot springs to relax.

His eyes drifted to Lumina’s graceful silhouette beside him, and he swallowed unconsciously.

Just then, on the TV screen, Derek Su and Stella used a series of consecutive hairpin turns to shake off Eternity. Lumina let out an excited cheer.

“Oh! They shook her off?” Xavier Young’s face lit up as he exclaimed, “Looks like Su really has a way. That ‘Magician’ nickname isn’t for nothing.”

“As long as they’ve broken away, Eternity won’t be able to draft anymore. The gap between her and Stella will only keep growing. They might actually make up that three-minute deficit!”

Lumina’s eyes sparkled, filled with anticipation.

...

“Master, do you think Stella and the others can beat the Tagalong Club?” Comet asked, hugging a pink teddy bear as she looked at Caio Yang beside her.

“Huh? What kind of name is ‘Tagalong’?” Caio Yang froze for a second, then quickly realized it was Comet’s nickname for the GPC Club. He said helplessly, “You really shouldn’t let people from Glory Peak Club hear you say that…”

“I think it’s kind of risky,” he said after watching the TV for a moment, then analyzing calmly. “The time gap from the first stage is too big. For Stella Club to beat GPC, two conditions have to be met. First, Eternity can’t use her skill. Second, in the third and fourth stages, Stella Club’s other racers can’t make mistakes and must completely crush GPC’s racers. Those conditions are pretty harsh.”

“What if it were the two of us?” Comet asked.

“We’d definitely be fine~” Caio Yang grinned smugly. “I’m a Techmaster, and you’re a top-tier Mecha Girl. Who could beat us?”

“Hmph! You don’t even let me use my skill!”

Comet puffed out her cheeks angrily and turned her back on Caio Yang.

Back on the Grivin Desert track, they had nearly been overtaken by Ethan Yang. She’d wanted to use her special skill then, but Caio Yang had absolutely refused. Ever since she’d been bought, Caio Yang had forbidden her from using special skills, so she still hadn’t experienced what it felt like to activate one.

“Not letting you use it is to train your performance and keep you from relying on skills too much,” Caio Yang said gently, wrapping an arm around her shoulders to coax her. “Besides, don’t I rarely use my Techmaster skills too? Back when we raced Derek Su, you were begging me, saying you’d wash my underwear—I couldn’t possibly use a skill then…”

“Ahhh! Shut up! Are you trying to get yourself killed?!”

Comet quickly reached back and covered Caio Yang’s mouth, her delicate face flushing red at a visible speed.

“Don’t ever bring that up again!”

She bit her lip, half-embarrassed and half-angry, and snapped,
“If you mention it again, I’ll learn from Cloud Leopard!”

Caio Yang froze, then nodded frantically in fear.

Justin Kim was still recovering. It was said that now, just seeing a pair of scissors was enough to make his legs go weak and trigger a stress reaction. Caio Yang definitely didn’t want to end up like that.

...

“Ladies and gentlemen! After a series of consecutive hairpin turns, our dark horse contender, the Magician, has opened up a gap from GPC Club’s rookie ace! Perhaps he really does have a way to make up that three-minute difference and create a miracle!”

Aiyo’s commentary never stopped.

The live broadcast stayed focused mainly on Stella and Eternity.

After all, the other racers were more or less running their own races.

Only Stella and Eternity were truly locked in an intense head-to-head.

“Next, let’s announce the time rankings for the first stage! First place goes to GPC Club with a time of 65 minutes and 32 seconds! Second place is BSC Club under our sponsor Giant Tech, at 67 minutes and 7 seconds! Third place is TGB Club, at 67 minutes and 12 seconds… SC Club, where the Magician belongs, is currently in ninth place, with a time of 68 minutes and 47 seconds!”

Hearing Aiyo’s announcement,
Zane and Lingwind, resting at the station, flushed red with embarrassment, wishing they could crawl into a hole and disappear.

Ninth place…

In the past, Zane would’ve thought that result was decent enough.

But now, being in the same club as Derek Su and serving as the first leg of this relay, seeing that ranking only made him feel humiliated—like he was dragging Derek Su down.

Now they were three minutes behind.

It would be up to Derek Su to clean up the mess he and Lingwind had left.

...

On the track—

“Master… sorry. I can’t keep up with Stella anymore.”

Eternity let out a helpless sigh.

If she could still draft off Stella’s slipstream, she might’ve been able to hang on.

But after Stella used a hairpin to pull away, drafting was no longer possible. With no other Mecha Girls around to use as a ‘springboard,’ all Eternity could do was watch the distance between them grow larger and larger.

“If you can’t catch up, then you can’t,” Lucy Luo said, looking completely unconcerned.

“With the Magician’s absurd cornering skills, it’s normal we can’t keep up. It’s just a training race—let’s just enjoy it~ Plugging in Modules and activating skills would ruin the fun. Besides, we need to put some pressure on the other club members too, right?”

Eternity knew Lucy Luo was just comforting her.

She pressed her lips together, staring at Stella’s taillights ahead, her voice firm. “Forget the training race. If we run into them on a provincial-level track, I’ll make them understand who truly stands at the pinnacle of speed!”

“Oh~? Rare to see you this fired up~” Lucy Luo flashed a mischievous grin and teased, “So, Eternity, getting beaten in speed by another Mecha Girl really doesn’t feel good, huh? Really itching to slot in Modules and activate your skill?”

“Just beg me. As long as you beg, I’ll let you plug them in right away and activate everything for you! Hehehe~”

Lucy Luo looked exhilarated, an unusual flush spreading across her pretty face.

Eternity rolled her eyes and ignored her.

Lucy Luo always went a bit crazy while driving.

She was already used to it.

Ignoring her was enough—Lucy Luo would calm down on her own soon enough.

Time passed, second by second.

At the edge of their vision, a conspicuous red structure appeared at the end of the track.

It was a maintenance station set up along the course.

Its job was to change Mecha Girls’ tires and inspect their condition.

That was because the track conditions ahead would change—from compacted, damp sand to loose, dry sand. At that point, the surface would sink like a bottomless pit, making fresh tires absolutely necessary.

...

Watching the two Mecha Girls speeding in, Howard Wang, who had been waiting at the maintenance station for quite some time, lit up and quickly asked, “Is that Eternity and Stella coming?”

“Yes, Boss,” the workers replied.

“The tires are ready, right?”

“All ready, Boss. You can trust me,” the supervisor said, rubbing his hands together with a flattering smile.

“They won’t be noticed?” Howard Wang asked again.

“They won’t. Custom-made. You can’t tell unless you’re on the track.”

The supervisor narrowed his eyes, and the two exchanged a knowing grin.

Like two cunning old foxes.

...

Chapter 140: Every Dirty Trick in the Book

Stella and Eternity entered the maintenance station one after the other to change tires.

At this point, the race clock for both of them was paused.

As the drivers, Derek Su and Lucy Luo were given about two minutes of rest.

There wasn’t much they could do in that time, but it was enough to let their tightly wound minds relax a little.

“Hey, Magician, let’s get acquainted!”

Derek Su was in the middle of drinking water when a crisp voice suddenly rang out from across the lane—it was Eternity’s driver, Lucy Luo.

He put down the bottle and looked over to see Lucy Luo half leaning out of Eternity’s cockpit window, her long golden hair hanging in a wild mess. If she had a pale face and blood-red eyes to go with it, she could’ve easily cosplayed a zombie from Train to Busan.

But Lucy Luo was actually very pretty.

Compared to the almost flawless Mecha Girls, she had an extra touch of natural vitality that belonged uniquely to humans.

“Hello.” Derek Su nodded at the oddly styled Lucy Luo.

He had a good impression of her.

Not because she was good-looking, but because she raced cleanly—she didn’t rely on dirty tricks on the track.

Derek Su appreciated drivers who were “civilized.”

His own rule was simple: if no one messed with him, he wouldn’t mess with them.

As long as Lucy Luo and Eternity didn’t cause him trouble, he wouldn’t deliberately block them either.

On the track, everything should be decided by the Mecha Girls’ speed and the drivers’ skill.

“Magician, ever thought about joining our GPC Club? We’ll give you full resources, plus pretty girls to give you massages~ Or if you want me to do it myself, that’s fine too~”

Lucy Luo wore a roguish grin and deliberately tossed Derek Su a flirtatious wink.

The corner of Derek Su’s mouth twitched.

Were kids these days all this forward?

He played along and shot back, “Why don’t you join our Stella Club instead? We’ve got professional bath scrubbers—guaranteed to make your scalp go numb from how good it feels!”

“Sure~”

To Derek Su’s surprise, Lucy Luo agreed without hesitation.

Smiling brightly, she said, “You’re planning to run the provincial-level track, right? Panlong Mountain, first section. Beat me and Eternity there, and I’ll quit GPC on the spot and join your club.”

Derek Su raised an eyebrow. “You said it yourself.”

“Mhm, I keep my word~”

With a mischievous laugh, Lucy Luo withdrew back into the cockpit.

Derek Su didn’t take it seriously. He assumed she was just joking.

He did have confidence in building up the Stella Club, but as things stood, Stella Club was nowhere near comparable to GPC, which ranked among the top two hundred.

“Tire change complete!”

A crew member raised a ready sign.

Lucy Luo and Eternity had entered the maintenance station a bit later, so their tire change took slightly longer than Derek Su and Stella’s.

