"Master, that Mecha Girl just now—that was Jade-786, right?"
Stella leaned in with a hyper-alert expression, her wide eyes staring directly into Derek Su's.
"How'd you know?" Derek wasn't bothered at all by Kyle Zhang and Jade-786's provocation.
He had checked Jade-786's stats earlier and almost burst out laughing.
Her Acceleration had dropped from 72 to 65, Impact Resistance from 51 to 43, and Cornering from 61 to 57.
Judging from how clingy she was with Kyle Zhang, she had clearly taken plenty of hits in the past five days—no wonder her durability had tanked.
"Because she smelled sketchy!" Stella nodded firmly, as if she were stating an absolute truth.
"...Huh?!"
Derek froze. She could smell that?
Well… maybe it was a figure of speech.
"Master, I have a very serious question." Stella leaned closer until their faces almost touched. "If Jade-786 tried to become your Mecha Girl again, would you agree?"
Ninety-nine percent of drivers wouldn't refuse.
A Mecha Girl can only choose one driver, but a driver can contract as many Mecha Girls as they want—there's no cost or limit as long as both parties consent. If a driver wanted to contract three thousand Mecha Girls, that was perfectly legal.
Having multiple Mecha Girls allowed pilots to handle many kinds of tracks. Some courses were extremely long, requiring high-Endurance Mecha Girls. Others involved heavy combat with multiple Mecha Girls launching at once, requiring those with high Impact Resistance and Stability.
Yes, Modules could adapt a Mecha Girl, but high-grade Modules were often more expensive than the Mecha Girls themselves and always came with reduced secondary stats. Sometimes upgrading one stat could cripple another so badly the Mecha Girl couldn't race at all.
Thus, owning multiple Mecha Girls was completely normal.
The more famous the driver, the more—and better—the Mecha Girls around them.
Some Mecha Girls even worked under one driver for a while, saved up enough to pay their contract penalty, and left their club to seek a stronger partner.
Others followed renowned drivers for free, without needing an auction dowry.
Stella clearly understood this. Neither Jade-786 nor Kyle Zhang were real threats to her or Derek. Which meant Jade-786 might very well come crawling back—trying to rekindle old feelings, maybe even offering benefits.
"How could I possibly agree?"
Derek let out a cold laugh. "Setting aside the fact that her stats are garbage now,
just the humiliation she and Kyle Zhang put me through is enough. She'll never be my Mecha Girl again."
"Not even if she paid you?"
"No."
Stella studied him for a moment, then let out a big sigh of relief.
"She's a bad Mecha Girl!" She patted his shoulder like an old auntie. "I could feel her intentions weren't pure—she's the type who uses pilots as stepping stones. But seeing how firm you are, I'm relieved. Master isn't the type to chase cheap advantages."
Derek's mouth twitched. "So in your eyes, I used to be the type who loved chasing small advantages?"
Stella narrowed her eyes mischievously. "Oh ho~ Master, yesterday when you installed the Module… didn't you instinctively give it a little squeeze? Hmm~?"
Derek: "…"
How was a reflex supposed to count as taking advantage?!
Unbelievable.
"Anyway, strange… Why isn't the flight here yet?" Derek hurried to change the subject.
There were many flights to the Knox Islands because of the rally. He and Kyle Zhang weren't even taking the same one.
"Could it be delayed…?" Stella said reflexively, then immediately slapped a hand over her mouth.
[Attention passengers bound for the Knox Islands: Flight TK-8176 is delayed due to mechanical issues. Estimated departure: two hours. Please proceed to the service counter for refunds or rebooking.]
Derek slowly turned to look at her.
"Hehe…" Stella stuck out her tongue and gazed up at the semi-transparent ceiling of the terminal. "Master, the weather is so nice today~"
"Stop! Please! I'm begging you!"
…
Derek was genuinely terrified of Stella's "speak it into existence" curse.
Thankfully, there were enough flights to the Knox Islands, so he immediately dragged her to the service desk to rebook.
"What's that brat running around for?!"
Seated several rows away, Mr. Liang lowered his newspaper. His eyes peered out from behind his sunglasses, tracking Derek and Stella.
He was dressed shockingly trendy today—dark urban tactical style, nothing like his usual plain look. Even if Derek and Stella stood in front of him, they probably wouldn't recognize him.
Which was exactly the point.
He wasn't here to watch Derek and Stella race—he was here to watch the Knox Rally.
Same destination, different purpose.
At least… that was the excuse he gave himself.
…
By 3 p.m., Derek and Stella arrived at the island hosting the Knox Rally.
The entrance was already packed with a sea of people.
The Knox Rally might be the most basic tournament, but it was still an official event, and every world-class Mecha Girl began here. Too many elite Mecha Girls had risen from this track, so its popularity never faded. Held twice a year, it always drew large crowds and rake in massive ticket sales for the organizers.
"Whoa, it's huge!" Stella spun around, her big eyes shining.
To her, this was where dreams started—a Mecha Girl's very first step toward becoming world-class.
To Derek, the track held another meaning. His cold eyes drifted toward the club seats. Ascend Racing Club from Jiangcheng was tucked away in a tiny corner—just five or six racers including Kyle Zhang and only three Mecha Girls. Compared to clubs from major cities, they looked pitiful.
Today, he'd teach Kyle Zhang and Jade-786 some humility.
Before, it had been just for his own pride.
Now, it was also for Stella—after all, Kyle Zhang's trash talk had already hit her.
"Welcome, everyone, to the biannual Knox Rally! I am your host with two and a half years of practice—Kool Kenny~"
A helicopter hovered above as the announcer's voice boomed over the speakers, shaking the entire venue.
On the massive 100-meter screen at the track entrance appeared the host—Kool Kenny—with his center-part haircut and suspender pants.
"This is the legendary starting ground: the Knox Circuit. Here, you'll find no guardrails, no protective gear for drivers or Mecha Girls. The course spans 200 kilometers with a vertical elevation change of 1,000 meters. On this tropical island, racers and Mecha Girls will face all kinds of unpredictable dangers—torrential rain, violent winds, earthquakes…" "Not only must they conquer the challenging track, but also nature itself. And their enemies aren't just the elements—they'll also battle other Mecha Girls and drivers, because…"
Kool Kenny grinned wickedly and pointed at the camera.
"As everyone knows, the Knox Rally isn't a mass start, but the interval between launches is only 30 seconds. This track is a battlefield shared by drivers and Mecha Girls. Collisions and combat on the course are allowed. Ten medical teams and thirty helicopters are on standby—ready to rescue at any moment!"
"The top ten Mecha Girls and drivers who reach the finish line in the shortest time will earn their rankings."
The moment he finished speaking, the stands erupted in thunderous cheers.
A Knox Rally ranking was the key for wild racers to join elite clubs—and only those with rankings could attempt the next tier of competitions.
Getting into the top ten was crucial, but not easy. Every Knox Rally had at least a hundred Mecha Girls competing.
"Now, let's welcome our racers and Mecha Girls to the stage to draw lots for their starting positions!!"
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser