Chapter 87: Leon Li’s Invitation

Derek Su and Stella ultimately failed to outrun Leon Li and Snowpeak.

Of course, Derek Su had deliberately held back to some extent.

That said, Snowpeak’s skill mechanics had already been thoroughly tested by Derek Su.

During the chase, as Derek Su piloted Stella tightly behind Snowpeak, Snowpeak activated her spatial jump a total of five times.

However, each successive jump covered a shorter distance than the last, and the acceleration provided—along with its duration—kept decreasing. By the fifth jump, Snowpeak was clearly panicking. She leapt only fifty meters straight to the finish line, and the acceleration lasted a mere three seconds. This was a far cry from her first jump, which not only climbed the height of a slope but also carried her nearly two hundred meters forward, with acceleration lasting more than ten seconds.

In other words, Snowpeak’s sixth spatial jump might only be able to widen the gap by about ten meters, and a seventh might not even be usable at all.

Derek Su made a conservative estimate and calculated based on eight total spatial jumps.

The Silverstone Advancement Race had an astonishing number of corners—572 in total. As long as he avoided Snowpeak’s collisions and invested all MP points into Acceleration, even if Snowpeak used every jump at the most critical moments, she still wouldn’t be a match for Derek Su and Stella.

Derek Su was already confident.

But Stella didn’t know any of this.

From the moment she crossed the finish line, her face had been dark with frustration. When she saw the black market boss hauling over a truckload of [Okamoto 001]—especially with Leon Li and Snowpeak looking delighted as they collected their rewards—she completely lost control. She rushed straight into Derek Su’s arms, hugging his waist tightly as she burst into loud sobs. Tears and snot flowed together, all smeared onto Derek Su’s flashy pink racing suit.

“Waaah! Master, I actually lost! I lost to two rotten eggs!”

“I’m not the Pineapple King anymore! Waaah…”

Derek Su stroked Stella’s head and laughed helplessly.
“How are you not the Pineapple King? Even if you lost, you’re still the Pineapple King.”

Stella lifted her tear-streaked face, lips puckered as she spoke with deep grievance.
“The Pineapple King is supposed to grant titles and crown the defeated… but who am I supposed to crown now? Waaah, I can’t crown anyone! I’m a useless, incompetent king! Waaah…”

Derek Su: “…”

Well, as the so-called Great Pineapple King, he honestly couldn’t quite understand the Pineapple King worldview either.

He pointed quietly at Purple Lightning nearby.
“Isn’t there still another Mecha Girl? You could crown her.”

Purple Lightning had placed third.

Although she hadn’t overtaken those street racers on the track, her total time was faster than theirs.

“I… I don’t dare…”

Stella shrank behind Derek Su, cautiously peeking at Purple Lightning.

Purple Lightning had already exited deploy mode.

She stood alone in an unlit area, wearing a jacket with a large hood pulled up.

Her amethyst-colored eyes reflected a cold, distant gleam in the glow of her phone screen.

Yeah… this Mecha Girl definitely looked hard to approach.

“Look at how timid you are.” Derek Su pinched Stella’s soft cheek, then accepted the prize money from the boss with his right hand.

“Thank you, both of you professional racers, for giving me such an incredible race,” the black market boss said with a sigh, his face full of emotion. “Honestly, after staying in the black market for so long, I’d almost forgotten what a real race felt like. It wasn’t until I watched you two that I felt my cold blood start to boil again. Back in my day…”
(A long, sorrowful trip down memory lane omitted.)

“Master, can you use fifty of these Okamoto 001 in a single day?” Snowpeak asked flatly, holding a square pink pouch. Though her expression was calm, her eyes sparkled.

“No problem. Whatever you say.” Leon Li affectionately patted Snowpeak’s head, then casually took out a box of oyster essence and popped two tablets into his mouth. Today’s kidney-strengthening plan was basically complete.

“Master, I lost the race. I’m really sad. What should I do?” Stella tugged pitifully at Derek Su’s sleeve, tears shimmering in her eyes.

