"I don't like men."
"I specifically brought women's clothes today. I could—"
"Tsk. I don't like transvestites either."
"Then—"
DL-01 tapped the table, cutting him off, and pointed toward the door.
"The door's over there. Take care."
The ESW ace, Richard Cheng, completely broke down.
"Why?" He looked at DL-01 with shattered eyes, his voice filled with despair. "I chose you without hesitation. Why won't you give me even one chance?"
Imperial Scale blinked.
"Because… I don't like you."
Crack—
It felt as though something had shattered.
Richard Cheng knew that mutual selection between Mecha Girls and drivers or clubs could never be forced. Even if he couldn't understand what was lacking in ESW as a Top 300 club, or what made him, their ace, unqualified, the reality was simple—those three words, "I don't like you," were enough to deny everything.
"Alright, I understand." Richard Cheng let out a dejected sigh, then asked pitifully, "Can I at least see what kind of person ends up winning you?"
DL-01: "You can see from outside."
Richard Cheng: "..."
...
The interviews continued.
"Sorry, I don't like women."
"Sorry, I don't like bald men."
"Sorry, I don't like beanpoles."
"Sorry, you have a mole under your left eye. I don't like it."
"Sorry, your nose hair is sticking out. I don't like that."
...
DL-01 was extremely efficient. Most people were sent out in under ten seconds. They went in smiling and came out with dark expressions, yet none dared complain. One guy looked especially broken—the one who had bid 1.5 billion.
Soon, it was Derek Su's turn.
"Gulp—"
Derek Su swallowed.
Even though the IOU had been offered by DL-01 herself, he still couldn't help feeling nervous.
It suddenly felt like the first time he'd gone for a club interview in his previous life—the moment when the gears of fate had begun to turn…
He entered the conference room.
DL-01 sat behind a desk, her lower body hidden from view.
She leaned lazily against the chair, black hair cascading down like a waterfall. Without lifting her head, she said indifferently, "Sorry, I don't like people who wear flat shoes. Get out."
Derek Su: "..."
He lowered his head and glanced at his Nike flats, feeling speechless.
"So I should leave?!"
This was the first time he'd ever encountered such a uniquely temperamental Mecha Girl.
She'd proactively given him an IOU, and now she was looking down on him for wearing flats?
What was wrong with flats? Did they eat your family's rice or something?!
Hearing Derek Su's voice, DL-01 quickly looked up. Seeing that the man had already turned to leave, she suddenly stood up.
"Come back!"
Derek Su turned around in confusion.
What he saw was a Mecha Girl who no longer looked imposing, but instead slightly flustered.
Her delicate face flushed red. After hesitating awkwardly for a while, she finally said flatly, "Sorry. That slipped out. I didn't realize it was you who came in."
As she spoke, she pulled out a tea set hidden under the desk and poured Derek Su a cup of tea herself.
The interview rooms were all stocked with tea, but to save time she had skipped it earlier.
Now, there was no need to rush.
"Please, sit."
DL-01's attitude did a complete one-eighty.
Derek Su sat down across from her, still trying to adjust.
"Uh, hello."
"Hello." DL-01 kept her head lowered, looking a bit reserved as well.
The two of them fell silent.
Derek Su felt like he was sitting on pins and needles, as though ten thousand ants were crawling all over him.
He felt he couldn't let things stay this awkward, so he took the initiative to start a conversation.
"I have a question. What do you think is your main appeal to me?"
DL-01 froze, staring blankly at Derek Su.
This question… was normally something a Mecha Girl would ask a club representative or a driver.
Derek Su didn't know that. Neither Xavier Young nor Zane had taught him what he was supposed to say in an interview like this.
They hadn't even had time to react yet.
If a driver or club agent asked such a question, the Mecha Girl would probably be embarrassed into anger and kick them out on the spot.
But if it was this man…
DL-01 thought about it very seriously.
After a moment, she said calmly, "Strong performance, stable handling, a warm interior… and a second form."
Second form?
Derek Su stared at DL-01, completely dumbfounded.
This Mecha Girl had dual forms?!
"Do you want to see the second form?" DL-01 glanced around, then stood up and casually lifted the solid wood table to the side with one hand.
With that, the space looked just about sufficient.
"Let's see," Derek Su nodded.
He needed to understand DL-01 from every angle before making a final decision.
DL-01 stood at the center and entered deployment mode. Amid flickering photons, she transformed into a rugged, heavily armored jeep. The ferocious look gave Derek Su the distinct feeling that DL-01 could easily roll straight over other Mecha Girls.
No wonder her Impact Resistance, Stability, and Endurance were all 99. It fit perfectly.
After deploying her first form, DL-01 was once again enveloped in black photons.
With another transformation, the fierce jeep turned into a sleek, streamlined sports car.
Her attributes and special skill changed along with it.
[Drifting: 70]
[Acceleration: 85]
[Cornering: 70]
[Boost Charge: 52]
[Stability: 85]
[Impact Resistance: 85]
[Endurance: 85]
[Special Skill: Imperial Blade – Massacre: The more Mecha Girls within 100 meters, the higher the Acceleration (＋1 per Mecha Girl, up to +10). When two or more Mecha Girls are within 50 meters, gains the Piercing Edge effect. Piercing Edge: Actively trigger to gain a burst acceleration of +20% Acceleration, temporary +10 Impact Resistance, and knock aside all Mecha Girls along the route. Piercing Edge lasts 10 seconds. (Form change limited to once per day.)]
Hiss—
Derek Su scratched his head as he looked at DL-01's speed-form stats.
Another all-rounder. DL-01 was a super all-purpose unit.
In technique, she couldn't match Purple Lightning. In absolute speed, she couldn't match Stella. As for Impact Resistance…
Well, there was no need to even talk about that. Her first form was downright invincible in collisions.
Both her first and second forms were steady, all-rounder types.
On provincial-level tracks of the current scale, Massacre would likely only fully trigger at the starting line, or on tracks like Blade Path where all Mecha Girls launched simultaneously. The conditions were fairly strict.
The active ability, Piercing Edge, was much more interesting—a god-tier overtaking skill.
Another baby-mode skill.
Can't overtake? Doesn't matter. DL-01, the six-sided nanny, will just ram you through.
...
"So? Does the speed form look better?"
DL-01's voice carried a hint of nervousness.
She had heard that many drivers disliked the jeep's appearance, finding it ugly and bulky. She was afraid Derek Su wouldn't like it, and at the same time relieved that she had a more stylish second form.
"It's pretty good, but I think the first form is more appealing—and suits you better."
Derek Su rubbed his chin and nodded repeatedly.
DL-01 canceled her deployed form. Hearing his answer, she moved the table back into place. With her back to Derek Su, the corner of her lips lifted slightly. When she turned around again, she had already returned to her cold, indifferent expression.
"Then let's talk about the final price. It'll be included in the IOU."
As she spoke, the two of them sat back down.
"Your current auction price is 1.51 billion. I want to know your bottom line."
Derek Su clasped his hands together and looked at DL-01 seriously.
Taking all risks into account, if DL-01 accepted him and the Stella Club, was willing to stay long-term, and allowed for gradual repayment, the price he could accept was around fifty million. It wasn't an insultingly low valuation, and it was something he believed he could just barely manage.
DL-01 lifted her gaze to meet his, her eyes turning sharp.
...
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