“Then we’ll be heading out first.”

Derek Su waved casually and put his helmet back on.

The second stage still had more than two hundred kilometers left.

He and Stella needed to use their speed and cornering advantage to reduce the pressure for the final two stages.

...

In less than a minute, the maintenance station had vanished from sight.

Visibility in the desert at night was poor. From the rearview mirror, Eternity couldn’t be seen at all.

However, the sound of her engine could still be heard, indicating that Eternity had already started up and was following behind at a steady distance.

“Master, something feels wrong…” Stella’s troubled voice came from the front.

Derek Su froze for a moment and quickly asked, “What’s wrong?”

“My feet feel uncomfortable…”

For Stella, her feet were her tires.

Discomfort in her feet meant something was wrong with the tires.

Derek Su’s brow furrowed. He suddenly stepped on the brakes, and Stella’s body immediately lost stability. He quickly adjusted the control lever and downshifted, but still couldn’t recover control.

The section they were on was now entirely loose, dry sand.

On this kind of terrain, speed dropped drastically. The wheels would sink into the sand, requiring greater driving force just to keep moving, and actions like turning or braking could easily cause slipping.

Because of this, the maintenance station had specially prepared HT tires.

These tires had good elasticity, fine tread patterns, stronger grip, and soft sidewalls. They provided better power transfer on desert terrain. As the tread wore down, they would gradually become smooth tires—commonly called “bald tires”—which were ideal for sand.

Since there was still some distance before fully entering the sandy section, bald tires hadn’t been used directly.

But now, the tires’ grip was clearly abnormal.

Derek Su didn’t recklessly continue driving Stella forward.

He guided Stella to the side of the track and stopped, then immediately got out to check.

The moment he saw the tires, his expression darkened.

The material was wrong—the sidewalls were far too hard.

The tires installed by the maintenance station weren’t HT tires at all.

Other than looking similar, they had nothing in common with real HT tires.

Derek Su returned to the cockpit with a grim face.

During tire changes, drivers weren’t required to get out of the car, and without actually running them, it was impossible to notice the issue.

The situation was obvious now—someone had deliberately tampered with Stella’s tires.

Who could it be? Lucy Luo?

He didn’t think a top-200 club like GPC would need to resort to something like this.

“Master… what’s wrong?” Stella turned her head back, looking at Derek Su timidly.

“We’re going back to the maintenance station,” Derek Su said in a low voice.

“Huh? Why?” Stella froze, her eyes immediately reddening. She stammered, “Master, I—I’m just a little uncomfortable. It’s not that I can’t run. I—”

“It’s not your fault. We’re going back. The tires are the problem—we need to change them.”

Derek Su forced a relaxed smile and patted Stella’s rear.

“Mm… okay.” Stella nodded, looking utterly wronged.

She knew turning back for a tire change would cost a lot of time, but she wouldn’t go against Derek Su’s decision.

Usually, she could fool around with him however she liked, but during a race, Derek Su was the boss—whatever he said, she followed.

Derek Su moved the control lever and turned Stella around.

At that moment, Eternity came roaring past in a cloud of sand.

Lucy Luo glanced in surprise at Derek Su and Stella heading the opposite way, but didn’t say anything, continuing forward with Eternity.

This was a race, not a break for chatting.

...

Derek Su brought Stella back to the maintenance station.

When the staff saw them return, their expressions turned strange.

They tried to look surprised, but none of them were actors. Whether it was shock or confusion, it all came across as exaggerated.

One look was enough for Derek Su to know something was wrong.

“I need an explanation,” he said coldly. “Why weren’t HT tires installed on Stella?”

One of the workers pretended to inspect the tires, then put on a panicked expression.

“Oh! Mr. Su, we’re terribly sorry. We installed the wrong tires on your Mecha Girl. We’ll change them immediately!”

They moved quickly. In less than half a minute, the replacement tires were brought over.

Derek Su stepped forward to inspect them.

This time, they were undeniably HT tires.

“But how are you going to make up for the race time I lost?” Derek Su said flatly. “Who’s in charge of race logistics? Have your supervisor come talk to me.”

“Mr. Su, please rest assured. The moment we discovered the tire mix-up, we already notified the organizers to pause your race timer.”

A man in a suit walked out from the adjacent workshop, bowing apologetically with a look of regret.

“I’m Manager Zhang, responsible for logistics for this event on behalf of Giant Tech.”

Manager Zhang extended his right hand, but Derek Su kept a cold expression and didn’t move.

Zhang didn’t seem bothered. He withdrew his hand and smiled politely.

“Giant Tech sincerely regrets the loss you’ve suffered. The employees who installed the wrong tires will all be dismissed, and we’re also willing to compensate you for your losses… How does one million sound?”

...

Chapter 141: You Cannot Defeat Me

One million—that was the prize money for third place at Maratela.
Whether he won the race or not, he could take that million right now.

But Derek Su didn’t need one million.

This race was meant to build prestige for the Stella Club, to cultivate synergy with Imperial Scale, and to help both Imperial Scale and Tunbao integrate with Stella as quickly as possible. He wanted this competition to bring the entire club closer together, to strengthen the sense of family within the team.

More importantly, being sabotaged and hit with underhanded tricks left a bitter, burning anger in his chest.

He glared at Manager Zhang. The man wore a smiling, unhurried expression, completely at ease.

They didn’t shout or stubbornly deny anything. Instead, they adopted a polite, apologetic posture.
The workers hurriedly finished changing the hot-melt tires and stood off to the side, visibly nervous—though at least half of that fear was clearly an act. Seeing that Derek Su wasn’t saying anything, the manager immediately had someone bring over a cash case. Inside it sat one million in cash.

Their shift from arrogance to deference was also a message.

This was done to you.
Swallow it if you’re unhappy.
If you dare make a move, we’ll have you withdrawn from the race immediately.

“Giant Tech?” Derek Su didn’t even glance at the cash-filled case.

He took a deep breath and walked back to Stella’s side.
“Do you really think tricks this clumsy are enough to make me bow my head?”

“You’re underestimating racers—and you’re underestimating racing itself.”

He opened the door.
Sat down in the cockpit.
Fastened his helmet.

A cold voice echoed through the maintenance station.

“What I’m engaged in…”
“…is the passion of my entire life. It’s the career I’m willing to devote all my enthusiasm to.”

He clenched the handbrake, shifted gears, and floored the accelerator.

Vroooom—!

The engine’s roar tore through the night.

Manager Zhang, the staff, and Howard Wang sitting inside the office all watched in silence. Listening to that terrifying howl, goosebumps rose uncontrollably across their skin.

Just watch.

Derek Su stared at the track with icy eyes.

You cannot defeat me!

Out of the corner of his eye, Derek Su glanced at the timer beside the maintenance station.

The Stella Club was currently trailing the GPC Club by 5 minutes and 37 seconds.
Trailing the BSC Club by 2 minutes and 11 seconds.
Ranked 11th.

A truly miserable standing.

But the race wasn’t over yet!

He released the handbrake.

A streak of silver light plunged straight into the darkness.
The race timer restarted at the same moment.

...

“Strange, why did the Magician go back to the maintenance station?” Lucy Luo was still puzzled by what had happened earlier.

“Probably a Mecha Girl malfunction,” Eternity said calmly. “That’s fine too. Your five million is secure—you can buy tons of snacks.”

“Hmm, a Mecha Girl issue? What if the Magician just needed to take a dump?”

Eternity fell silent for a moment, then said flatly,
“No one would complain if he did it by the roadside.”

“But that’s bad for public decency. If it were me, I’d go back to do it.”

Veins popped on Eternity’s forehead.
“Master, that’s enough.”

Without the pressure from Derek Su and Stella, Lucy Luo and Eternity ran the final section with ease, quickly reaching the second relay point.

“Whew, I’m exhausted. Running the workload of two people at once is still a bit much~”

Lucy Luo sighed as she climbed out of Eternity, drooping as if she were weak and delicate.
She hung off Eternity like an oversized koala.

Only Eternity knew how energetic this brat had been inside the cockpit.
She’d been bouncing around like a monkey, with such strong grip that sometimes it made Eternity’s control lever ache.

“Boss, you’re amazing! This is insane!”

GPC Club member Kaleb Li ran over with his Mecha Girl Tornado, his face full of excitement as he gave Lucy Luo a thumbs-up.
“Our GPC Club is in first place now—more than a minute ahead of second! The third and fourth stages are basically locked in! This is all thanks to you and Eternity!”

Kaleb Li genuinely felt what it meant to be carried by a top-tier racer.

He had a full minute of error margin with Abraham on the fourth stage.
That might not seem like much, but in racing, one minute was an absurdly huge safety buffer.

“Don’t get cocky, Li. Be careful not to trip in a gutter,” Lucy Luo said, glancing toward the BSC Club racers preparing nearby. She lowered her voice.
“I heard BSC’s Track Queen is here too. She skipped the third stage, which means she’s definitely running the fourth. She’ll erase that one-minute gap in no time—and you won’t even know where to cry.”

Kaleb Li snorted.
“Chloe Qin? That idiot? Track Queen, my ass. Boss, you’re the real Track Queen. I could crush her with one hand.”

Lucy Luo chuckled and patted Kaleb Li on the shoulder.

