While Derek Su was planning how to deal with Meisel and Meister, he had no idea that they were plotting against him as well.
They had even argued over it all night.
Although they were twins, they could not stand each other. Otherwise, after Meisel, the older brother, joined the DKC Club, Meister would not have immediately joined the ISC Club, which was openly hostile toward DKC.
Both believed they could win the upcoming provincial Advancement Race.
They even thought the championship and runner-up positions would belong to the two of them.
However, after analyzing Derek Su and his Mecha Girls, Meister concluded that Derek Su posed a serious threat. He asked Meisel to make a last-minute switch and enter the second stage of Panlong Mountain instead. That way, the brothers could join forces against Derek Su. With Thunder-01's interference combined with Black Fortress's shockwaves, Derek Su would be unable to recover no matter which Mecha Girl he fielded.
Meisel dismissed the idea entirely. He looked down on Derek Su and scoffed at Meister's plan.
It was already four in the morning.
Exhausted after arguing all night, Meister stared coldly at Meisel.
"You'll pay for your arrogance. Your reputation and every honor you've earned will be ruined by your own hands. The club might even punish you!"
"You don't need to worry about me, Meister. Just focus on driving your load-bearing wall. You'll never understand Thunder-01's dominance on speed-oriented tracks."
Meisel walked to the bedroom door and opened it.
"All right, this is my room. You should leave. We may be brothers, but it wouldn't look good if our Mecha Girls saw us sleeping together."
Meister left the room with a dark expression. How could he fail to hear the mockery in Meisel's words?
His older brother had won three consecutive Advancement Races, and the success had clearly gone to his head.
Meister shook his head and returned to his own room to sleep.
As his brother, he had given every warning he could.
If Meisel insisted on doing things his own way, there was nothing more he could do.
What Meister did not know was that shortly after he left, Meisel reopened the files on Derek Su, Lucy Luo, and the other competitors. His expression was grave, with none of the arrogance or contempt he had shown earlier.
"Derek Su really is a formidable opponent. And that Lucy Luo girl has a troublesome Mecha Girl as well."
Meisel stroked his chin, a cold gleam in his eyes.
As the Demon King Club's new ace, and someone who might one day become an ace Techmaster, how could he possibly be a mindlessly arrogant fool?
It had all been an act for Meister.
He had prepared long ago to win the provincial track championship. He simply had not intended to reveal some of his trump cards at this level.
"Looks like I won't be able to keep this one hidden after all."
Meisel sighed helplessly, but a smile curled at the corner of his lips.
Thunder-01's special skill was already common knowledge.
What no one knew was that he also possessed an extremely rare special module.
Once Thunder-01 was equipped with it, all the information his opponents had gathered would become worthless.
"...In the end, the provincial track championship will still be mine!"
...
"Eternity, wake up!"
At five in the morning, Eternity opened her eyes groggily.
Lucy Luo's delicate face came into view. Eternity sat up, completely bewildered.
Lucy Luo was clearly still sleepy, but she had already changed into her tracksuit.
The sight was nothing short of miraculous.
Eternity's eyes widened in disbelief, and she instantly became fully awake.
"H-how are you up this early?"
Ever since Eternity had met Lucy Luo, the girl had suffered from excessive sleepiness. Hospital examinations had revealed nothing unusual, and every result had been perfectly normal. Over time, Eternity had grown accustomed to Lucy Luo sleeping late every day and waking her at the last possible moment.
This was the first time Lucy Luo had ever woken her instead.
The sun might as well have risen in the west.
"To train, of course. The morning is the best time to get things done." Lucy Luo rubbed her eyes as though it were perfectly natural. "I'm going to win the provincial track championship. There's less than a month left, so I need to use every moment I have to improve my driving skills."
As Lucy Luo's primary Mecha Girl, Eternity-01 was naturally delighted to see her working so hard. She immediately got up and began dressing without another word.
