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—!"
...
If you'd like to support my work and unlock advanced chapters, you can follow me on p-@-treon.
p-@-treon/GhostParser (40 Chapters Ahead)
You can also follow as a free member to read a few advanced chapters.