"Ma… Master!" Purple Lightning called softly.
Her gray bangs covered her eyes as crystal-like droplets fell to the ground, one after another.
Once, she had told herself that after paying off all the breach penalties, she would never accept another driver.
That had been her plan.
But when she saw Stella and Derek Su win the championship in Knox… when she saw how Derek Su treated Stella with care… when she saw that Stella was never scolded even when she lost races…
She still felt envy.
She still longed for a future where a driver like Derek Su would form a contract with her.
Even if that driver didn't have Derek Su's skill.
As long as they were as kind and tolerant toward Mecha Girls as he was.
Now, that wish had finally come true.
It felt like she was still dreaming.
"Hey, why are you crying again?" Derek Su laughed helplessly.
Purple Lightning quickly wiped her tears and sniffled.
"Sorry, Master. I'm just too happy… I couldn't control my emotions. I must look ridiculous."
"It's fine."
Derek Su roughly understood how she felt.
The more he understood, the more his dislike for Chloe Qin grew.
"Master, I'll do my best not to lose this race."
"You won't lose."
A confident smile rose on Derek Su's lips as he said firmly:
"With me driving, in the corners… you're unbeatable."
...
Finally, it was Justin Kim's turn to start.
He stared at Cloud Leopard's smooth, curvy rear ahead of him, yet not a single distracting thought crossed his mind.
Nice as it looked, touching it carelessly would be fatal.
Even though Derek Su had promised to let him lose in a more respectable way.
As a racer, though, if there was any chance to win, he would fight for it.
The relaxed mood before the race had completely disappeared.
Now he felt like he was facing a powerful enemy.
"Justin Kim! What's going on with you today? Your hands are so sweaty!"
Cloud Leopard complained from the front.
She twisted her waist in irritation, causing the control lever connected to her spine to move with it. The lever was directly linked to a Mecha Girl's sensory center. When the driver manipulated it, the Mecha Girl had to respond instantly.
It was extremely sensitive.
So when Justin Kim's sweaty hands gripped the lever…
Cloud Leopard felt as if ten thousand ants were crawling all over her body.
"Sorry, I'm a bit nervous."
Justin Kim wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"What are you afraid of?"
Cloud Leopard frowned, sounding annoyed.
"I remember the Mecha Girl beside Derek Su. She used to be Chloe Qin's main machine—Purple Lightning. She's a top-tier Mecha Girl specialized in corners. You could say she was built for cornering."
Justin Kim's face turned pale.
"Then we're done for."
"I'm not finished yet!" Cloud Leopard rolled her eyes.
"Even though she's specialized for corners, her speed is extremely slow. Calling it turtle speed would be generous. The Rona Bay track has many corners, but with my modules installed, my cornering speed won't be slow either. We still have a chance to win."
Hearing this analysis, Justin Kim began to feel hopeful again.
"Do you know Purple Lightning's special skill?"
"No idea. But under Chloe Qin, she was only that strong. Even if Derek Su doubles her performance, her speed still won't surpass ours. You'll see soon."
Cloud Leopard looked extremely confident, and Justin Kim's nearly extinguished fighting spirit reignited.
"In that case, today we'll step on The Magician. By the way, if we take first place, is there any reward?"
His gaze drifted across Cloud Leopard's elegant S-shaped waistline, his heart itching.
"There is."
Cloud Leopard sneered.
"A diamond cutting blade. Instant, painless, extremely fast."
Justin Kim: "..."
The signal gun fired.
Cloud Leopard shot forward like lightning.
Her starting posture clearly showed the now widely adopted launch-start technique.
Derek Su narrowed his eyes as he watched the dust rising on the track.
Whatever else could be said, Justin Kim had already mastered the launch start quite well.
Professional racers weren't fools. Anyone with some brains would learn from it.
And they weren't stupid either. Just by studying race footage—the wheel behavior and engine sound—they could roughly deduce how the technique worked.
In the stands, Absolute Shadow stared at the speed display.
"The VVC Club Mecha Girl called Cloud Leopard isn't slow."
"Hmph, a defeated opponent."
Stella crossed her arms and puffed her cheeks.
"So what if she's fast? Master can still overtake her."