Still, Eternity knew this sudden change was probably connected to what had happened before.
Lucy Luo's result in the Mermaid Bay Advancement Race had been invalidated.
Although she had received little criticism from the public, Lucy Luo knew how humiliating it was.
What worried her most was Tania finding out and thinking less of her. Tania's opinion mattered more to Lucy Luo than anyone else's. She was the person Lucy Luo had spent all this time trying to catch up to.
Lucy Luo needed to earn the right to stand before Tania and confront her face-to-face.
Mermaid Bay had been one mistake.
From now on, Lucy Luo could not afford another.
Otherwise, even if she stood directly in front of Tania, she would have neither the courage nor the confidence to ask why she had never returned home after becoming world-class.
Had she forgotten her family?
Eternity watched Lucy Luo's cheerful figure bouncing along ahead of her.
But in her mind, she saw Lucy Luo huddled alone in a corner, silently crying as she stared at a photograph.
Eternity sighed to herself.
"She always looks so cheerful, but she's carrying a lot of pressure."
"Lucy Luo," she called softly.
The girl ahead turned around with a radiant smile.
"What is it, Eternity?"
"I'll help you become the provincial champion."
"I believe in you!"
...
Prison.
Danny Qiang had not hit Julian Ziliang again for the past few days.
It almost seemed as though he intended to live peacefully with him.
They ate together and watched television together.
Danny Qiang still ordered Julian Ziliang around, telling him to do one thing after another, but not nearly as often as before.
As he watched Julian Ziliang washing dishes in the kitchen, Danny Qiang leaned back on the sofa with a troubled frown.
The situation had changed.
Ethan Yang had been sent to solitary confinement. Even after he was released following the provincial track, his influence would be nowhere near what it once was.
Aside from his status as a Techmaster, he would have practically nothing left.
In other words, he would be nothing more than a tiger with its teeth pulled.
Julian Ziliang was different.
He had an impressive apprentice.
Derek Su's name was everywhere now. He had entered five Advancement Races and won every single one, making him the undisputed king of champions.
There was a ninety percent chance that someone like him would eventually become a Techmaster.
Once he did, he would inevitably rise through the ranks and enter management.
When that happened, Julian Ziliang could use Derek Su's connections to take revenge, and Danny Qiang would have no way to resist.
Still, he could not decide whether he should try to repair his relationship with Julian Ziliang.
He had no idea how many trump cards Ethan Yang would still have left after emerging from solitary confinement.
Besides, Danny Qiang had beaten Julian Ziliang so many times that repairing their relationship would not be easy.
Choosing a side too soon would be fine if he chose correctly. But if he chose wrong, both sides would see him as an opportunist, and neither would accept him.
"Boss Qiang."
As he pondered this, a prison guard called to him from outside the cell.
Danny Qiang looked up.
A guard stood at the entrance carrying a large cooler filled with beer, with chunks of ice floating on top.
Through Ethan Yang's influence, Danny Qiang was able to drink beer every day.
Aside from being unable to leave, his life in prison was little different from living at home.
"The beer came pretty early today."
Danny Qiang hurried to the entrance. The guard unlocked the door and placed the cooler on the floor.
After locking the door again, the guard turned to leave, but Danny Qiang stopped him.
"You're a new face. Where's Miller?"
"Miller resigned," the guard replied calmly. "I'll be delivering the beer from now on."
"The benefits here are pretty good. Why would he quit?" Danny Qiang asked in confusion.
The guard smiled.
"People always want to move up in the world. I heard he found a better job. Being a prison guard is easy, but there's a limit to how far you can go. You spend your whole life doing the same thing."
"That makes sense."
Danny Qiang nodded without suspicion and carried the cooler into the common room.
In the kitchen, however, Julian Ziliang paused while washing the dishes.
Using the mirror above the sink, he glanced at the guard's retreating back.
His eyes flickered thoughtfully.
...
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