Stella left.
Before she did, she obediently promised several times that she would not join the combat tournament.
But as Absolute Shadow looked at the flyer on the desk, she was already considering stepping in.
With the resources she had now, rescuing a single Mecha Girl should be simple enough.
Before that, however, she still needed to investigate the Sharp Peak Black Market's background.
The results surprised her. The Sharp Peak Black Market was actually one of Crown Club's assets.
And the financial group behind Crown Club was no ordinary backer, either. It was the leading company in racing insurance, Ansei Insurance.
Ansei Insurance had been founded by five Techmasters and possessed considerable power. Crown Club was not the only club under its name, either. Ansei Insurance owned more than a dozen clubs in total. Crown was simply the most famous of them. The others varied in strength, but none were weaker than most small and mid-sized clubs.
And the owner of Crown Club was a Techmaster named Ethan Yang.
That made things a little tricky.
Once a Techmaster was involved, half the resources in her hands would lose their effectiveness.
If this Mecha Girl had nothing to do with Ethan Yang, that would have been fine.
Everyone could show each other some respect, and the matter would be over.
But as her investigation went deeper, more and more of the past began to surface.
Blaze, formerly known as Crimson, was a Mecha Girl who had been sentenced to be sent back to the Recycling Yard after a failed assassination attempt against the Techmaster Ethan Yang.
Because of Mecha Girl Restriction Regulation No. 1, Mecha Girls could not directly harm humans. But that did not mean they were completely incapable of endangering human lives.
For example, when Crimson fought Ethan Yang's Mecha Girl, the shockwaves from their battle could still have threatened Ethan Yang's life. And under certain special circumstances, a Mecha Girl had a chance of breaking through Mecha Girl Restriction Regulation No. 1. Because of that, the judge ultimately ruled that Crimson had posed a real threat to Ethan Yang and sentenced her to the Recycling Yard.
Those were the facts on the surface.
Crimson's pilot was also sentenced to fifteen years in prison.
Later, that pilot, Julian Ziliang, fled to avoid punishment. He had since been recaptured and was now being held in secret.
Beyond that, there were also matters hidden in the shadows. Ethan Yang had secretly submitted a letter of forgiveness, and Crimson, who should have been sent back to the Recycling Yard, was bought by Ethan Yang through a scheme and arranged to work at the Sharp Peak Black Market under Crown Club's name. After that, Ethan Yang never cared whether Crimson lived or died. The matter seemed to have ended there, until today, when Absolute Shadow learned how miserable Crimson's situation had become.
Clearly, Crimson's current state was entirely Ethan Yang's revenge.
Ethan Yang was also extremely cunning. By handing Crimson over to the underground black market to deal with, he had distanced himself from the main responsibility.
That meant getting Crimson out would be equivalent to going up against Crown Club, Ethan Yang the Techmaster, and even Ansei Group. It would be anything but easy.
Absolute Shadow pressed her lips together and continued scrolling down with the mouse wheel.
All of this information had been provided by Mecha Island's specialized intelligence organization, and it was comprehensive enough.
Aside from the three key figures, Crimson, Julian Ziliang, and Ethan Yang, there was also information on other people connected to them.
For example, Derek Su.
The relationship between Julian Ziliang and Derek Su quickly entered Absolute Shadow's view.
Derek Su's background was mysterious, almost as if he had appeared out of thin air. Setting that aside, Julian Ziliang was essentially Derek Su's savior, a father-like figure to him, and Derek Su had been searching for Julian Ziliang's whereabouts all this time.
"Hiss." Absolute Shadow frowned and clicked her tongue.
So that was why Stella had come over and said all that just now.
Good grief. There was more to it than met the eye.
When did Stella ever want to join an underground tournament?
She had clearly come to set Absolute Shadow up.
No, that was not right. This probably was not Stella's idea. Derek Su must have put her up to it.
Derek Su knew she was part of Mecha Island's management, so he wanted to use her to rescue Crimson.
"Looks like Boss Su still doesn't trust me enough." After figuring it out, Absolute Shadow could not help sighing regretfully.
It did not feel good to be distrusted.
But she could completely understand.
Back then, Julian Ziliang's failed assassination attempt had happened because he was betrayed by a Mecha Girl.
So it was only natural for Derek Su to be wary of her.
Who did not have secrets?
She had plenty of secrets she was keeping from everyone at Stella Club too.
Uncomfortable or not, she would still step in on this matter.
Whether as Stella Club's manager or as part of Mecha Island's management, she had to take a stand.
Absolute Shadow bit her lip and thought for a while.
Then she took out her phone and selected two numbers from her contacts.
First, she sent a text message to one of them. Then she got up, walked to the window, and made a call.
...
On the other side.
Stella snuck back into the conference room and made an "OK" gesture at Derek Su.
She closed the door and sat back down.
Her face was full of smug pride. "With the Pineapple King taking action, a little thing like this is easy, right?"
"What did Absolute Shadow say?" Derek Su asked eagerly.
"The rich lady said she'll handle it." Stella folded her arms, her little bare feet dangling from the chair and swinging back and forth. "In other words, whether she's Blaze or Crimson, Absolute Shadow will rescue that Mecha Girl and free her from her suffering. We just need to watch how things develop. Oh, right. We still need Lingwind to go and check out the situation."
The moment Stella remembered that, she rushed off to find Lingwind without waiting for Derek Su or Imperial Scale to say anything.
That left Derek Su and Imperial Scale staring at each other in the conference room.
"I still feel like this won't be that simple." Derek Su propped his chin on both hands, his brows tightly furrowed as he sighed.
"If that Mecha Girl is Crimson, then Ethan Yang and the forces behind him will definitely be involved. If Absolute Shadow has to face those forces, it won't be easy for her to succeed." Imperial Scale nodded, then comforted him. "But no matter what, you cannot take action yourself. Right now, all we can do is trust Absolute Shadow's ability."
"She is someone who plans before she acts. She will not make a reckless move unless she is confident."
Derek Su understood Absolute Shadow's personality as well.
Assuming Absolute Shadow could be completely trusted, the same way Imperial Scale and Stella could, then aside from her, there was no other Mecha Girl in the entire club who could give him such an absolute sense of security.
"I hope everything goes smoothly."
Looking out at the gloomy sky beyond the window, Derek Su prayed silently.
Perhaps a storm was about to arrive.
...
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