"The boss will definitely be fine!" Blazing Wind and Lingwind sat together, completely confident in Derek Su's abilities.
"Hey, Stella, don't relax too much."
Tunbao spread her hands and sighed.
"Purple Lightning may be a cornering specialist, but her speed is slow. And this morning Absolute Shadow suggested installing an acceleration module for her, but the boss refused. He said he didn't want Purple Lightning's comeback race to rely on any external help."
"I really can't understand this stubborn competitive pride drivers have."
"Anyway, Purple Lightning and Master will definitely win!"
Stella glared at Tunbao, cheeks puffed up.
Imperial Scale quietly watched the track with a calm expression, repeatedly kneading a palm-sized pink pig plush in her hand.
Inside the cockpit, the ten-second launch countdown began.
Derek Su pulled up the handbrake and pressed the accelerator to the floor.
Purple Lightning's engine sounded sharper than both Stella and Imperial Scale—almost comparable to Dawnbreak when its skill had been activated.
The starting gun fired.
Purple Lightning launched forward with a standard launch start and rushed onto the track.
Returning to a race again, Purple Lightning's breathing trembled.
But after sprinting more than five hundred meters and passing the first speed detector, the numbers she glimpsed from the corner of her eye made her heart sink.
[1st: Cloud Leopard – Justin Kim — 397 km/h]
[2nd: Xinfeng – Rick Fugui — 288 km/h]
[3rd: Purple Lightning – Derek Su — 256 km/h]
There was no doubt about it.
This speed was clearly holding Derek Su back.
She had watched Derek Su's races before.
When had Derek Su and Stella ever dropped below 400 km/h?
Through the rearview mirror, Derek Su could clearly see Purple Lightning's gloomy expression.
He sighed inwardly.
Chloe Qin had really done a number on her confidence.
Fortunately, the first corner was approaching.
He said nothing.
Everything would begin to change at that first corner.
No one—perhaps not even Purple Lightning or Mecha Island—fully understood what Purple Lightning's special skill actually did.
He remembered that a Mecha Girl's special skill had to be discovered through practice.
And the conditions for activating Purple Lightning's skill were extremely demanding.
That very difficulty was what made the skill seem so vague.
"Don't feel inferior, Purple Lightning," Derek Su murmured inwardly as the corner drew closer.
Soon you'll understand.
This sky that belongs to you…
just how vast it truly is.
Amid the roar of the engine, Purple Lightning entered the corner.
Instinctively, she tried to take control of the car body the way she had when racing with Chloe Qin.
But the moment that thought appeared, she felt a powerful will press down on her own.
That will came from Derek Su.
And it completely took control.
"Master, I… I can help you…"
"Purple Lightning, just feel it!"
Derek Su stared at the track as he slightly reduced speed and downshifted.
The sky Chloe Qin never let her see—
he would show it to her.
Commands were issued rapidly.
He released the throttle while making a small cut with the control lever.
Purple Lightning had never seen such an operation before.
But before she even had time to be surprised, the slightly tilted car body had already entered the apex.
At that exact moment, Derek Su suddenly floored the throttle.
ROAR—
The engine screamed.
Purple Lightning's rear wheels instantly lost grip as the sudden surge of power hit, and the entire rear of the car swung outward smoothly.
Derek Su controlled the throttle while adjusting the steering through the lever.
With the throttle fully pressed, in barely half a second Purple Lightning's front had already aligned with the corner exit.
The smoothness of the turn even surprised Derek Su.
It didn't feel like he was driving a Mecha Girl.
It felt like he was turning his own body.
There was no awkwardness or delay at all.
Amazing.
Derek Su curled his lips into a smile, snapped the lever back, and slammed the throttle as he exited the corner.
A simple yet perfect power drift was executed.
And it successfully triggered Purple Lightning's skill mechanism.
On the attribute panel, a +1 appeared beside the acceleration stat.
It rose from 54 to 55.
At the same time, the lever connected to Purple Lightning's spine lit up along its bone-like structure.
A segment glowed faintly purple, like a charging bar filling up.
"Master! My speed…"
"Did it just increase?!"
Purple Lightning's astonished voice sounded from the front.
This feeling of breaking through her speed limit—
it was the first time she had experienced it.
Like shattering chains.
Like escaping a cage.
...
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