After a few exchanges, Kaleb Li and Tornado went off to prepare for their start.

With nothing else to do, Lucy Luo took Eternity over to the timing board to check the rankings.

She saw that Derek Su and Stella, who had been outside the top ten, had already climbed to fifth place.

“The Magician and Stella are still fast. They went back to the maintenance station and still managed to catch up,” Lucy Luo said, blinking in admiration.

“But breaking into the top three will be hard,” Eternity said as she studied the board. GPC Club was firmly in first place, with a clear gap over second-place TGB Club. There was also a clear gap between third-place ESW (Extreme Sound Waves) and fourth-place BSC Club.

BSC Club had been second on the first stage.
But their ranking dropped on the second.

That was understandable.
After all, BSC wasn’t even a top-500 club. They simply couldn’t field that many outstanding racers.

...

Tunbao stared into the vast night, her gaze repeatedly drifting toward the timing board.
She paced anxiously around the relay station, letting out sighs now and then.

Then, from the darkness, two blinding beams of headlights sliced through the night like sharp blades.

Hearing that familiar, piercing engine wail, Tunbao’s heart leapt.

Derek Su and Stella had finally arrived!

With a handbrake drift, Stella slid cleanly into the parking slot. The staff immediately rushed over with dry ice extinguishers to cool her down.

Derek Su stepped out of the car and saw Tunbao approaching.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. Something unexpected happened at the maintenance station,” Derek Su said, about to explain.

At that moment, two helicopters passed overhead, and Aiyo’s booming voice rang out clearly through the loudspeakers.

“...Our much-watched driver, the Magician, and his Mecha Girl Stella have now arrived at the second relay point. The Magician will continue driving Mecha Girl Tunbao and Mecha Girl Imperial Scale for the third and fourth stages. Even someone like me, who eats goji berries every day, can’t help but marvel at the Magician’s incredible stamina.”

“However, a small incident occurred at the maintenance station earlier. Due to staff negligence, Stella had to change tires again. Even so, the Magician delivered an outstanding performance, pulling the Stella Club from ninth place up to fifth using only the second stage. Can the Magician continue creating miracles in the races ahead? Let’s wait and see!!”

By now, Stella had already disengaged her deployment mode and walked over to his side.
She lowered her head silently, her cold little hand clutching one of his fingers in confusion.

“That’s the whole story. He already explained it,” Derek Su said helplessly, pointing at the sky.

Tunbao looked at Stella, who stood beside Derek Su looking as wilted as a frost-bitten eggplant. With her explosive temperament, she immediately erupted.

“It was intentional. Absolutely intentional!”

“All the tires there were prepared in advance—only HT tires! How could they possibly put on the wrong ones?! They clearly prepared a set of faulty tires ahead of time!”

Tunbao was about to storm off toward the staff when Derek Su grabbed her.

“The race is about to start. What are you trying to do?!”

“Of course I’m going to demand an explanation!”

Derek Su pinched the bridge of his nose.

What explanation was there to demand? If they dared to do this, they had already prepared for everything.
At most, it would just be an apology and compensation. Do you want it or not?

It was only a training race. The organizers would naturally downplay the issue.

“Oh? So you got set up, huh~”

Lucy Luo and Eternity had appeared beside them at some point.

She leaned against Eternity as if tipsy, chuckling as she said to Derek Su,
“I know who’s targeting you. Giant Tech is BSC Club’s backer. Think carefully—have you ever crossed someone from BSC Club?”

BSC Club?
An arrogant woman surfaced in Derek Su’s mind—the one he and Stella had forced off the bridge.

“Chloe Qin?!”

....

Chapter 142: Reflection

After thinking it through carefully, Derek Su realized that within the BSC Club, no one except Chloe Qin would have any reason to target him.

Giant Tech was BSC Club’s backer, their protective umbrella. Under those circumstances, tampering with the tires to give their own rookie ace an advantage was entirely plausible.

Thinking back to the staff members and that so-called Manager Zhang with his hypocritical smile, it was obvious this hadn’t been a spur-of-the-moment decision. They had planned it long ago. Most likely, the moment Stella Club’s name appeared on the entry list, they had already started preparing in the shadows.

“So it was Chloe Qin, right?” Tunbao erupted in anger.

A puff of white smoke shot nearly a meter into the air from her head.

She had crossed paths with that arrogant woman once before.

Back then, she had only thought Chloe Qin lacked self-awareness. She never imagined she was this malicious.

“Where is Chloe Qin? I’m going to twist her head off!”

Tunbao rolled her wrists, her voice icy and murderous, scanning the surroundings. But Chloe Qin was already preparing at the third relay point and wasn’t anywhere nearby.

“If you really twist Chloe Qin’s head off, you’ll be the one sent back to the furnace,” Lucy Luo said lazily, covering her mouth as she yawned, her eyes still half-lidded. “Right now, the priority is to race properly and claw back as much time as possible. There’s another tire change later in the stage, and we absolutely have to inspect them carefully then. Honestly, tire changes should be handled by your own logistics team—especially in a training race like this. Since it’s not officially organized, those tycoons will dare to do anything.”

Derek Su fell silent.

Stella Club had only just been established. They didn’t have a logistics team at all.

Without one, the race organizers handled everything, and Mr. Xavier’s people had no way to get involved.

“Master, I’m sorry… I didn’t do well. That’s why the time gap is so big now.”

Stella lowered her head. One hand hooked around Derek Su’s finger, while the other clenched her racing suit, crumpling it into a mess. Her bangs fell over her eyes, hiding everything except her tightly bitten red lips.

She was still stuck on what had happened earlier.

Why hadn’t she endured the discomfort in her foot back then? If she had just pushed through and not gone back to change the tire, her speed might have dropped a little, but it surely wouldn’t have fallen this far behind.

“Stella, this has nothing to do with you,” Derek Su said gently, patting her head to reassure her. “The tire had to be changed. Luckily, you noticed it in time. If we’d only discovered the problem in a dangerous section, we’d have been stuck—unable to go forward or back. Turning around then would’ve wasted even more time.”

“Ahhh!” Hearing their exchange, Tunbao completely lost it. She stomped the ground hard and roared toward the sky, “Damn it! Are we really just going to let Chloe Qin get away with this?”

“How could we?” Derek Su’s eyes were cold as ice as he turned to Tunbao, his voice calm and indifferent. “That’s why your task is critical next. We need to reach the third relay point at almost the same time as the BSC Club racer. Only then can I start together with Chloe Qin.”

“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go!”

Without another word, Tunbao hoisted Derek Su onto her shoulder and sprinted straight for the starting area. At the same moment, the BSC Club racer was just setting off.

“Being in a hurry won’t help. They haven’t even called our name yet.”

Derek Su was speechless and tried to struggle.

But Tunbao’s arms were like iron clamps. He couldn’t move at all.

All he could do was wave back at Stella and shout, “Stella, be good. Go wait for me at the finish line!”

“Master… you and Tunbao, good luck…”

Stella lifted her hand, then let it fall again.

She stood there blankly, watching Derek Su get carried away by Tunbao.

Her heart was a tangled mess.

Self-blame, helplessness, regret…

She couldn’t tell which emotion weighed the most. They all mixed together, like cold desert wind rushing into her nose, leaving it aching and sour, making her sniff involuntarily.

It wasn’t that she felt threatened because Derek Su now had another Mecha Girl.

She just felt that she was supposed to lead Derek Su to victory. Instead, everything had fallen apart. Tunbao and Imperial Scale even had to help share the pressure. As Derek Su’s primary Mecha Girl, she hadn’t fulfilled her role.

Being the primary didn’t just mean being the first Mecha Girl on the field.

It also meant being the core of the team.

The core didn’t only go first. While consuming more resources, she also had to watch everything, listen to everything, and take care of every aspect… almost like a homeroom teacher.

But she wasn’t like a homeroom teacher at all.

She was more like a little girl who relied on Derek Su.

If only she had noticed the tire problem before leaving the repair station. Or even if she’d noticed it right after leaving. But she hadn’t noticed anything. At that moment, all she could think about was accelerating.

Surpassing Eternity .

She wasn’t some crash-proof king, not an acceleration queen, not some “pineapple king.” She was just an ordinary Mecha Girl—one who would blow the engine if she used her special skill, careless and scatterbrained.

Her head was full of dreams.

But she lacked the ability to realize them…

Her performance came from Derek Su’s mysterious power.

Without that, she was nothing.

Maybe she had been… a little too arrogant.

...

“Hey! Your name is Stella, right?”

Lucy Luo waved a hand in front of Stella’s face.

She had already sensed that something was off with this Mecha Girl’s state.

“I—I am…” Stella wiped her eyes, lifted her head, and forced a polite smile. She saw Lucy Luo half leaning against Eternity, her face bright with confidence and vitality.

“So, how about it? Want to go to the third relay point to see your master?”

Of course she wanted to.

But…

“I can’t,” Stella shook her head.

The organizers’ helicopters would transport relay-finished Mecha Girls to the finish line, but they wouldn’t take them to other relay points just because they asked.

She couldn’t exactly deploy and run all the way to the third relay point. Her endurance was already nearly gone. If she collapsed in the desert, she’d only cause more trouble for Derek Su.

