The Xiangshan Advanced Race was an advanced track designed to test overall performance. It had everything: corners, straight-line acceleration, jumps, and head-to-head confrontation. The full course was 1,200 kilometers long, so it placed no small demand on a Mecha Girl's Endurance.
Most importantly, the Xiangshan Advanced Race in the second half of every year happened right at the start of autumn. At Xiangshan, the mountains would be covered in red leaves, and if the race started in the morning, they might even run into dense fog.
"So here's the question. Which one of you is going to run the Xiangshan Advanced Race this time?"
Derek Su propped both hands on the table and rested his chin on them.
His gaze swept across the faces of the Mecha Girls in front of him.
Tunbao, Imperial Scale, Purple Lightning, Stella, and Absolute Shadow. All five Mecha Girls were eligible to compete. The safest choice would definitely be Imperial Scale and Stella. That way, no matter who they faced in the Xiangshan Advanced Race, he would be confident of winning.
For a Mecha Girl, getting onto the track was already a reward.
Winning glory on the track was just the icing on the cake. It was like getting into a prestigious university and winning a scholarship on top of it, the kind of joy that left you buzzing from head to toe.
"I'll sit this one out," Stella was the first to withdraw. With both hands behind her back, she smiled and said, "I've already competed in plenty of races with Master before. This chance to experience the track should go to the others."
The moment she said that, the other Mecha Girls looked at Stella with grateful eyes. Even Imperial Scale's gaze flickered slightly as she looked at her.
That was it!
That was the feeling!
Stella lifted her chin slightly, the corners of her mouth rising wildly.
This! This was the bearing of an empress!
Right now, everyone's admiration for her had to be flowing like an endless river, right? And Master too. He definitely thought she was incredibly considerate, didn't he?
Ohoho~ Surely that deserved a little reward?
With that thought, Stella instinctively looked at Derek Su.
"I was thinking the same thing." Derek Su nodded. "Stella doesn't lack track experience. This opportunity should go to all of you."
Stella: "..."
She puffed out her cheeks, crossed her arms, turned her back to him, and pointed her butt at Derek Su without wanting to say another word.
There was a difference between her giving it up voluntarily and Derek Su assigning it away!
"I'll sit this one out too." Absolute Shadow raised her hand.
She really wanted to run the Xiangshan Advanced Race, but she knew very well that her performance did not give her much of an advantage there. Besides, Miles Wang had taken her to quite a few races in the past. She did not lack track experience. What she lacked was Derek Su's technique, and the training Derek Su had given them during this period had already benefited her greatly.
A person could not have everything at once.
The same went for Mecha Girls.
"Are you sure?" Derek Su raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised. Absolute Shadow had worked diligently for Stella Club, and he had considered giving her the spot for the Xiangshan Advanced Race.
"I'm sure." Absolute Shadow nodded and smiled. "I've thought it through carefully. Please give this chance to someone else."
With Absolute Shadow withdrawing,
the only Mecha Girls left in contention were Imperial Scale, Tunbao, and Purple Lightning.
Derek Su found it a little difficult.
He wanted to give both Imperial Scale and Purple Lightning a chance.
But if he gave the spots to Imperial Scale and Purple Lightning, would that not be unfair to Tunbao? He also had no proper reason to put a Mecha Girl on unmanned driving. After all, his limbs were intact, and he was not injured. And even if he were injured, on what grounds could he drive another Mecha Girl onto the track? It was a paradox either way.
This was where Stella Club's weakness showed itself.
They did not have enough qualified drivers!
Recently, quite a few drivers had come to apply, but every single one of them was a mess. He really did not want these excellent Mecha Girls under him to be wasted in the hands of drivers who knew nothing.
Besides, Tunbao and Absolute Shadow had already been driven by him. After tasting the fine grain that was his driving, they would never look twice at those other drivers.
Sigh.
What a headache.
So being too outstanding was also a kind of trouble.
"Imperial Scale, Purple Lightning, Tunbao, what do the three of you think?"
Imperial Scale: "I'm not going."
Purple Lightning: "Let Imperial Scale and Tunbao go."
Tunbao: "I want to go... Wait, you're not going? If you're not going, then I'm not going either!"
Tunbao's sudden hard brake left Derek Su a little speechless.
If Imperial Scale went, she could not go. If Imperial Scale did not go, then she would not go either.
What kind of logic was that?
"The Xiangshan Advanced Race doesn't really suit me." Imperial Scale glanced at Purple Lightning and said calmly, "Let Purple Lightning go."
"Huh?" Purple Lightning froze and waved both hands. "How could that be? Sister Imperial Scale, you're obviously the kind of Mecha Girl who's strong in every area. An advanced race that tests overall performance should suit you perfectly."
"Mermaid Bay." Imperial Scale still insisted on withdrawing. "Mermaid Bay tests Endurance. It suits me."
Tunbao nodded frantically beside her. "Exactly, Purple Lightning. You can't fight our girl for the Mermaid Bay track!"
After hearing Imperial Scale and Tunbao say that, Purple Lightning had no idea what to do. She twisted her fingers together, her face red and her head lowered, standing there in embarrassment.
Stella watched the Mecha Girls politely yielding to one another with a smile.
This was her harem!
So harmonious~
As expected, it was all thanks to her excellent rule as empress!
Derek Su was satisfied too. He had originally thought the spot would be hard to assign no matter who he gave it to. Now it was perfect. His Mecha Girls had directly sorted out the allocation themselves.
Purple Lightning would take Xiangshan.
Imperial Scale would take Mermaid Bay.
Stella, Absolute Shadow, and Tunbao had no objections.
"Then it's settled!" Derek Su did not drag things out and made the decision on the spot. "For this Xiangshan Advanced Race, Purple Lightning, you're up! Stay behind later. I'll properly 'teach' you some experience so you can adjust during this race!"
"But..." Purple Lightning pressed her lips together.
She still felt embarrassed.
The Xiangshan Advanced Race was not the kind of track with a huge number of corners. It tested overall performance.
And her overall performance was obviously the worst. If not for her special skill, she might not even be able to beat Tunbao.
"I think..."
"I don't need what you think. I need what I think!" Derek Su slapped the table, making Purple Lightning's shoulders jolt. She quickly lowered her head and did not dare speak.
"You're the one running the Xiangshan Advanced Race three days from now!"
"Alright, that's the end of today's meeting! Dismissed!"
Derek Su waved his hand, and all the Mecha Girls except Purple Lightning left one after another.
Soon, only he and Purple Lightning remained in the conference room.
After a long silence,
Purple Lightning took a deep breath, gathered her courage, and met Derek Su's eyes. Then she said timidly, "Master, the Xiangshan Advanced Race is 1,200 kilometers long. I don't think I can get a very good ranking. I'll embarrass the club."
"Do you think I care whether the club gets embarrassed or not?"
Derek Su's expression turned serious. He crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair.
"Purple Lightning, I'll tell you directly. For the second stage of the provincial-level Panlong Mountain Circuit, I want you on the track!"
"What?!" Purple Lightning froze in place.
She wondered if she had heard him wrong.
That was the provincial-level Panlong Mountain Circuit!
Recently, she had also heard some news.
Derek Su wanted to place at least in the top three on the provincial-level track in order to obtain the Awakening Serum. He wanted to become a Techmaster and save his family. It was clear how important the provincial-level Panlong Mountain Circuit was to Derek Su and Stella Club. Even Zane kept going to Zuanka Technology to suffer every few days because of the Awakening Serum.
But now, Derek Su actually wanted to entrust such an important task to her.
He wanted her to run the entire second stage of Panlong Mountain?!
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