“Didn’t you comfort Dawnbreak earlier? It was just an underground race. You lost, so you lost—just do better next time.” Underground races didn’t provide MP points. Derek Su was already planning to take Stella to as many training races as possible before the Silverstone Advancement Race to stockpile MP points.

“But it’s different!” Stella pouted. “Losing is still losing, and it makes me unhappy! Master isn’t even comforting me. I really am the most miserable Mecha Girl in the world. Ah—has Master already gotten my body and decided to abandon me? Is he getting more and more impatient with me? Waaah…”

Leon Li & Snowpeak leaned back in perfect tactical unison, shooting Derek Su vicious looks.

Derek Su’s face instantly turned red as he hurriedly covered Stella’s mouth.

Lowering his voice, he said urgently, “When did I ever get your body?!”

“The Core Contract,” Stella blinked, her words muffled. “You already did that to me—doesn’t that count as getting my body?”

“I—” Derek Su nearly choked on his own breath. Under the mixed gazes of shock and disdain from Leon Li and Snowpeak, he finally bowed his head to the Pineapple Menace.
“Just say it. What do you want so you’ll feel better?”

Stella twisted her fingers together, her pretty face turning red as her gaze drifted away.
“…Hot springs.”

“What?”

“I want to soak in hot springs…”

Oh, that’s all?

Derek Su thought this was easy enough. His assets could let Stella soak in hot springs ten thousand times over.

Then Stella’s next sentence left him speechless.

“…P-private hot springs.”

“What?!”

“I want to soak in a private hot spring.” Stella buried her blushing face, pinching the hem of her racing suit and whispering like a mosquito, “Can we… go to a private hot spring? Is that okay?”

“Oh… uh… um…” Derek Su’s face turned even redder, his heart racing.

Who could tell him what he was supposed to do now?

His first Mecha Girl was inviting him to a private hot spring!

If he agreed, wouldn’t he be labeled a pervert harassing the Mecha Girl?

What would Xavier Young and Zane think of him? Scum? Trash? Degenerate?

But if he refused… this was Stella’s request.

If he said no, Stella would definitely be unhappy.

And he would probably—maybe—also be unhappy…

“…Okay.” He clenched his teeth and took a deep breath.

To hell with it. He’d go all in!

It was just a private hot spring, wasn’t it?

What was wrong with a master and his first Mecha Girl soaking in a private hot spring for health reasons?

Only people with filthy minds would think it was filthy.

Someone as upright and pure-minded as him would remain unstained even in the depths of hell!

At that moment, Derek Su felt as if he were bathed in holy light.

“Yay! Master agreed!”

Stella instantly stopped crying and started hopping around Derek Su, her heart already flying off to the hot springs as her mind rapidly simulated all kinds of bonding plans.

The black market boss had been talking for ages without anyone listening. In the end, he could only gaze up at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle.

His youth was gone forever. This world now belonged to the young.

In the corner, Purple Lightning held the black suitcase containing 250,000 in prize money, yet her attention was elsewhere.

Her gaze followed Stella, who was cheering and jumping under the lights, her eyes filled with envy.

Even after losing, she hadn’t been scolded by her master. She could freely act spoiled and make requests…

How nice.

Suddenly, two figures stopped in front of Purple Lightning.

She instinctively shrank back, clutching the suitcase tightly, like a hedgehog entering a defensive stance.

She glanced up coldly—and saw Leon Li and Snowpeak.

What did these two want?

Selling Okamoto 001?

“Hello, I’m Leon Li, the new ace of the RRC Club.”

Leon Li extended his hand politely. When Purple Lightning showed no intention of shaking it, he calmly withdrew it.

“Speak,” Purple Lightning said coldly.

“During the race, I noticed your talent,” Leon Li said bluntly. “I want to invite you to become my secondary Mecha Girl. No matter what your past is, if you follow me, your resources will only be slightly less than Snowpeak’s. You’ll also get track time—this I guarantee, and I can put it directly into the contract.”