“How could you not go?” Lucy Luo pulled out her phone and dialed a number, her tone lazy. “Hello? Yeah, yeah—get over to relay point Two and pick me up. Be quick. You’ve got ten minutes. Late, and your pay gets docked.”

She hung up, grabbed Stella’s hand, and smiled like an old fox. “Our GPC Club has its own helicopter. Want to come along with your master? The perks are great. Just remember to whisper a little more in his ear during your private meeting tonight.”

Private meeting… what was that?

Stella saw the unmistakable suggestiveness on Lucy Luo’s face.

For some reason, this blonde, domineering woman seemed to be hinting at something very dangerous.

...

In less than five minutes, GPC Club’s private helicopter arrived.

Lucy Luo and Eternity boarded first. Then Lucy Luo shifted aside, making room, and waved at Stella. “What are you standing there for? Get in! Don’t you want to see your master? When he comes off the track, you’ll be right there at the third relay point to surprise him!”

Stella took three seconds to rule out the possibility of being kidnapped by Lucy Luo. Then she thought about how, at the very least, she could hand Derek Su a bottle of water when he came off the track.

Even if she was a clumsy Mecha Girl, she wanted to do a little more.

So she pressed her lips together and sat down beside Lucy Luo, looking slightly shy.

...

Meanwhile, at the starting point.

Derek Su was already seated in Tunbao’s cockpit as the countdown to launch began.

“Tunbao, how many seconds are we behind the BSC Club racer now?”

“Thirty-seven seconds,” Tunbao replied, tilting her head slightly.

Derek Su lowered his gaze.

The countdown display in front of him had entered the final three seconds.

The crimson numbers rolled down rapidly.

“Overtake her.”

He spoke coldly.

He pulled the handbrake and slammed the throttle to the floor.

....

Chapter 143: Winning by Roaring

Eduard Lin was a professional driver with the BSC Club.
The Mecha Girl he piloted was the XJB-27, valued at eleven million.

This Mecha Girl didn’t have any especially outstanding strengths. Her cornering and acceleration were solid, but her real advantage was consistency and stability.

Eduard Lin’s goal for today was simple: hold fourth place until reaching relay point three.
After that, BSC’s ace—Chloe Qin, known as the Queen of the Track—would take over the Blazing Wind, aiming to secure second place and push for first.

Relay races were like Tian Ji’s horse racing strategy: different drivers of different strengths were assigned to different stages.

At present, Lucy Luo of GPC Club dominated Stages 1 and 2, but her team was noticeably weaker in Stages 3 and 4.
TGB Club, currently sitting in second, was already running on fumes. They’d put a rookie into the fourth and final stage, and that driver’s Mecha Girl was nothing special—completely outclassed by the Blazing Wind.

Then there was ESW Club. Their members were all around the same level—steady, reliable, and the most likely club to challenge BSC for second place.

As for Stella Club, they had once been considered enemies.
But rumor had it their boss had double-crossed them.
Now, Stella Club posed no real threat at all.

Relay races were different from other competitions. A club that kept winning would see both its Mecha Girls and drivers riding high on morale, pushing faster and faster on the track. But when things went wrong, the psychological blow was severe. Pressure and resentment bred mistakes, and a Mecha Girl’s performance could be dragged down by a bad mental state.

“HAAAAAAHHHHHH—!!!!”

A strange, piercing howl cut through the wind.

Eduard Lin frowned.
“What the hell is that noise?”

XJB-27 was completely confused as well. Had another Mecha Girl caught up?

But no engine sounded like that.
Whose Mecha Girl screamed like that?

Could it be a ghost wandering the desert?

Remembering a horror movie from a few days ago, XJB-27 shuddered, her speed dropping slightly.

Eduard Lin immediately noticed something was off and quickly reassured her.
“Don’t overthink it. Relay point three is just two kilometers ahead. Once we get there, our job’s done.”

“HAAAAAAHHHHHH—!!!!”

The sound grew louder—closer.

Neither Eduard Lin nor XJB-27 could stay calm now.

In the rearview mirror, two points of light were rapidly approaching. It was impossible to make out what they were; visibility in the desert night was terrible.

“Master… you don’t think ghosts really exist, do you? Mecha Girls scrapped in the desert, their drivers dead, forced back to the Recycling Yard. After seven days, they crawl out and return to the desert, wandering around and taking revenge on every driver who passes by—sshh—!”

XJB-27 sucked in a sharp breath, fully immersing herself in the idea that she was about to be haunted.

Eduard Lin’s mouth twitched. He slapped XJB-27 on the rear.
“There are no ghosts. Stop watching horror movies!”

Bright headlights suddenly pierced through the sand and dust.

Amid the bizarre roar, Eduard Lin and XJB-27 finally saw it clearly.

A pale pink Mecha Girl.

And she was fast—faster than them.

“HAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!”
“Passing you! Passing you! Passing you!”
“I’m passing youuuuuu!!!”

She closed in rapidly, nearly filling the entire rearview mirror.
But the sand kicked up by her tires obscured the cockpit, making it impossible to see who was inside.

Derek Su sat stiffly in the Tunbao cockpit, his face dark.
Earplugs were stuffed into his ears.

Ahead of him, Tunbao threw her head back and howled, her voice shrill and explosive, like a thousand birds screaming at once.

“HAAAAAAH! Accelerate! Accelerate!”
“Pass you! Pass you! Pass you!”

Earlier, Derek had suggested she stop roaring.

High spirits and burning passion were fine—but this kind of volume could rupture eardrums.

Before piloting Tunbao, he’d never imagined she was a Mecha Girl whose output depended entirely on shouting.

Her roar even drowned out the engine itself.

Hair flying wildly, eyes bloodshot, veins bulging on her forehead—
the louder she screamed, the faster she went…

Then—CRASH!

She slammed straight into the rear of the Mecha Girl ahead.

“Ow—! Owwwwww!”

Tunbao’s impact resistance was pretty good—about seventy points—so when she hit the Mecha Girl in front, she only cried out in pain.

Inside the front cockpit, XJB-21 clutched her rear, tears streaming as she screamed,
“It hurts—!!!”

“Hehehe… so the one in front is from BSC Club, huh!”

Tunbao seemed to hear that scream. The pain in her forehead vanished instantly as she twisted her head around, blood-red eyes gleaming as she stared at Derek Su.

Derek swallowed hard and nodded shakily.

“Hehehe… good. Very good!”
“Pass her! Ram her! Send her on her way!”
“Bullying the Mecha Girl and driver from my boss’s club? You’re really tired of living!”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Tunbao didn’t even bother overtaking. She just rammed the Mecha Girl in front again and again.

Relay point three wasn’t far anymore.
She shoved XJB-27 all the way to the finish.

When they reached the relay point, Tunbao tried to ram her again, but Derek quickly stopped her.

Ramming on the track was competition.
Ramming at the relay point was assault.

The staff, clearly aware these two Mecha Girls had just gone through a brutal clash, rushed over with dry ice extinguishers to cool them down.

XJB-27 disengaged her deployment mode, her face pale. She could only walk with her legs splayed like a crab, thighs trembling with every step. Eduard Lin’s heart ached as he stayed by her side, shooting furious looks toward Derek Su and Tunbao.

Tunbao wasn’t any better. She bared her teeth and glared right back. Compared to XJB-27’s aching rear, her own forehead throbbed painfully—bruised purple and swollen with a lump.

“Boss! Why’d you stop me? I’ll beat him to death!”
“Calm down, calm down. This is the relay point—and they’re not Chloe Qin…”
“Then where’s Chloe Qin? I’ll beat him to death!”

“Ahem.”

A familiar cough sounded from behind.

Tunbao froze. The fury on her face vanished as if doused with cold water.

She turned stiffly, forcing a flattering smile.
“Good evening, boss.”

Stella Club was still in fifth place, but their total time was already very close to BSC’s fourth.
Imperial Scale looked as calm as ever. Despite the massive gap between Stella Club and first-place GPC, it clearly hadn’t affected her mood.

She wore a black, form-fitting racing suit. Rose-red eyes rested quietly on Derek Su and Tunbao. Her jet-black hair fell to her waist like a cascading waterfall. Standing not far away, she was serene and aloof, like a slender water lily in bloom.

Just looking at Imperial Scale was enough to calm Tunbao’s agitation.
Derek felt his own heart settle as well.

“Master!”

Stella peeked out from behind Imperial Scale, her face lit with a warm, reassuring smile.

She held out a bottle of mineral water to Derek, carefully checking his condition. Her gaze was gentle and lingering, like a wife welcoming her husband home.

Derek took the water, surprised.
“Stella? What are you doing here?”

“Lucy Luo and Eternity brought me over.” Stella gestured behind her.

Derek looked toward the repair station entrance and saw Lucy Luo and Eternity waving.
A helicopter sat on the helipad, GPC markings painted on its door.

“Hey! Stella, you only brought water for the boss? What about me?!”
Tunbao pointed at her swollen forehead, indignant. “Look at this! Do you know how much I’ve sacrificed for the club?!”

Stella hurriedly pulled seven or eight bottles of nutrient solution from a bag behind her, speaking in a slightly placating tone.
“Of course I did! I prepared some for you too—every flavor. High-concentration recovery types. The pain will go away after a few sips~”

...

At a more distant starting area, XJB-27 and Eduard Lin stood in front of Chloe Qin, speaking angrily, their expressions full of resentment.

