"Master, I... I can't handle the Panlong Mountain Circuit." Purple Lightning panicked and quickly waved her hands.
She was already deeply grateful that Derek Su was willing to train her. She had never even imagined being sent into such an important race.
Although she had won the previous training race, that was still only a training race. The opponents had not been that strong, and the track type had been especially suited to her Cornering. But the Panlong Mountain Circuit was different. Clubs from all over the world would send their aces there. It would be a gathering of elites, with plenty of top-tier Mecha Girls. What right did she have to stand out among them?
She had absolute confidence in Derek Su's skill.
What she feared was dragging Derek Su down.
Dragging down the entire Stella Club!
Seeing the firm, unquestionable look in Derek Su's eyes, Purple Lightning could almost already picture herself ruining the Panlong Mountain Circuit.
She froze on the spot. Tears rolled down from her eyes in large drops as she lowered her head, stared at her toes, and stood there helplessly.
"I'm just asking you to join a race. Why are you crying?" Derek Su was stunned too.
Shouldn't she be happy to get a chance to race on the Panlong Mountain Circuit?
"Master, I think Sister Imperial Scale is more suited to the second stage of the Panlong Mountain Circuit. I... I really can't do it..." Purple Lightning wiped her tears and explained between sobs. "Master, think about it. The second stage of Panlong Mountain is very long and requires Endurance. There are also many obstacles. Ordinary Mecha Girls have to avoid those obstacles, but Sister Imperial Scale can rely on her outstanding Impact Resistance and charge straight through them. She's the best fit for the second stage."
"But are you forgetting that the second stage also has a lot of corners?" Derek Su reminded her. "Obstacles can be smashed through, but they still cause damage to a Mecha Girl to some extent. Hitting one or two isn't a big deal, but if Imperial Scale has to ram through obstacles all the way to the finish line, even if she doesn't complain about the pain, I'll feel bad for her. Every Mecha Girl is my best partner, not a tool. But you're different, Purple Lightning. Your special skill was made for weaving through obstacles. That's exactly why I want you on the second stage of the provincial-level track."
Before this, Imperial Scale had always shown him her powerful side.
But during the trip to Vacation Island, after her arena match with Gray Castle, he finally realized that Imperial Scale felt pain too.
Her Impact Resistance was high, but she was not made of iron.
She simply chose to ignore a lot of pain and endured it without saying anything.
On the surface, she acted calm and composed unless she truly could not withstand it anymore.
Besides, he had originally planned to send Purple Lightning onto the second stage.
Now, this only made him even more certain of his decision.
"So that's why..." Purple Lightning raised her head, and the confusion and panic in her eyes gradually faded.
Derek Su had given her a reason why she had to run the second stage.
Stella was a speed-type Mecha Girl with powerful straight-line acceleration, so she would definitely take the first stage.
Then, according to Derek Su's reasoning, if he did not want Imperial Scale to get hurt, the second stage really did have to be left to her.
Even so, she still felt that her performance was not good enough.
"Are you afraid that your performance isn't enough and that you'll embarrass Stella Club?"
Derek Su's gaze sharpened as he exposed the insecurity and sensitivity hidden in Purple Lightning's heart.
Purple Lightning's current stats without Modules were:
[Drifting: 90]
[Acceleration: 54.3]
[Cornering: 92]
[Boost Charge: 63.1]
[Stability: 50]
[Impact Resistance: 42]
[Endurance: 82]
The 0.3 increase in Acceleration had come from her recent training.
With the [Heart of Rock] Module equipped, Purple Lightning's Stability became 63, Cornering became 87, Impact Resistance became 52, Boost Charge became 58.5, Acceleration became 51.3, and Drifting became 86.
If he wanted Purple Lightning to activate her special skill more safely, then the higher her Stability and Impact Resistance, the better.
And the highest priority was naturally Stability. Raising Impact Resistance was basically a second layer of insurance.
Looking at Purple Lightning, who had just been entrusted with a critical task yet still had no confidence in herself,
Derek Su narrowed his eyes and immediately assigned his MP points.
He gave 8 points to Impact Resistance, raising its base value to 50, which became 60 with the Module equipped. Then he gave 35 points to Stability, raising its base value to 57, which became 70 with the Module equipped. This way, when her special skill was fully charged, Purple Lightning would still have 20 Stability and 10 Impact Resistance left. It was still dangerous, but as long as she did not bump into anything, she should not end up on the verge of falling apart like she had in the last training race.
He kept the remaining 17 MP points in reserve.
If anything unexpected happened during the advanced race, he could allocate them on the spot.
With Purple Lightning's stats now distributed this way, plus the [Heart of Rock] Module, she was definitely ready for the Xiangshan Advanced Race. She would still need further improvement for the Panlong Mountain Circuit, but there was no need to rush. There would be more chances to earn MP points later, and Stella's side could be taken care of too.
"Yes... I know my own performance. It isn't enough for a provincial-level track. Even an advanced track is already pushing it." Purple Lightning bit her red lip and clenched her fists, unaware that her performance had quietly improved. She was still nervous and uncertain about the races ahead.
"Do you feel anything different about your body right now?" Derek Su suddenly asked.
Purple Lightning looked up at Derek Su. "I... What's different?" She did not understand what he meant.
"Do you remember the previous training race?" Derek Su crossed one leg over the other and said calmly, "You're very sensitive to changes in your body's condition. You should have noticed that your performance improved back then, and that improvement didn't disappear after the race ended. I don't mind telling you, Purple Lightning. I'm actually a Techmaster!"
Those words made Purple Lightning tremble again.
Her small mouth opened slightly, and she stared at Derek Su in shock.
The conference room fell silent again, with only the sound of the breeze lifting the curtains.
This news was far too shocking for Purple Lightning.
It shocked her so much that it took her a long while to react. Then she stammered, "You... You're a T-Techmaster?!"
"That's right." A mysterious smile appeared at the corner of Derek Su's mouth.
"Very few people know about this for now. I've been a Techmaster for a long time. My Techmaster skill is enhancing a Mecha Girl's stats. It's equivalent to installing an extra Module with no side effects. Of course, I can also take that boost back at any time, just like removing a Module."
This explanation was different from what he had told Stella.
Derek Su added a restriction to his ability. The boost could be withdrawn.
No matter how Purple Lightning behaved, he had not forgotten Mr. Liang's words.
He had to stay cautious around Mecha Girls who had not signed a Core Contract, no matter how harmless they seemed.
Purple Lightning would probably be hurt if she knew he thought this way.
But how could he possibly tell her directly?
"So that's what it was. No wonder... No wonder it felt so obvious back then..."
Purple Lightning pressed her lips together, and her clenched fists slowly relaxed.
Just as Derek Su thought Purple Lightning would be thrilled,
the girl bowed deeply and said in a firm voice,
"Although I don't know why Master's ability doesn't have psychic energy fluctuations, since it can be withdrawn, please take back the performance boost you gave me. Give those stats to Stella and Sister Imperial Scale instead. They can make much better use of them... Please!"
Derek Su: "..."
He was truly speechless.
After all that, he had been completely talking to a brick wall!
***
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