Derek Su kept his eyes on Purple Lightning's stats panel.
As the "Rhapsody" skill ended, her Impact Resistance and Stability rapidly recovered.
They were climbing at about eight or nine points per second, quickly returning to full, and the cracks across Purple Lightning's body faded away along with them.
That finally let Derek Su breathe a little easier.
If her stats had recovered slowly, that would've been a real headache.
At this point, there was no suspense left. With only a few hundred meters to the finish line, Purple Lightning's speed began to taper off.
Even so, she was still fast after the skill ended. In just a few breaths, she shot across the finish line.
After crossing, she didn't stop immediately, continuing to glide forward for several hundred meters. Spectators lined both sides of the track. For them, seeing Overclocking and a top-tier Mecha Girl's special skill in a training race already made the trip worthwhile. Normally, you'd have to go to a provincial track or a national-level advanced circuit to witness something like that, and tickets there cost at least ten times as much.
So the cheers and applause never stopped.
They followed Purple Lightning all the way until she finally came to a stop by the roadside, lingering for a long time.
"Purple Lightning, that was great. We've definitely got the championship."
Derek Su glanced at the large screen in the distance.
Their time had put them more than two minutes ahead of Cloud Leopard and Justin Kim. It was a complete blowout.
He didn't think anyone else in this training race could compete besides VVC's Justin Kim and Cloud Leopard, and ESW Club's Jean Yunzhao and White Feather.
It wasn't arrogance. Those were simply the only major clubs he knew well.
Sure, a dark horse could emerge from a smaller club.
But he himself was the biggest dark horse of all—the kind that crushed everyone else.
"Mm." Purple Lightning's voice was calm.
That wasn't quite what Derek Su expected.
If it were Stella, she'd already be jumping in place, spinning, and doing triple flips out of sheer excitement.
Through the rearview mirror, he saw Purple Lightning with her head lowered, her bangs covering her eyes. The cracks on her chin and cheeks were gone, and color had returned to her face.
"So, Purple Lightning, you really are amazing."
"Mm…"
"Second place is Cloud Leopard and Justin Kim from VVC Club. They're very strong. The fact that you could dominate Cloud Leopard already proves your ability. Don't underestimate yourself."
Derek Su tried to sit up and pat Purple Lightning on the shoulder, but the soft protective padding around the driver's seat was wrapped far too tightly—much tighter than in Stella or Imperial Scale. It was so snug that driving Purple Lightning didn't even feel like driving anymore, more like playing an immersive VR game.
This level of protection was clearly intentional.
Purple Lightning seemed to have anticipated that something might go wrong, so she concentrated all of the vehicle's protective systems inside.
That way, even if something happened to her, the cockpit would remain safe.
But safety systems are always a trade-off. Strengthening cockpit protection meant other aspects had to be reduced.
He struggled but couldn't get free.
Just as Derek Su was about to put in more effort—
The next second, the small figure in front of him turned around and threw herself into his arms, tears and snot pouring down.
"Waaah… Master, I won. I really won. I—I'm the champion…"
"I didn't embarrass you or Stella Club… waaah…"
Purple Lightning cried loudly, her thin shoulders trembling with each sob.
Derek Su froze for a moment, then let out a helpless sigh with a smile.
One hand rested on her back, gently patting to comfort her, while the other stroked her head.
There it was—the same fierce little maniac on the track, but off the track, still just a crying kid.
He'd wondered earlier if she was too emotionally steady. Now he realized those two quiet "mm" responses had just been her holding everything in.
She had really suffered under Chloe Qin.
"That's right. You're the champion."
He smiled. "And in the future, you'll win even more championships with us."
...
"Wahhhhh! Consort Purple Lightning has crossed the finish line!!"
The moment Purple Lightning crossed the line, Stella jumped up excitedly, then flipped over the guardrail and ran nimbly to the race data board to compare results.
Since half the racers hadn't finished yet, rankings hadn't been finalized. But even at a glance, Purple Lightning and Derek Su were far ahead. Second place was Justin Kim and Cloud Leopard from VVC Club.
Purple Lightning's championship was basically secured.
Tunbao let out a breath, a grin tugging at her lips. "Looks like I worried for nothing. Even if it's a rookie driver and a little crybaby, they're unexpectedly reliable."
"Tunbao, you shouldn't call the boss a rookie in front of him… you'll get beaten…" Lingwind whispered.
"Huh? Him? Beat me?" Tunbao scrunched her nose, crossed her arms, and said smugly, "I'd just turn around and—"
A chill suddenly ran down her back, and her words got stuck in her throat.
Behind her sat Imperial Scale.Lingwind
Oops. Got a bit carried away.
She quickly forced a sheepish grin and corrected herself, "Of course I'd turn around and let the boss do whatever he wants, hehe…"
Imperial Scale glanced at her, then looked away and said to Absolute Shadow beside her, "Where's the medical team?"
Absolute Shadow blinked. "They're at the back. Why call them? Derek Su and Purple Lightning aren't hurt."
"Just in case," Imperial Scale said flatly.
"Ah… okay." Seeing how serious she was, Absolute Shadow quickly took out her phone and called the medical team.
...
On the track, Purple Lightning had already disengaged her deployment mode.
She quietly followed Derek Su toward the podium.
Sunlight seemed to wrap his back in a soft glow, the shadow he cast almost completely covering her.
Purple Lightning knew that at the most critical moment of the race, Derek Su had done something to her.
Her Stability had suddenly increased, and even now, after the race, she could still clearly feel that improvement.
She understood her body extremely well. Every time she finished a fight, the agony she endured sharpened her awareness of her physical condition. She knew exactly when she would reach her limit, how her body changed, even roughly how long each injury would hurt and how long it would take to fully recover without spending money.
But right now, it felt like she had returned to the time just after leaving the auction.
Back then, her Stability hadn't yet been ruined by illegal modifications and years of underground racing. Her body felt incredibly light now. She had heard that human fighters often suffered in old age from accumulated injuries—but at this moment, it felt as though all her hidden injuries had been completely healed.
Master… is pretty mysterious too…
Purple Lightning thought silently.
She lowered her head, stepping carefully, each footfall landing on the shadow beneath her.
Then suddenly, she took two quick steps forward, coming up beside Derek Su, stepping out of the shadow and into the sunlight, half a step behind him.
She lifted her head, sunlight falling across her face.
It was warm, gentle, not blinding at all.
The breeze carried the cheers and applause from the stands.
In the past, she had only dared to shrink into the shadows.
But now, she knew she might finally have a small right to stand and fight alongside Derek Su.
"Master, thank you."
Derek Su tilted his head slightly and glanced at the girl beside him, her expression bright.
"What are you thanking me for?"
He smiled. "If you're going to thank someone, thank the version of yourself who never gave up, even in the depths of despair."
In Purple Lightning, he saw his own reflection.
Maybe that was why he was willing to go all out with her.
...
Past life, Earth, Summer 2037.
After being severely injured in a race, he lay in a hospital bed, almost wrapped up like a mummy.
He had thought he would never return to the track in this lifetime.
A year later, he made his comeback.
Until his death, he never lost again.
...
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