Chloe Qin cast her gaze in this direction.

Derek Su met her cold stare and clenched his fists.

He knew it.
After enduring for so long—

The sword was finally ready to be drawn.

...

Chapter 144: Showdown

Tunbao secured a simultaneous start with Chloe Qin.
It could have been even faster.
After all, she had practically rammed the XJB-27 straight into relay point three.

The time gap between Stella Club and BSC Club now stood at twelve seconds.

Derek Su and Chloe Qin walked up to the starting grid.

Standing beside Chloe Qin was Blazing Wind, a Mecha Girl Derek Su had encountered once before. Her acceleration was impressive—he remembered it being rated at a full 89 back then. Now her Cornering sat at 65. Chloe Qin had clearly installed additional modules: Acceleration pushed to 90, Boost Charge raised to 78, Impact Resistance reduced to 68, Endurance increased to 80, while Stability and Drifting both dropped by three points, landing at 65 and 67 respectively.

“So you’re the one who deliberately rammed your Mecha Girl into our club’s racer?” Chloe Qin strode over with Blazing Wind at her side, stopping in front of Derek Su and Imperial Scale. She lifted her chin arrogantly. “You think tricks like that will win you the race? Keep dreaming.”

“Petty tricks won’t win races,” Derek Su replied calmly, nodding once. “Just like how certain clubs went out of their way to make Stella change tires, wasting over a full minute—only to end up with a gap of barely a dozen seconds. That’s just pathetic.”

Chloe Qin’s expression froze. Anger flickered in her eyes before she forced it down, a cold smile curling at the corners of her lips. “You’ll soon learn that even a dozen seconds is an unbridgeable chasm for your Stella Club. Just wait and see.”

With that, she led Blazing Wind away, initiating her deployment and settling into the driver’s seat to prepare for the start.

Derek Su wondered where her confidence came from.

Most likely, it was because Imperial Scale’s first form only had an Acceleration rating of 75. Chloe Qin clearly had absolute faith in Blazing Wind’s speed. She must have looked up Imperial Scale’s specs beforehand and knew it wasn’t a Mecha Girl built around pure velocity.

But this was the desert…

And Imperial Scale was a large-wheeled off-road model.

On sand, ordinary racing-type Mecha Girls could only bring out about sixty to seventy percent of their acceleration at best. Imperial Scale, however, could reach eighty percent—or even higher.

In this world, any Mecha Girl could run any track.
That didn’t mean terrain had no impact on vehicle performance.

Even though Mecha Girls could automatically raise their chassis, no amount of adjustment could match a true off-road model like Imperial Scale. She was born for wilderness, mountains, and deserts, yet still perfectly capable in road races and rallies.

What did “jack-of-all-trades” really mean?
This was it.

Not to mention her second form, which was optimized specifically for road racing.

Derek Su felt it would be difficult to find another Mecha Girl as perfect as Imperial Scale. She was so flawless that she almost seemed to lack defining features—or rather, her defining trait was that very perfection: an extreme, perfectly balanced hexagonal warrior.

...

The five-minute countdown to launch began.

The moment Imperial Scale deployed her first form, audible gasps rippled through the surrounding drivers and Mecha Girls. Her pitch-black body, clad in heavy armor, reflected a cold sheen beneath the pale moonlight. The chassis was massive, and those wheels—nearly twice the size of others—gave the illusion that she could crush anything in her path.

The doors slid open automatically.

Imperial Scale was already waiting in front of the driver’s seat.

She tilted her head toward Derek Su. Her long hair spilled down like flowing black water, her slender waist and hips tracing a flawless S-curve. Her rose-red eyes shimmered faintly, devoid of obvious emotion, and even her voice carried the same calm neutrality.

“Master, please enter.”

Why did that suddenly feel so formal?

Derek Su rubbed his nose, stepped up, and slid into the cockpit. Imperial Scale hadn’t been exaggerating—it really was warm inside. The seat seemed to have built-in heating, and the cabin felt fully climate-controlled, though there were no visible vents.

“Comfortable?” Imperial Scale asked suddenly.

Derek Su paused, his hand closing around the control stick.

Even the control stick was warm…

“Comfortable,” he replied.

“Stella informed me,” Imperial Scale continued without turning her head. “You were set up by BSC Club. The tire change delayed you.”

“Yeah,” Derek Su nodded.

“What does Master intend to do?” she asked.

Derek Su glanced sideways at Chloe Qin and Blazing Wind, a cold smile tugging at his lips. “Naturally, we’ll make sure they remember this.”

“Understood.” Imperial Scale tilted her head slightly. Beneath her bangs, her eyes gleamed with vivid light as her red lips parted. “Please control me as you wish, Master. I want to experience it properly.”

Derek Su: “…”

There was something about the way she said that that felt… strange.

What he didn’t know was that when Imperial Scale was still an AI Core, she had grown up watching recordings of his races with Stella. She never missed a single match.

She had witnessed every technique he’d revealed so far.

With talent far surpassing that of ordinary Mecha Girls, she continuously absorbed that knowledge, eventually forming the DL model and becoming the first Mecha Girl of the Imperial Family. Her vehicle type and every aspect of her performance were shaped, in large part, by Derek Su himself. To her, he was nothing less than a guiding figure.

...

Derek Su pulled the handbrake and floored the throttle.

VROOOOM—

A deep, heavy roar swept across the starting area. Compared to other Mecha Girls, the sound was subdued, lacking any flamboyance, yet it vibrated through eardrums and hearts alike—steady, imposing, and authoritative, like the low growl of a lion.

Inside Blazing Wind’s cockpit, her face turned pale the moment she heard Imperial Scale’s engine note. Her lips trembled as she stammered, “Ma… Master, I remember at the auction, this Mecha Girl’s strongest attribute was Impact Resistance, right? What if she rams me later?”

Imperial Scale’s sheer presence was terrifying.

Blazing Wind couldn’t imagine what it would be like to take even a single hit from her.

Would she fall apart on the spot?
Sent straight back to be scrapped?

“What are you scared of?” Chloe Qin snapped impatiently. “You’re definitely faster than her. Just outrun her. She won’t even see your taillights—how could she possibly hit you?”

“O-oh… okay.” Blazing Wind turned back toward the track, silently praying as she muttered under her breath, “Speed dominance… speed dominance… I have to dominate with speed…”

【Three, two, one! Bang!】

The starting gun fired, and both Mecha Girls launched forward in unison.

Their wheels churned up a storm of yellow sand, nearly engulfing the entire starting area.

Chloe Qin’s launch technique wasn’t perfect, but Blazing Wind’s excellent straight-line acceleration still allowed her to pull ahead by a full car length.

“This’ll work!”

Inside the cockpit, Chloe Qin’s lips curled into a smug smile.

To counter combat-oriented Mecha Girls like Imperial Scale, she had specifically outfitted Blazing Wind with modules that enhanced both straight-line acceleration and cornering, ensuring superiority across the board.

Imperial Scale was powerful, but top-tier Mecha Girls like her only truly shined on specific tracks. On terrain like Maratela—complex, with plenty of straight sections—this was Blazing Wind’s domain.

Yet her expression quickly darkened.

On the same straight stretch, Blazing Wind couldn’t shake Imperial Scale off at all.

The massive black machine clung behind her like a black shark locked onto its prey, viciously pursuing. Those piercing headlights cut through the sandstorm like a shark’s eyes glinting in the dark.

As both Mecha Girls entered the sandy course, the distance between them didn’t widen.

Instead, it was slowly—but relentlessly—closing.

...

Chapter 145: Choice

“Can’t shake her?”

“Why can’t you shake her?!”

Chloe Qin glanced at the rearview mirror in disbelief.

She slammed a fist down on the control stick and roared hoarsely, “Blazing Wind, say something! I installed Modules specifically to counter her—why can’t you lose her?!”

“I… I don’t know…”

Blazing Wind was on the verge of tears.

She was already pushing herself to the limit.

Only Derek Su knew the real reason.

Because Imperial Scale’s special skill had activated the moment the race began.

[Special Skill: Imperial Might — When a Mecha Girl is within 50 meters, designate the nearest one as the Judgment Target. If the opponent’s speed exceeds DL-01’s, DL-01 gains partial Acceleration attribute bonuses based on the difference in Acceleration attributes. If the opponent’s speed is lower than DL-01’s, no bonus is gained, and all control and collision effects from the opponent are negated…]

Chloe Qin couldn’t see any of this.

But Derek Su could. On a radar-like screen in front of Imperial Scale’s cockpit, Blazing Wind’s 3D model was displayed. At that moment, a blood-red thorned halo encircled the projection, and above it hovered a majestic crimson greatsword.

Clearly, Blazing Wind had been designated as the Judgment Target.

Because Blazing Wind’s Acceleration attribute was higher than Imperial Scale’s, Imperial Scale received the skill bonus, raising her Acceleration to 82.5 (75+7.5).

Although still slightly lower than Blazing Wind’s, Imperial Scale’s exceptional off-road performance on sand meant her speed was no slower—if anything, she was a touch faster.

Chloe Qin threw everything she had into it, but after several consecutive turns, she still couldn’t shake Imperial Scale. She was nearly losing her mind.

Blazing Wind trembled all over, terrified Chloe Qin might snap and do something reckless.

In fact, Chloe Qin had already steered Blazing Wind onto several unsafe routes.

