Meanwhile...
In a room at the Crown Club.
Snowpeak hung the last pink grain sack on the rack.
Today's supply had been delivered.
It wasn't much. There were only about twelve hanging on the rack in total.
On the bed, a pale-faced Leon Li stuffed a handful of ginseng into his mouth while lowering the projector.
He opened a folder filled with all kinds of recordings.
Don't get the wrong idea. There was nothing explicit in them. All perfectly normal footage.
They were recordings of Derek Su and his Mecha Girls racing over this period, covering everything from the Maratela Training Race to the Rona Bay circuit.
"Tsk. Derek Su's getting stronger and stronger."
Leon Li chewed the ginseng expressionlessly, then took a gulp of highly concentrated goji solution.
Snowpeak had already climbed back onto the bed, leaning against him. She hugged her knees, resting her chin on them as she watched the projection with him.
"Master, which two Mecha Girls do you think Derek Su will use on the Panlong Mountain Circuit?"
"Stella and Imperial Scale, most likely." Leon Li stroked his chin as he thought it through. "Stella for the first section, Imperial Scale for the second. The second section is full of obstacles. Since Imperial Scale can take a tornado head-on, she can ignore ninety percent of them. What other Mecha Girls need to dodge, she can just crash straight through."
"Then why not Purple Lightning?" Snowpeak pointed at Purple Lightning in the video, currently activating her skill. "I think Purple Lightning is also very suited for the second downhill section with lots of obstacles."
"Purple Lightning..." Leon Li frowned.
If his judgment was correct, Purple Lightning had a clear flaw in acceleration.
Many people had been analyzing why Purple Lightning was so slow in the first half of the Rona Bay track, only picking up speed later.
The Crown Club had even held a dedicated discussion about it.
Ethan Yang had access to detailed data on many top-tier Mecha Girls.
In the end, their conclusion was simple. Purple Lightning had a serious acceleration issue. This was already obvious from her early coordination with Chloe Qin. The reason she sped up later was because Derek Su triggered her skill, and on top of that, she even overclocked once during the race.
Skill plus overclocking. A speed boost like that was only natural.
In that case...
Purple Lightning was unlikely to be suitable for the second section of Panlong Mountain.
"Not likely." Leon Li casually took Snowpeak's hand and played with it, shaking his head. "The reason is simple. There are hardly any weak drivers or Mecha Girls on the Panlong Mountain Circuit. Purple Lightning looked impressive at Rona Bay, but that was just a training race. Panlong Mountain is full of top-tier competitors. By the time Purple Lightning builds up speed, the race would already be nearing its end. And her Impact Resistance is poor, which makes her very unsuitable for the second section."
"So I still think Purple Lightning probably won't appear in the second section. To be safe, there's a ninety percent chance Derek Su will use Imperial Scale."
Snowpeak watched the purple blur streaking across the screen.
She felt that Derek Su's plan wouldn't be that simple.
But she trusted Leon Li without question.
"So, Master, has the club arranged for us to face Derek Su in the first section or the second section?"
"The second section," Leon Li said. "So, Snowpeak, our task is heavy."
"We'll be facing Imperial Scale in the second section. That Mecha Girl... she's terrifying. We need to improve our Stability and Impact Resistance even further."
"Mm." Snowpeak nodded. She hooked a box out from under the bed with her foot and pointed at it. "But we're out of supplies. Master, go buy more!"
Leon Li: "..."
The "Stability" and "Impact Resistance" he meant clearly weren't the same as what Snowpeak had in mind.
But she was his Mecha Girl, after all.
Leon Li got up and started getting dressed, speaking with indulgent patience, "Alright, alright. I'll go buy some now."
...
As he stepped out of the room and passed through the hall, Leon Li saw that Ethan Yang was still in a meeting.
Through the office blinds, he could vaguely see two people standing in front of him.
One of them had a shaved head. He was a massive man, nearly 1.9 meters tall, with a terrifying build. His arms looked almost as thick as Leon Li's thighs.
The other was a short young man with a mushroom haircut.
Leon Li recognized him. He was a driver Ethan Yang had recruited from another club.
Rumor had it that both his own ability and his Mecha Girl's strength were extremely high.
So high that Ethan Yang had originally planned to let him team up with Snowpeak to face Derek Su in the first section.
But after the driver arrived, Ethan Yang immediately changed his plan and assigned him and his Mecha Girl to the first section instead.
Leon Li and Snowpeak were moved to the second section.
For the entire provincial-level Panlong Mountain Circuit, Ethan Yang's goal wasn't just to secure a top-three finish to boost the Crown Club's reputation.
More importantly, he wanted to suppress Derek Su and the Stella Club completely. He wanted to make sure the Stella Club would never rise again, and that Derek Su would never have a chance to become The Magician.
"I should find time to remind Derek Su."
Leon Li stepped away from the blinds and muttered to himself.
"The first section isn't my concern. I just need to make sure the second section is absolutely fair."
For him and Snowpeak, fairness in racing mattered more than anything.
If they had to resort to dirty tricks to win, then even victory would feel like a disgrace.
He was a driver. Snowpeak was a Mecha Girl.
They simply enjoyed the race itself, and the life that came after. Nothing more.
...
"Danny Qiang, I'll leave the prison matter to you."
Ethan Yang patted the burly man on the shoulder, a cold smile curling on his lips.
"I've already arranged for Julian Ziliang's protection to be transferred away. He won't be coming back anytime soon. Once you're inside, take good care of him. When you get out, all this money will be yours."
He waved his hand.
The Mecha Girl behind him placed two suitcases in front of the burly man.
They were opened, revealing stacks of cash inside.
"Five million in total. And I'll bring you into the club as a driver."
The burly man stared at the money, a flash of greed and excitement in his eyes. He quickly nodded and bowed.
"Mr. Yang, don't worry. I've trained in combat since I was young just to be useful to someone like you one day. Once I'm inside, I'll make sure to 'take good care' of him and pass along your regards properly."
Ethan Yang smiled and nodded.
He had full confidence in the man's strength.
Even though he hadn't trained much in recent years, as a The Magician, he could still fight evenly with this man.
If anything, the man might have been holding back out of respect.
After briefing Danny Qiang, Ethan Yang turned to the short driver beside him.
"Swain Li, the first section of Panlong Mountain is yours. Don't disappoint me."
Swain Li looked refined and gentle, just like his name suggested.
But behind that mild appearance were eyes as cold and venomous as a snake's.
"Boss, the hardest opponent in this world is yourself." He let out a low, eerie laugh. "Do you think The Magician can defeat The Magician? Can Stella defeat Stella?"
"I don't think so," Ethan Yang said, narrowing his eyes.
When he first met Swain Li, even he found the man's talent unbelievable.
And when he saw Swain Li's Mecha Girl, he was stunned.
The two were a perfect match.
From that moment, Ethan Yang knew.
They were the ultimate weapon against the Stella Club.
There was no better choice.
...
That night, Yangcheng Prison.
After finishing a "discussion about life" with his cellmates, Mr. Liang was watching a recording of the Rona Bay race.
Suddenly, heavy thudding footsteps sounded outside.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Even the floor trembled.
The footsteps stopped at the door.
Mr. Liang turned his head and saw the guard open the door expressionlessly.
Behind them stood a tall man.
The man lowered his head slightly as he stepped inside, a friendly smile on his face.
"Hello, everyone. You can call me Danny Qiang. I'll be your new cellmate from now on."
His gaze landed on Mr. Liang, his fingers idly rubbing his wrist.
"I know you, Julian Ziliang."
"What an honor... to finally meet you."
...
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.