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.