Derek Su and Imperial Scale followed closely behind. If Blazing Wind could make it through, Imperial Scale certainly could.

Sand dunes and pits that Blazing Wind struggled with? Imperial Scale could clear them without hesitation.

Despair and fury wove themselves into a tightening web around Chloe Qin and Blazing Wind’s hearts.

The pressure mounted. The air grew heavier.

...

“Aiyo, something’s happened!”

Aiyo had been delivering an impassioned commentary.

The broadcast was currently focused on the first-place racer from the GPC Club.

Being interrupted mid-flow clearly annoyed him. He turned around with a dark expression. “What’s wrong with you? If you don’t give me a good reason, I’m docking your chicken leg! I was just getting into it—so fired up—and you cut me off? You killed my momentum!”

“Aiyo, it’s serious!” the assistant said anxiously. “The weather station just issued a report—there’s a tornado forming near the Maratela track. They’re predicting it might pass through the fourth relay section… Should we suspend the race?”

Aiyo froze for a second.

Then his face lit up with excitement.

“Suspension? Suspend my foot! A tornado is great! This is a desert circuit—what are we racing if not extreme conditions? A tornado will truly test the Mecha Girls’ performance, the drivers’ skill, and their mental resilience!”

“But Aiyo, the safety risks—”

“No need to worry about safety!” Aiyo clenched his fist, voice rising passionately. “Are you questioning the medical and rescue teams contracted by our sponsors?”

He didn’t let the assistant finish.

Turning back to the camera, he announced, “Viewers, I have one piece of good news and one piece of bad news! The bad news is that the weather station has detected a tornado forming in the Maratela Desert. The good news is—this tornado is very likely to sweep across the fourth relay section!”

“We’ll inform the racers on the fourth section right away. I can’t wait to see their reactions~”

A mischievous grin curled at the corner of his mouth.

A tornado is a powerful, localized vortex formed by intense atmospheric convection.

It typically lasts only a few minutes to several dozen minutes. It moves rapidly, never staying in one place, and its destructive force is immense.

When encountering such a natural disaster on the track, the safest option is usually to wait for it to pass—or take a detour.

But in racing, time is everything. Some drivers and Mecha Girls choose to charge straight into the tornado, attempting to break through the wind barrier.

There have always been brave challengers.

Yet many overestimate their own abilities and their Mecha Girl’s performance. Once they rush into the tornado, they can’t escape.

That said, as long as the driver remains inside the Mecha Girl’s chassis, serious injury is unlikely.

Unless it’s an especially violent tornado strong enough to lift a Mecha Girl into the air, most will simply be tossed around by the raging winds, unable to break free.

When the tornado weakens or dissipates naturally, they can be rescued.

...

【Attention all competitors!】
【A tornado is forming at coordinates 1735, 7632 in the 4th Relay Section of Maratela!】
【The tornado will move northwest, passing Observation Points 32 through 56!】

Many racers who had already cleared Observation Point 56 felt a chill run down their spines.

Despite the desert’s low visibility, they could still faintly make out, under the moonlight, a funnel-shaped mass gradually taking form in the ink-dark dusk behind them.

At that moment, Derek Su and Chloe Qin were approaching Observation Point 32.

As the officials’ warning sounded,

a massive funnel-shaped vortex had already formed over the track.

Unfortunately, they—and every racer behind them—would be forced to confront the tornado head-on.

No one knew how long it would linger over the course.

“Damn it! It had to show up now of all times!”

Chloe Qin’s expression darkened as she drove Blazing Wind straight toward the tornado.

“Ahhh! Master, don’t!”

“That’s a tornado!!”

Blazing Wind’s terrified screams were useless.

Fortunately, as they drew closer, Chloe Qin came to her senses. The terrifying wind pressure hit her like a wake-up call.

Blazing Wind was already being pushed off course by the gale. If they continued forward, they would absolutely be sucked into the vortex.

She simply wasn’t a Mecha Girl capable of fighting a tornado.

So Chloe Qin made the decision to detour.

Even if it meant losing a great deal of time.

But Derek Su and Imperial Scale, who had been tailing them closely and were barely affected by the crosswinds, had other ideas.

Imperial Scale’s front end suddenly cut hard from the side, blocking Blazing Wind’s path.

Inside the cockpit, Chloe Qin lurched forward, nearly smashing her forehead against the control stick.

“Are you insane?! Move aside!”

She raised her head and glared at Derek Su through the window.

Their eyes met through the glass.

In Derek Su’s gaze, she felt a blade-sharp coldness.

“Master, we have two choices.”

Imperial Scale’s voice remained calm and cool. Even as they drew closer to the tornado, her tone didn’t waver.

“Choice one: Ignore Chloe Qin and Blazing Wind. Charge through the tornado and secure a better ranking.”

“Choice two: Ram Chloe Qin and Blazing Wind into the tornado—let her learn the price of bullying Stella.”

Derek Su lowered his eyes.

“If it were you, which would you choose?”

“I care deeply about the results of my first race…”

Imperial Scale lifted her head.

In the rearview mirror, her eyes were clearly visible—filled with killing intent.

Her red lips parted slightly.

She said calmly:

“But I choose the second one.”

...

Chapter 146: Unconventional Tactics
Jiangcheng City, a certain villa—

“Has Longteng Technology hosted any competitions recently?”

“Yes, boss.” The assistant beamed, bowing slightly as he spoke. “We recently contracted the medical and rescue teams for the Maratela training race. But as per your instructions, we’ve been focusing on capturing the racing suit market in Tianyuan City, so we haven’t paid much attention to the training race. Would you like to take a look? I’ll bring the materials right away.”

The middle-aged man took off his suit jacket, revealing his broad, muscular build. He walked over to the sofa and sat down, crossing one leg over the other.

“Bring it.”

The assistant quickly returned with a laptop and several documents.

“We know you and the young lady enjoy watching races, so we saved some footage from the Maratela event. Here’s the participant list—see if there’s any team you’re interested in.”

He pulled out one of the documents. The man skimmed it, and his eyes lit up.

“Oh? That kid’s competing too? Starting a club really does make a difference!”

His gaze stopped on Stella Club.

He’d only planned to watch casually to pass the time. Now he was genuinely interested.

When Derek Su appeared on screen wearing the custom racing suit he had gifted him, the man felt completely satisfied.

This middle-aged man was the president of Longteng Group—the same gold-chain-wearing, gold-toothed sponsor who had provided Derek Su with his racing suit. In this life, he had only one wish: to see his daughter participate in all kinds of races—even if it was only through her photo printed on a racing suit.

“Go bring Nannan out to watch with me,” he instructed.

The assistant hurried off.

Before long, a pale little girl was led over by the nanny and the assistant, and she sat beside him.

“Daddy, you came back without telling me.” She naturally wrapped her arms around his and spoke in a soft, spoiled tone.

She looked about eleven or twelve years old, delicate and pretty.

Her large, watery eyes were filled with grievance, her lips slightly pouted, making her look heartbreakingly pitiful.

“I just got back too,” he said gently. “I called you out right away to watch the race.”

He looked at his daughter with undisguised tenderness.

Her condition was severe. Even lying in bed doing nothing could leave her short of breath and tight in the chest.

Recently, she had improved a little. With the help of new medication, she could move around slightly.

But she would never become a race car driver.

Even if a Mecha Girl activated every protective measure, the surge of adrenaline and heart rate during a race might take her life—perhaps even at the starting line.

“Are Derek Su and Stella there?” Her eyes brightened instantly.

“They are.” He stroked her hair. “If they weren’t, I wouldn’t have called you out.”

The assistant thoughtfully pressed play and asked the nanny to bring snacks and drinks.

The recording was playing at double speed. Once it caught up, it would automatically switch to the live broadcast.

When father and daughter saw Derek Su and Stella appear in their custom racing suits, complete with close-up shots, both of them grinned from ear to ear.

The girl’s eyes sparkled with longing and hope. She dreamed that one day, when medical technology advanced enough to cure her completely, she would stand on the track like Derek Su, bringing her own Mecha Girl into competition. Her father had once planned to get her a Mecha Girl, but she refused. She felt that if she could never race, then it wouldn’t be fair to bind a Mecha Girl to her. Now, Derek Su and Stella had become the extension of her dream.

“Tsk. This Zane isn’t doing so well. He’s fallen that far behind—now all the pressure’s on Derek Su.”

The man frowned as he watched Zane drive Lingwind to the relay point and update the time.

“Even if he can’t recruit anyone, he shouldn’t just make do. At least find a few with comparable strength.”

“Daddy, do you think genius drivers and top-tier Mecha Girls grow on trees?” she shot back, rolling her eyes and puffing out her cheeks. “If you’re so capable, go find another driver as skilled as Derek Su!”

He rubbed his nose. That was beyond him.

He had a sharp eye for talent. The first time he watched Derek Su race, he knew the boy was a golden-scaled fish destined to transform into a dragon at the first sign of wind.

There weren’t many top-tier prodigies like that in the world—let alone ones you could poach into Stella Club.

“Derek Su and Stella are taking the baton!”

The girl hugged a penguin plushie and pointed excitedly at the screen.

The camera zoomed in on Derek Su and Stella as they prepared to launch.

Father and daughter watched with growing excitement. The host, Aiyo, was on point, giving plenty of screen time to Stella and Eternity.

