On the Knox Circuit, Kyle Zhang checked his rearview mirror. Behind him stretched nothing but the barren wilderness under the evening sun.
Aside from the fading road and the sand kicked up by the tires, there was nothing in sight.
"Jade, what do you think—should we wait for Derek Su and the XC-99?" Kyle Zhang's mouth twisted into a malicious grin. "I think those tweaks I made these past two days are really paying off. That module—whatever grade it is—was a treasure passed down from the club's former owner. I can feel your speed improving."
"R-really?" Jade-786 kept her eyes locked on the track. She hadn't expected Kyle Zhang to still be thinking about such things at a moment like this.
And she certainly didn't feel any real increase in her stats. She'd been happy when Kyle found the module for her, but after installing it, her whole body felt off. Still, she couldn't say anything—not after Kyle personally dug it up for her.
So she gritted her teeth and raced with this mysterious, unregistered, uncertified "three-no" module whose name and model she didn't even know.
"Master, this is a race, not a game. We shouldn't be thinking about how to mess with Derek Su. Our main goal is to place in the Knox Rally—think about your factory." Jade-786 reminded him as gently as she could. "And besides, we're about to reach the first high-difficulty corner!"
"You're right." Kyle Zhang glanced at the rear mirror again and let out a contemptuous chuckle. "We already went through plenty of turns earlier—simple ones, but still. With XC-99's turning ability, they're probably in chaos by now. No matter how good that punk Derek Su is at upgrading, there's no way he revived that piece-of-junk XC-99 in such a short time!"
The sound of helicopter rotors suddenly cut through the air. A chopper equipped with livestream cameras entered Kyle and Jade-786's field of view.
It was specifically there to capture footage around the first high-difficulty corner.
For viewers of the Knox Rally, watching how drivers and Mecha Girls handled the first major technical turn was always a highlight.
"Up ahead is the Rift Hairpin—the one they call the Rookie's Guillotine."
Kyle Zhang's eyes brightened. He tightened his grip on the controls and focused on the bend at the edge of his vision.
"Jade-786, the helicopter camera is on us right now. Make sure we give them a beautiful turn."
"Yes, Master!" Jade-786 bit her lip and forced the clutter in her mind aside.
The Rift Hairpin—the first major technical turn on the Knox Circuit.
The entire bend formed a V-shape, sloping downward. The road was so narrow that only two Mecha Girls could pass shoulder-to-shoulder.
At the bottom of the V lay a ravine over ten meters deep, giving the bend its name.
The outside of the V stretched out into a long, shallow slope leading all the way to the coast.
It earned the nickname "Rookie's Guillotine" because the downhill angle often made inexperienced drivers misjudge their entry speed and fail the turn. They wouldn't die from it, but rolling all the way into the sea meant the Mecha Girl might be fine—while the pilot would suffer. With bad luck, a broken bone was practically guaranteed.
"Ladies and gentlemen, entering our view now are Kyle Zhang from the Ascend Club and his Mecha Girl, Jade-786!"
The big screens outside the Knox Circuit livestreamed the Rift Hairpin, with Kenny providing commentary whenever a Mecha Girl approached.
"This driver, Kyle Zhang, is practically an old friend of the Knox Circuit. He's participated in three Knox Rallies before but, unfortunately, never finished one. This is his fourth attempt, and this time he's racing with his brand-new Mecha Girl—the well-balanced Jade-786. Will they finish the course and secure a good placement? Let's watch how they handle Knox's first high-difficulty hairpin!"
Kenny was about to signal the helicopter crew to lock the camera onto Jade-786 when—
Vrrmmm—! ROAR—! ROAR—! ROAR—!
A feral engine roar exploded across the track.
It came from far in the distance, tearing through the speakers with reckless force.
But instead of flinching, many in the audience felt a surge of adrenaline.
The roar of a top-tier Mecha Girl always stirred the blood.
"That sound!"
Kenny, a veteran host of the Knox Circuit, recognized the engine note instantly. He grabbed his radio:
"Switch the camera to the track behind Jade-786—now!"
The crew responded immediately. The camera tilted upward.
Far at the horizon, through the swirling yellow sand, a streak of silver light ripped forward—breaking through the dust like a blade.
"It's Stella and that brat." Mr. Liang removed his sunglasses and held his breath, trying to get a clearer look.
The helicopter's long-shot captured the full kilometer of road surrounding the ravine hairpin.
From this angle, the difference was staggering—Stella, blazing like a silver comet, and Jade-786, painfully slow by comparison.
To put it bluntly, Jade-786 looked like an old clunker.
But everyone knew Jade-786 wasn't actually that slow—finishing in the top 20 at Knox was well within her ability.
"Holy—! What kind of speed is that silver Mecha Girl running at?!"
"Oh no, she's about to catch Jade-786! They might hit the hairpin at the same time!"
The stands were full of experienced spectators.
They might not own Mecha Girls or race themselves, but after watching so many events, even amateurs developed sharp instincts.
They could already picture the battle that was about to erupt at the Rift Hairpin.
As the host of the Knox Circuit, Kenny immediately ordered the rescue teams and helicopters to be on standby.
At the same time, he shouted into his mic:
"Fans! It looks like Kyle Zhang and Jade-786 won't be taking this corner alone today! Starting behind them, wildcard racer Derek Su and his Mecha Girl Stella have charged forward at an unbelievable speed! Can you believe this? Racer Derek Su only passed his official track license exam yesterday! Before the Knox Rally, his track experience consisted of just two private training races in Jiangcheng City!"
The stands erupted.
"No way! He got his license just yesterday?!"
"Only two training races?!"
"Damn—new racers these days are built different!"
Kenny was reading directly from Derek and Stella's profile—a file he'd only just pulled up.
He hadn't expected it to be this insane.
First place in the Triumph Club training race—nothing too surprising.
First place in the Banag training race—not particularly remarkable.
But then—
Tied for first place in the Banag training race with VVC Club's ace driver, Caio Yang–Comet…
What in the world?!
That was Caio Yang and Comet!
Did they let him win? They had to have let him win!
But even then, reaching that level was something 99% of Mecha Girls couldn't dream of.
After all, with Comet's speed, he could run the course blindfolded and still leave most Mecha Girls coughing in his dust.
"Just who are Derek Su and Stella…?"
Kenny stared, eyes wide, muttering to himself.