Derek Su and Richard Cheng were both pressured by the imposing aura of each other's Mecha Girls.
At least Derek Su could distract himself by studying Gray Castle's stats panel.
[Drifting: 60]
[Acceleration: 80]
[Cornering: 70]
[Boost Charge: 40]
[Stability: 89]
[Impact Resistance: 97]
[Endurance: 77]
No telling whether this Mecha Girl had any special skills.
But judging from these stats alone, she was clearly another combat-focused unit.
If neither she nor Imperial Scale had a special skill, then the two of them could genuinely go toe-to-toe.
After observing for a while, Derek Su quickly spotted one advantage Imperial Scale had over Gray Castle.
Imperial Scale had a much more impressive chest. Gray Castle did not.
She had the height and a body full of muscle, but maybe that was exactly the problem. Too much muscle, leaving almost nothing there.
Tsk. Lacking in aesthetic appeal.
Just like that, the pressure Gray Castle gave off didn't feel nearly as overwhelming anymore.
"DL-01. I've heard of you—the first Mecha Girl of the Imperial Family, known for outstanding combat performance," Gray Castle said coldly, staring at Imperial Scale. "But tomorrow, I'll make you understand that a veteran, top-tier combat Mecha Girl is not something a new model like you can compare to. Just wait to be crushed under my feet."
Imperial Scale gave her a once-over, then let out a short, derisive laugh.
"Old relic."
Just two words.
Gray Castle trembled with rage, her face flushing red.
Derek Su covered his mouth, nearly laughing out loud.
Who would've thought Imperial Scale had such a sharp tongue?
When she opened her mouth, it was precise and ruthless—quiet, but it cut straight through.
Gray Castle clenched her fists, but in the end, she held back.
If things escalated into a fight over a verbal spat, they wouldn't be able to compete in tomorrow's Brana Ruins Advancement Tournament.
For the sake of the track's honor, this level of humiliation was something they could endure.
After holding it in for a long moment, Gray Castle took a deep breath and said through gritted teeth, "Junior, I sincerely hope your strength tomorrow is as sharp as your tongue!"
With that, she stepped back behind Richard Cheng, her expression cold and silent.
Seeing her back off, Imperial Scale didn't linger in front of Derek Su either. She quietly returned to his side, standing half a step behind him.
"Sorry about that, Derek Su. My Mecha Girl has a bit of a temper." With Imperial Scale's pressure gone, Richard Cheng wiped the sweat from his forehead and gave an awkward laugh.
"It's fine, it's fine. My Imperial Scale doesn't exactly hold back either," Derek Su replied casually with a smile. "See you on the track tomorrow?"
"Deal! We'll settle it on the track!"
Richard Cheng led his group of Mecha Girls and bodyguards away, walking with an exaggerated swagger.
Derek Su watched them leave.
A soft voice came from behind him.
"Master, was I really that harsh?"
He turned around.
Imperial Scale was fiddling with her fingers, her face conflicted, a trace of hurt hidden in her crimson eyes.
Ah…
He'd only said that out of politeness. He hadn't meant anything by it.
"No way! Boss, you were already super gentle. If it were me, I'd just smash straight into her!" Tunbao immediately jumped in to back her up, waving her flag enthusiastically as Imperial Scale's loyal supporter.
"You couldn't," Imperial Scale said calmly.
After a pause, she added, "You'd probably get smashed instead."
"Ugh…" Tunbao clutched her chest and staggered back a few steps. Her pretty face turned pale as she pointed at Imperial Scale with a trembling finger. "Boss, you… you're ruthless…"
Derek Su: "..."
...
BSC Club.
Chloe Qin had just been idly scrolling through short videos when she came across a clip of a Mecha Girl overclocking.
It was filmed from a spectator's viewpoint at an observation point, so the image was a bit blurry.
In the footage, the Mecha Girl sped straight toward the camera. Suddenly, purple light wings unfolded from both sides of her body. The entire vehicle was wrapped in a purplish-red glow, her speed surging instantly. In the blink of an eye, she vanished, too fast for even her taillights to be clearly captured.
"Tsk. Why are there more and more Mecha Girls that can overclock these days? So jealous." She glanced at Viper trembling in the corner and clicked her tongue. "When is my Mecha Girl going to overclock? I've poured in so many resources, used the best modules I could get, never slacked on training… and she's still useless."
At the word "useless," Viper trembled even harder.
The recommendation algorithm pushed videos based on watch time.
Since Chloe Qin had been watching overclocking clips for a while, more similar videos soon followed.
The more she watched, the stranger it felt. And the more familiar.
Overclocking. Skill activation. And that unmistakable purple body.
Until one video finally revealed the identities.
Mecha Girl: Purple Lightning.
Driver: Derek Su, owner of SC Club.
"That's Purple Lightning?!"
Looking at the girl standing on the winner's podium, then recalling the clips of overclocking and skill activation, Chloe Qin felt her mind go blank. She replayed several videos side by side, and in the end, had no choice but to accept it.
The one being showcased in all those clips… was Purple Lightning.
Purple Lightning overclocked in her very first race under Derek Su.
Purple Lightning used her skill the first time she ever hit the track under him.
So why couldn't she do any of that before?
The question looped endlessly in Chloe Qin's mind, her temper steadily rising.
But she would never admit the problem was her.
So she arrived at a conclusion.
Purple Lightning did it on purpose.
She had deliberately refused to use her skill when racing with her.
And even made excuses like "I can't activate it."
Wasn't it obvious now? What "can't activate"? It was all nonsense. She just didn't want to use it.
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"
After cursing three times, Chloe Qin grabbed the teacup in front of her, about to smash it.
A sharp, needle-like pain suddenly stabbed into her neck.
Her mechanical arm froze mid-motion.
She grimaced, struggling briefly against the force restraining her, but in the end, she slowly set the teacup back down.
She calmed herself.
And finally understood why the mechanical core's AI analysis had identified Purple Lightning as the key to winning the Panlong Mountain Circuit championship.
At first, she thought it was because of Purple Lightning's excellent drifting and handling.
Now she realized—
It was because when her skill was active, Purple Lightning wasn't slow at all.
She didn't know exactly what the skill did, but the image of her weaving through obstacles as if they didn't exist left a deep impression.
She was envious. Truly envious.
If her current Mecha Girl had that kind of ability, how strong would she be?
The latter half of Panlong Mountain Circuit was full of sharp turns and obstacles.
With a skill like that, wouldn't it be a complete sweep?
She had thought her preparations were already more than enough.
But after seeing Purple Lightning both overclock and activate her skill, her confidence wavered.
"No. The power I currently have isn't enough to stop Derek Su."
Chloe Qin leaned back on the sofa, arms crossed, thinking.
She needed to acquire more clubs.
But she was out of money.
Recently, Howard Wang hadn't been in touch much either. Whenever she asked, he just said he was busy with company matters.
Now, she could only rely on herself.
She looked around.
The villa was softly lit. The floor-to-ceiling windows revealed carefully designed landscaping outside.
This was one of the best residential areas in Tianyuan City. If she sold this villa, it would fetch a significant amount.
Sell the villa. Buy a modest apartment.
Use the remaining money to acquire clubs and recruit people.
A true all-or-nothing gamble.
But life had always been a game for the bold.
To regain sensation in her limbs, she was willing to take that risk.
...
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