But when the broadcast shifted to the pit station, the camera cut away.

By the time it returned, Derek Su and Stella had already left.

As they continued watching, something felt off.

Stella’s vehicle suddenly lost control for no apparent reason. She pulled over to the roadside. Derek Su got out to inspect. Then he climbed back in and drove Stella back the way they had come. Aiyo voiced a few puzzled remarks, speculating that something might have gone wrong, before switching the feed to other competitors.

“Daddy, what happened to Derek Su and Stella?”

Her eyes were full of worry, her displeasure written plainly across her face.

The man frowned and turned to the assistant.

“Call and find out what’s going on. Now.”

Seeing both father and daughter grim-faced, the assistant nearly lost his composure. He scrambled out to make the call.

Meanwhile, they kept watching.

They saw Derek Su drive Stella out again, speeding all the way to Relay Point 2.

Then Tunbao took over and reached Relay Point 3, where Imperial Scale assumed the next leg.

Throughout the process, Stella Club steadily narrowed the time gap with the other clubs.

They were now only a dozen seconds behind fourth-place BSC Club when the assistant returned.

“Boss, I confirmed it. The tires on Derek Su and Stella were swapped incorrectly by the logistics crew, so they had to go back and change them.”

“Wrong tires? What kind of joke is that?!”

The man’s eyes widened as he slammed his hand onto the table.

“The tire change at the pit was for the upcoming loose sand section. There’s only one type there—HT tires. And they still got it wrong? That’s deliberate!”

The assistant wiped the sweat from his forehead and said cautiously, “It’s said to be intentional. This time, resource supply was handled by Giant Tech. Giant Tech owns BSC Club. Derek Su has a grudge against BSC Club’s ace, Chloe Qin. And Chloe Qin happens to be the fiancée of Giant Tech’s CEO, so…”

“So they pulled something this low?!”

His eyes reddened, like a lion on the verge of tearing something apart.

“Daddy!” The girl tugged urgently at his sleeve. “Look! Derek Su is driving his Mecha Girl straight into the tornado!”

At some point, the recording had caught up—the screen was now live.

He followed her gaze.

The image shook violently as the camera was battered by raging winds.

Even with night vision, the track was swallowed by the frenzied sandstorm.

Only a blurred silhouette could be seen.

Derek Su was piloting Imperial Scale. He hooked Chloe Qin’s Blazing Wind from the side and, pushing against the fierce wind, charged straight toward the tornado without the slightest intention of avoiding it.

The next instant, the screen spun wildly.

The surveillance camera had clearly been knocked over by the gale. The image went black.

“Boss, this…” The assistant stood there, stunned.

He hadn’t expected that simply showing a race would turn into this.

The boss and the young lady clearly cared deeply about Derek Su and Stella.

And now the two of them were taking a reckless gamble.

The man stared at the dark screen, his expression shifting.

Then he suddenly pulled out his phone and logged into the exhibition auction app, browsing through some information.

When he found the basic profile for DL-01, he finally let out a small breath.

A top-tier Mecha Girl built for Impact Resistance and stability. He didn’t know what her special skill was, but enduring a tornado wouldn’t be a problem.

Derek Su was clearly going after Chloe Qin. In that case…

“Boss, don’t worry. The rescue and medical teams we contracted are professionals. That pair won’t be in danger.” The assistant forced a smile. “Should I call and urge them to be extra attentive?”

“Urge them?” He snorted coldly. “Have the rescue and medical teams stand by where they are!”

Just an off-field trick. These days, who doesn’t know how to play that game?

The assistant froze.

He couldn’t quite grasp what the boss intended.

“But the competition organizers—”

“Who pays your salary? Me, or the organizers?”

“You do,” the assistant lowered his head.

“Then do as I say.”

“Yes—!”

...

Chapter 147: Impregnable

The surveillance footage froze at the exact moment Derek Su and Chloe Qin clashed.

Imperial Scale’s blood-red taillights glowed through the sandstorm like the eyes of a savage beast.

The instant her massive body slammed into Blazing Wind, the contrast was brutally clear.

Next to the enormous Imperial Scale, Blazing Wind looked like nothing more than a toy car.

Aiyo was even more fired up at the sight.

Gripping the microphone, he roared, “Viewers! What could possibly be more thrilling than a showdown beside a tornado? We’re doing everything we can to restore surveillance near the tornado! Without a doubt, both Chloe Qin and Derek Su are outstanding, courageous drivers! They’ve made a choice that 99.9% of drivers wouldn’t dare make! That’s right! They’re not just challenging the tornado—they’re fighting inside it!!”

The assistants beside Aiyo had gone pale.

Things were already this serious, and he was still delivering high-octane commentary?

Chloe Qin was the fiancée of Giant Tech’s CEO!

If anything happened—

Aiyo might end up dragged off in broad daylight and dumped into a river.

...

Inside the pit station office, Howard Wang was pacing furiously, his eyes red with anxiety.

“Notify the rescue team to prepare immediately! Send the medical team too!”

After hanging up, his face was ashen.

Wang Hao hadn’t expected Derek Su to retaliate in this way.

Nor had he anticipated a tornado appearing out of nowhere today.

Regret began to creep in.

If he had known Derek Su would react so fiercely and settle scores without mercy, he would have prepared more thoroughly. At the very least, he should never have allowed his fiancée to shoulder the risk.

Now things had spiraled.

All of Derek Su’s fury was being directed at Chloe Qin.

And he was powerless to intervene.

He wasn’t a superhero. Charging into a tornado would be suicide.

“All we can do is hope the rescue and medical teams are up to the task.”

Howard Wang stared at the darkening sky outside and muttered to himself.

...

“It’s over! Derek Su went straight into the tornado!” Zane and Lingwind stared in shock before panic took over. “That’s a tornado! How can he just rush into it like that?!”

“Master, don’t panic. Boss wouldn’t act without confidence.” Lingwind’s voice was gentle. “And you know Imperial Scale. Her abilities are extraordinary.”

“Exactly, Zane. Let’s wait.” Xavier  stood with his arms crossed, brows tightly knit. He was worried too, but not as pessimistic. “We have to trust Derek. If he’s doing this, he must have his reasons.”

Lumina watched the apocalyptic scene on the screen in silence.

Derek Su’s move was satisfying—but Little Stella was going to be heartbroken.

Prison—

Several new inmates lay bruised and battered in a corner.

A remote control snapped clean in half was stuffed into one of their mouths.

Liang sat in front of the new television, eyes wide, sweat pouring down his face. He bit his lip and clenched his fists. “That brat better not let anything happen to him!”

After entering prison, his illness had been cured with the help of an old friend. He now exercised daily, ate well, and was stronger than before.

The only downside was the lack of freedom. He could only pass the time watching television.

He only watched Derek Su and Stella’s races.

When they weren’t competing, he discussed life and ideals with fellow inmates.

In a room somewhere in the underground black market—

Purple Lightning was curled up in a blanket, biting her finger, staring at the television just as nervously.

Watching Derek Su race made her more anxious than racing herself. She wished she could swap places with Imperial Scale and charge into the tornado instead.

Though she would probably fall apart the moment she touched its edge.

Relay Point 3—

Unable to see Derek Su and Imperial Scale’s situation, Stella was pacing anxiously in circles.

She wanted to deploy and rush toward the tornado, but Tunbao and Eternity held her back.

She could have shaken off Tunbao alone.

But Eternity was stronger. With one of them holding each of her arms, Stella couldn’t move at all.

“Please… let me go take a look! Just one look! Just one!”

Her eyes were red, tears trembling at the corners.

“Stella, listen to me. Any of us who go near that tornado will get swept away. But Imperial Scale won’t. She was born to challenge extreme environments.” Tunbao sighed helplessly. “Besides, even if you went, you couldn’t do anything. If you got carried off, the boss would settle the score with me.”

“But… but…”

She knew Tunbao was right.

But that didn’t ease the anxiety gnawing at her heart.

After all, Derek Su was far more to her than just a driver.

“No ‘buts.’” Tunbao placed the Pineapple helmet onto Stella’s head, pressing lightly against her forehead as she soothed her patiently. “Just wait. I guarantee both the boss and Imperial Scale will reach the finish safely. Even if you don’t trust Imperial Scale, trust the boss. It may be his first time driving me, but he gives off the kind of calm, steady vibe of someone who never acts without certainty.”

“Let’s wait at the finish line,” Lucy Luo suggested. “Waiting there might help Stella feel a little better. The moment Derek Su and Imperial Scale arrive, we’ll see them.”

Everyone nodded.

Stella didn’t want to cause trouble for anyone.

She forced herself to swallow her worry and silently prayed for Derek Su and Imperial Scale.

...

Meanwhile, on the track—

Vroooom—!!

Imperial Scale’s engine howled against the raging wind. Bracing against the gale, she pushed Blazing Wind—and Chloe Qin—straight toward the tornado. The closer they drew, the more the pressure crushed Blazing Wind. She was nearly immobilized by the storm itself. Breaking free from Imperial Scale was impossible. She could only be forced closer and closer to the vortex.

From the very first impact, it had felt like slamming into a solid wall.

The collision left her dizzy and wracked with pain.

Fortunately, Imperial Scale didn’t strike again—she simply kept pushing forward.

If she had rammed her once more, it would have been the end.

