Half an hour earlier.
...
Provincial Track Inspectorate.
The Inspectorate was responsible for regulatory oversight and determining whether each club met the requirements to compete on the Panlong Mountain Circuit. After generations of reforms, the current requirements were at least three pilots, five Mecha Girls, and two coaches.
The Inspectorate employed a large number of inspectors, allowing it to dispatch them according to the inspection times submitted by each club. All inspections had to take place within seventy-two hours of the provincial race. Derek Su had requested an inspection at nine that evening, but two phone calls caused the inspector assigned to the Stella Club to arrive early.
The first call came from the current owner of the Crown Club, Techmaster Caleb Li.
The second came from Quentin Lin, the majority shareholder of Ansei Insurance.
After the Crimson incident, Quentin Lin had gone home and carefully reconsidered everything. In the end, the Techmasters' Alliance had suffered a major loss, while the beneficiaries included not only Eden but also Derek Su, the owner of the Stella Club.
Crimson had been rescued, they could no longer monitor Julian Ziliang as closely as before, and Ethan Yang had even been sent to solitary confinement.
What truly aroused his suspicions was the investigation into Derek Su and the Mecha Girls of the Stella Club.
He discovered that Absolute Shadow's subordinates controlled numerous businesses on Mecha Island.
Absolute Shadow herself was also one of Eden's direct subordinates.
The sudden raid on Ethan Yang's underground black market had always seemed suspicious. Now, once he connected Absolute Shadow, Derek Su, Julian Ziliang, and Crimson, he had every reason to suspect that the entire incident had been a carefully planned rescue operation, even without any direct evidence.
Eden had merely used the rescue as an opportunity to suppress the Techmasters' Alliance and humiliate them.
Once Quentin Lin reached that conclusion, targeting Derek Su and the Stella Club was no longer merely Ethan Yang's personal grudge or a convenient side objective.
It had become outright retaliation.
However, Quentin Lin was not as brazen as Ethan Yang.
All he did was arrange for the Inspectorate to arrive early and verify the Stella Club's eligibility.
At the same time, he secretly ordered his people to cut off every source of available coaches in Jiangyuan City and post warnings in recruitment groups. Even if this could not completely stop the Stella Club, it would at least make things difficult for them.
The plan would leave no evidence behind.
After all, what was so serious about moving an inspection forward by a few hours?
Even if Eden learned of it, what could she say?
Would she really turn against the Techmasters' Alliance over a few hours?
And so, the inspector arrived at the Stella Club ahead of schedule.
...
"You have enough Mecha Girls. As for the pilots... Hmm."
The inspector stared at Vanessa, who looked like a tiny child, and fell silent.
Then he turned toward Derek Su with an expression that plainly asked whether he was being mocked.
"Are you certain she's one of your club's pilots?
"Mr. Su, I believe I made myself perfectly clear. Only someone with a valid pilot's license counts as a pilot."
"I have a pilot's license, sir."
Before Derek Su could answer, Vanessa approached the inspector, tugged at the corner of his shirt, and blinked her large eyes innocently.
"Little girls who lie will have their noses grow longer."
"I'm not lying!"
Vanessa pulled out her pilot's license and showed it to him.
The inspector froze, then carefully examined the document she had unfolded.
This was his profession.
He could tell at a glance whether a pilot's license was forged.
Although he did not want to admit it, Vanessa's license was genuine.
Still unwilling to believe it, he entered her ID number into his phone. Her information was indeed recorded in the database.
"What?!"
The inspector looked at Vanessa, then raised his head to stare at Derek Su in complete bewilderment.
Derek Su spread his hands and smiled calmly.
"That's how geniuses are. Honestly, I don't really understand it either. What a shame..."
"Fine. All right."
The inspector had no choice but to accept it.
He cleared his throat and resumed his stern expression.
"Then you also meet the pilot requirement. That only leaves the coaches."
He looked around. Aside from Derek Su, Zane, and Vanessa, there was no one else present.
His expression darkened.
"Where are your coaches? They need valid certificates as well!"
Derek Su first produced his own coaching certificate.
Within a single club, only one pilot was permitted to hold both a pilot's license and a coaching certificate. Such people were generally either aces or club owners. Since Derek Su had already obtained both, Zane was no longer eligible to acquire a coaching certificate.
"This certificate is valid." The inspector nodded. "Where's the other coach?"
"Our second coach hasn't arrived yet." Derek Su put his certificate away. "Besides, the scheduled inspection time hasn't arrived. He'll definitely be here by then, so please wait a little longer."
"The inspection was moved forward. We have our own work requirements, and we can't simply wait because you ask us to."
The inspector sneered inwardly.
He had finally found a weakness in the Stella Club.
They did not have enough coaches.
That important figure had already promised him that once this matter was settled, his son would be allowed to join the Crown Club.
They had even signed an electronic agreement.
Strictly speaking, this was an abuse of authority, but someone above him was willing to cover it up, so there would be no consequences.
Derek Su's expression turned grim.
He had clearly requested an inspection at nine in the evening, yet they had arrived before noon.
Was this not an obvious attempt to cause trouble?
Someone was definitely targeting him.
He was not deliberately stalling. A second coach really was coming that evening.
The man was simply coming from far away, though he should already be on the road.
"You don't have enough coaches. Under the competition rules, you are not eligible to compete on the Panlong Mountain Circuit." The inspector picked up his phone with a stern expression. "Unless you have an objection, I'll reject your application now."
Absolute Shadow narrowed her eyes and quietly slipped out through the door.
Derek Su stared at the inspector for a moment, then suddenly smiled.
"In that case, may I ask how much extra time you can give us?"
The inspector considered it.
Refusing to grant any time at all would make his intentions too obvious.
He had arrived early, after all.
He glanced at the time.
"I can give you one hour at most."
"Fine." Derek Su nodded. "Our coach will definitely arrive within an hour."
...
At an airport, the deeply tanned former SSC Club coach Tanner Chen dragged his suitcase behind him as he searched for somewhere to sit.
After being dismissed by the SSC Club, no other club had been willing to hire him. He had been forced to find work in underground black markets, traveling from place to place across the country just to support his family.
His skin had grown darker, and he had lost considerable weight.
At the lowest point in his life, he received an invitation from the Stella Club.
Even now, he remained deeply grateful.
The Stella Club was a club he had practically watched grow step by step.
More importantly, its owner was Derek Su, someone Tanner Chen would never forget for the rest of his life.
Back then, he had followed Miles Wang's orders and targeted Derek Su. Later, he had been made the scapegoat and discarded by Miles Wang.
Derek Su's willingness to overlook the past left Tanner Chen deeply ashamed. Even when every recruitment channel available to the Stella Club was being blocked, he had still resolved to join without hesitation.
And so, here he was.
He was on his way to report for duty at the Stella Club.
The only reason he had not gone earlier was because Derek Su had specifically told him not to.
Something about always keeping one card hidden...
What was there to hide?
He was only a coach. Who would possibly be after him?
Tanner Chen chuckled bitterly at the thought.
Then, in the very next second, a group of logistics Mecha Girls appeared from nowhere and slammed him to the ground.
"What the hell?!"
"Sorry, but this is urgent. You need to come with us!"
The logistics Mecha Girl spoke rapidly, then hoisted Tanner Chen over her shoulder and sprinted away.
A large group of logistics Mecha Girls surrounded them, while even an armed squad cleared the way ahead and guarded their rear.
...
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