Third floor of Stella Club.
The key figure everyone had been discussing, Absolute Shadow, was on the phone in the club manager's office. She stood beside a potted plant and looked out the window, her expression respectful. Her voice was so low that it was impossible to hear clearly without standing close.
"Please rest assured. Everything has been fine with The Magician recently. I'll make good use of the resources I have."
"Yes, I understand. I'll also make sure he stays safe."
The call was nearing its end.
The voice on the other end suddenly rose.
A solemn, serious female voice rang out.
[Dawnbreak!]
Absolute Shadow straightened at once, her expression turning reverent.
Her gaze sharpened as she replied solemnly, "The New King rises!"
[Absolute Shadow, remember our goal!]
[But do not expose any part of the plan at Stella Club. The more people know, the worse it is for us...]
"Yes!" Absolute Shadow nodded.
[That's all for today. I have a meeting.]
The call ended.
Absolute Shadow let out a long breath.
Out of habit, she reached into her trouser pocket for a cigarette, only for her fingers to find nothing. Only then did she remember she had already quit.
"Quitting is fine too. One less expense."
Stella's innocent, adorable face appeared in her mind, and the corners of her mouth lifted slightly.
Knock, knock, knock!
A knock suddenly came from the door.
Absolute Shadow snapped back to herself, tucked the phone into her clothes, and sat back down at the desk.
"Come in!"
Stella pushed the door open and peeked inside. The moment she saw Absolute Shadow, an eager, sweet smile spread across her face.
"Absolute Shadow, you're still working? That's so tiring!"
Seeing that it was Stella, Absolute Shadow's face softened into a faint smile, and her slightly furrowed brow relaxed. "Stella, what brings you here? You never come to me without a reason. Go on, just say it."
Stella smiled awkwardly and said, a little embarrassed, "Um, I... I want to enter the underground combat tournament..."
Absolute Shadow froze, and the smile faded from her face.
"The underground combat tournament? Why?"
"I heard it can train combat performance..." Stella lowered her head, gave Absolute Shadow a cautious glance, then quickly looked down again.
"Don't treat hearsay as fact." Absolute Shadow pinched the bridge of her nose and said helplessly, "There are plenty of ways to train combat performance, but underground combat tournaments are not reasonable. Those Mecha Girls use illegal modifications to make money for Modules. If you fight Mecha Girls who have illegal modifications installed, you could get hurt very easily. Also, why are you coming to me about this? Shouldn't you be asking the boss? He definitely wouldn't let you go."
"Master really won't let me go." Stella twisted her fingers in front of her chest and muttered softly, "Master said that if two-thirds of the people agree to let me go, then I can go."
Absolute Shadow laughed despite herself. "So you came to ask me?"
"Unfortunately, I don't agree either." She spread her hands.
"If there's no other way, I could use illegal modifications too..." Stella suddenly said.
Absolute Shadow's eyes widened. "That's even worse. Are you stupid? Illegal modifications lower Stability, and cracks will appear on your body. They look awful!"
"They lower Stability too?" Stella froze. "Doesn't that mean Mecha Girls who keep illegal modifications installed all year are basically on a death countdown?"
"That's right." Absolute Shadow nodded. "But that's illegal. Forcing excessive use of illegal modifications counts as abuse of Mecha Girls. For example, if cracks appear on the neck or face, that kind of Mecha Girl must be put into recovery and cannot participate in any competition. If you ever see something like that, you must report it!"
At last, Stella had finished laying the groundwork.
Now that her real purpose was out in the open, she immediately handed Absolute Shadow the flyer Derek Su had gotten from the Haitang Street black market. "Absolute Shadow, then look at this Mecha Girl. Isn't she no longer allowed to compete?"
Absolute Shadow followed Stella's finger.
Her gaze landed on Blaze.
Her pupils shrank.
A Mecha Girl whose face was already half covered in cracks.
And she was still using illegal modifications to compete in underground combat tournaments?
Was this a joke?
How was that any different from sending her back to the Recycling Yard?
She might completely break down in the middle of any match.
Absolute Shadow's eyes instantly turned sharp.
She carefully read through the entire flyer and quickly understood the general situation. This was an underground black market exchange tournament being held in Tianyuan City.
Mecha Island knew about the existence of underground black markets.
They also knew that many Mecha Girls in those black markets used illegal modifications to fight underground matches for money.
But when it came to this phenomenon, they chose to look the other way. It was not because they did not protect Mecha Girls' rights, but because if all black markets were shut down, the situation for those Mecha Girls and pilots would become even harder.
The main way pilots and Mecha Girls earned money was through competition prize money.
Training races had no entry requirements, and anyone could participate.
But only the top three won prize money.
Many pilots and Mecha Girls could compete in training races for an entire year without earning a single coin, while still having to pay high maintenance costs, such as nutrient solutions and treatment fees. They needed another way to earn money, and so underground combat tournaments, which were mainly held for spectators, came into being.
Participating in an underground combat tournament came with an appearance fee. If they happened to beat other Mecha Girls, there was an additional bonus. Like training races, there was no entry threshold, but it was much easier to make money.
Many Mecha Girls and pilots relied on underground matches to slowly save up money and buy suitable Modules, finally reaching the threshold for official competitions.
If something existed, it existed for a reason.
The underground black market had helped many grassroots pilots and Mecha Girls fulfill their dreams.
That was why Mecha Island tolerated its existence.
But acknowledging the existence of underground black markets did not mean Mecha Island condoned the abuse of Mecha Girls.
In the laws established by Mecha Island and the Human Federation, the damage levels caused by illegal modifications on Mecha Girls were clearly defined.
Level one: cracks appear on the fingers, feet, and backs of the hands.
Level two: cracks appear on the chest and abdomen.
Level three: cracks appear on the chest, abdomen, and limbs.
Level four: cracks spread from the whole body up to the neck.
Level five: cracks appear across the whole body and face.
Once the damage level reached level three or higher, a Mecha Girl could no longer participate in any competition.
The pilot or the Mecha Girl's manager had to remove the illegal modifications and wait until the Mecha Girl's body recovered before she could compete again.
The Mecha Girl named Blaze on this flyer already had cracks on her face.
She had long since exceeded the damage level permitted by law.
Yet the Sharp Peak Black Market had still placed Blaze on the list of Mecha Girls for the combat tournament. This was murder, plain and simple.
Absolute Shadow knew things like this must be happening in the dark corners of this world.
They were gray areas born from the cooperation between Mecha Island and the Human Federation, places sunlight could hardly reach.
She could not accept it, yet she had no choice but to accept it.
And that made her understand the meaning of the [New King Project] more and more.
If she had not known about Blaze, she could have looked the other way.
But now that she had seen this matter for herself.
As part of Mecha Island's management, and as someone who represented the rights of Mecha Girls.
She had to intervene.
Looking at that shattered face, Absolute Shadow brushed her fingers over it.
Her dark green eyes narrowed slightly.
The urge to kill...
Had awakened.
...
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