But even if she escaped Imperial Scale’s punishment, she couldn’t escape Chloe Qin’s torment.

The nearer they came to the tornado, the more terrifying it became. The massive funnel connected the dark sky to roiling thunderclouds, radiating the overwhelming might of nature itself. Facing such a disaster required absolute courage.

And Chloe Qin didn’t have it.

Inside the cockpit, she kicked and punched wildly.

A Mecha Girl’s exterior was built like a fortress, but the interior was her most sensitive and fragile area.

They placed their most vulnerable parts inside to protect the driver with an unbreakable shell.

Chloe Qin’s outburst was agony for Blazing Wind.

“Get away! Get away!”

“Blazing Wind, you useless piece of trash! Get me out of this tornado!”

Blazing Wind was in too much pain to respond. She forced herself to stay conscious, refusing to disengage her deployed form.

That decision wasn’t just to protect Chloe Qin—it was to protect herself.

At the tornado’s peak intensity, if she disengaged her deployed form, both she and Chloe Qin would be swept into the sky.

And when they came crashing down, even a Mecha Girl’s resilience wouldn’t save them.

Closer—

The roar of the wind shook the earth like endless thunder exploding beside their ears.

Sand and stones battered Blazing Wind and Imperial Scale like bullets, crackling violently against their frames.

For any Mecha Girl, it was another form of injury.

But Imperial Scale didn’t even frown.

She gazed into the pitch-black chaos ahead, listening to the howl of the wind and the relentless shattering of sand and rock.

At last, Chloe Qin fell silent.

Curled up in the driver’s seat, face pale, body trembling.

A sharp, sour smell spread through the cockpit.

She had wet herself.

Blazing Wind had no attention to spare for that.

Imperial Scale continued pushing forward. She and the tornado rushed toward each other from opposite directions, until both entered the tornado’s wind barrier.

At that instant, wind speed peaked.

Blazing Wind lasted only seconds before being seized by the gale, rolling across the ground and vanishing into the sandstorm.

Imperial Scale watched coldly.

Her black, icy frame stood as steady as a mountain, unmoved in the violent tornado.

“Sorry.”

She spoke the  words flatly, as if in farewell.

“It’s a shame about Blazing Wind. She’s innocent,” Derek Su sighed.

Blazing Wind hadn’t done anything wrong. She had simply followed the wrong master.

Being swept away like that meant serious injuries at the very least. Chloe Qin would surely break a few bones.

“Master, there’s no need to blame yourself. She won’t die.”

Imperial Scale tilted her head toward him.

Rose-colored eyes gleamed coldly in the dim cabin light.

“If you wish, I can finish it.”

“Would you get hurt?”

“Possibly.”

“Then forget it. Let’s go.”

Derek pressed the accelerator and turned the control lever, steering away.

In both his past life and this one, it was his first time driving inside a tornado.

And Imperial Scale’s performance could be summed up in eight words—

Solid as a fortress, steady as flat ground.

Hearing his answer, Imperial Scale turned her gaze back to the road.

The faintest smile curved at her lips.

“Understood, Master.”

...

Chapter 148: Unscathed

Howard Wang arrived by helicopter near the tornado.

But he could only watch from the edge, not daring to get any closer.

The medical and rescue teams were far too slow. More than ten minutes had passed without any sign of them. Meanwhile, the organizers had already reinstalled the cameras, restoring track surveillance around the tornado. Across the world, people glued to their televisions stared at the terrifying funnel-shaped black cloud.

Even through a screen, the oppressive force of the tornado was suffocating.

If they had been there in person, their legs might have given out from fear.

And yet, in the face of such a disaster, two competitors had chosen to charge straight into it.

No one knew how it would end.

But their names were already etched into people’s memories.

...

“Can a driver and a Mecha Girl really break through something that terrifying?”

A driver from the ESW club stared wide-eyed at the tornado and muttered to himself.

“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?” Tunbao shot him a vicious glare. “Keep jinxing them and I’ll knock you out!”

With Imperial Scale not around, she could “knock out” whoever she pleased.

Seeing the pink-haired Mecha Girl looking ready to explode, the ESW club driver hurriedly shut his mouth and slipped behind his own Mecha Girl.

Unfortunately, his Mecha Girl was only about 1.6 meters tall. Standing next to the 1.7-meter Tunbao, she lacked presence. Even if she tried to face off with Tunbao, she’d still seem a little timid.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve received updated information. The meteorological station announced fifteen minutes ago that this tornado would last about seven minutes. Unfortunately, it’s still growing!” His face looked solemn, as though he were worried about the competitors trapped inside. But the next second, excitement crept back in. “But isn’t this exactly the charm of racing? You never know what you’ll run into on the track. That uncertainty is what makes our adrenaline surge!”

Stella and Tunbao felt their blood pressure spike at those words.

“Stella, where are your pineapples?” Tunbao asked darkly, reaching out for the prop.

Stella, who always carried weapons on her, immediately pulled out two.

Tunbao weighed the pineapples in her hand, extended her left arm, raised her thumb, and aimed at the helicopter overhead.

With a Mecha Girl’s strength, she really might be able to knock it out of the sky.

“Tunbao, forget it.” Stella grabbed her hand.

The host’s gloating tone infuriated her too.

But she knew that if Tunbao actually brought the helicopter down, it would cause trouble for Derek Su.

On the way to the finish line, she had already thought it through. Derek Su was steady and cautious, and Imperial Scale specialized in Impact Resistance and stability. In terms of endurance, Imperial Scale was definitely stronger than she was. With a tornado of this intensity, she herself would be confident taking Derek Su through as long as the speed was high enough. Now that Derek Su had Imperial Scale protecting him, things could only be better.

But if Derek Su and Imperial Scale were truly injured…

She wouldn’t need Tunbao to act.

She would smash that helicopter down herself.

And take that jinx with it.

...

The host team aboard the helicopter had no idea they had just brushed past the gates of the ICU.

“Aiyo, that’s enough.”

“Yeah, yeah, Aiyo, hurry up and push the rescue team!”

The assistants around Aiyo were on the verge of tears.

Colossus Group had been pressing the medical and rescue teams nonstop. The calls had even reached them. Yet the rescue and medical teams kept insisting they were on their way. In theory, they were also traveling by helicopter—it shouldn’t have taken this long. And yet there was still no sign of them.

Just then—

Two beams of headlights pierced out of the tornado like twin blades.

A low, thunderous engine roar followed.

Everyone’s eyes widened. Goosebumps prickled across their skin.

Aiyo froze for a split second, then quickly zoomed the camera in.

Amid the swirling yellow sand, a blurred silhouette of a Mecha Girl appeared—then burst through the storm.

The sand swirling around her looked like a flowing imperial robe. The flying grit and debris couldn’t shake her in the slightest.

She drove straight toward the finish line.

This wasn’t the safe route. The safe route had long been torn apart by the tornado.

Ahead of her stood a steep sand dune.

Anyone who had driven in the desert knew that aside from quicksand and sand pits, dunes were the most frustrating terrain of all.

The slippery sand meant even high-performance machines risked engine failure when climbing. Without full throttle, you could only watch yourself slide back down.

Before Aiyo could even comment, the Mecha Girl had already charged straight at the dune.

And beyond it lay the finish line.

The proper safe route was to detour around it.

“My god, she’s going straight over the dune? Isn’t she afraid of blowing the engine?”

“Can you tell if she’s from Stella Club or BSC?”

“She’s panicking. Too impatient. Even the first-place GPC Club racer didn’t take the dune head-on. Just watch—she’s about to blow her engine.”

From this distance, no one could make out the exact model.

All they could see was a blurred black silhouette and blood-red taillights.

But no matter what they said—

She kept climbing.

Her speed dropped sharply.

Just as everyone thought she was about to stall—

VROOOOOM!!!

The engine roared like a tiger, cutting through the howling wind and tearing at their ears.

Without the slightest hesitation, the Mecha Girl powered up the dune.

And at last, those at the finish line saw clearly.

At the edge of their vision, Imperial Scale burst forward like an armored war general, leaping through sand and storm!

The blazing headlights made their eyes sting.

She charged forward with unyielding pride. Sand sprayed outward from her wheels, splitting to either side. Every obstacle along the way—rocks, cacti—was crushed beneath her.

“Ladies and gentlemen, racing toward us now is Stella Club’s final relay competitor—Imperial Scale! And the one piloting her is our dark horse sensation—The Magician!” Aiyo reacted instantly. While keeping the camera on Imperial Scale, he shoved his own face into half the screen, speaking animatedly. “I believe this moment deserves to be written into the history of the Maratela Training Race!”

“In the ten years since the Maratela Training Race was established, there have been seventy-eight tornadoes during competition, seventeen of which affected the track. But The Magician and Imperial Scale are the only ones who chose to break through a tornado. They are true heroes, true warriors! Let’s give our applause to the birth of heroes!”

The applause at the finish line was sparse.

Because Imperial Scale had already arrived.

Everyone stood there in a daze, staring at the imposing Mecha Girl before them, shaken by her strength and majesty.

She had crossed the desert.

She had broken through a terrifying tornado.

And yet her body remained pitch-black and cold, her heavy armor pristine as new.

Not a single trace of sand or stone marred her surface.

In the face of a natural disaster—

She was completely unscathed.