For wildcard drivers, competition is their stage to prove themselves, and joining a club is the ultimate goal.
Every wildcard driver dreams of getting into a star club.
Membership brings prestige, resources, and massive reductions to the cost of raising a Mecha Girl.
They might even receive a Mecha Girl for free—one they'd never be able to afford otherwise.
So Miles Wang wasn't the least bit worried about Derek Su holding a grudge over this. He'd seen far too many wildcard drivers grovel just for a chance to join a club.
Once the race ended, he planned to immediately extend an invitation to Derek Su and Stella.
He could already picture Derek Su's reaction—anger turning into ecstatic disbelief the moment he learned SSC wanted him. All the humiliation on the track wiped clean in an instant. And once Derek Su and Stella joined SSC, Miles Wang would split them up. If Stella's performance proved exceptional, he'd buy her outright and make her his own Mecha Girl. If it turned out Derek Su was the one with extraordinary skill, he'd drain every drop of his technique… then bury him.
This kind of thing happened all the time among the major clubs. Many looked down on wildcard drivers, preferring to groom their own direct-line teams.
And even if Derek Su refused SSC, Miles Wang didn't care. He had plenty of ways to make sure Derek Su never got into any club.
Meanwhile, SSC coach Tanner Chen's expression darkened further at Miles Wang's words.
Blocking someone on the track was one thing—but forcing them off it? Wasn't that going too far?
"Tsk, that Miles Wang kid is narrow-minded. I don't know what your boss taught him," VVC coach Warren Wu scoffed, shaking his head. "With that attitude, how far do you think he'll get in racing? If he becomes a Techmaster someday, fine. But if he doesn't, someone's gonna deal with him sooner or later."
"What am I supposed to do?" Tanner Chen rubbed his temples, already regretting coming today. "Warren Wu, you're not like me. You and your Mecha Girl only need to take care of yourselves. But I've got a wife and kids. When professional ethics clash with putting food on the table, I have to put my family first."
"Remember when we split paths—you chose VVC, I chose SSC—and we both thought we'd make something of ourselves…"
Warren Wu let out a dry laugh, full of self-mockery. "And look at us now. Nothing to show for it. We never became Techmasters. We never even got close to the threshold of that hall."
Tanner Chen didn't respond. He simply lit a cigarette and took a few hard drags.
After a few pulls, he picked up the walkie-talkie and gave the racers on the track their orders.
"Once you clear the tunnel up ahead, force that Mecha Girl off the track."
...
Inside the cockpit—
Derek Su's fingers abruptly stopped tapping the control stick.
"Stella, there's a tunnel ahead, right?"
"Correct." Stella nodded. "We're less than five hundred meters from it, Master. Do you have instructions?"
Her glare stayed locked onto the two Mecha Girls ahead, and she growled in a deceptively cute, vicious tone, "Master, just say the word and I'll knock them both flying! Ohoho!"
Derek Su's mouth twitched. He'd already checked the stats of the two Mecha Girls in front.
The one on the left had 71 Impact Resistance.
The one on the right had 68.
After installing the Hurricane Module, Stella's Impact Resistance had dropped to 77.
All three Mecha Girls were in motion. For Stella to bash them aside, she'd need two or three times their speed. At her current pace, she'd barely push them a little—and they would still block her path. Charging in head-first wasn't an option.
But he already had a plan.
"Get close. Slip into their wake and draft behind them. Be ready to overtake."
"Master, should we ram them?" Stella's voice sparkled with excitement. "Let's ram them! Ram them!"
"Ram your head!" Derek Su smacked her on the rear. "Can you stop being so reckless?!"
"Wuuu QAQ…"
"Don't worry." A cold glint flashed in Derek Su's eyes. "Do as I say. I have a way to overtake."
His steady, confident voice seemed to carry a calming magic. Stella, who had been tense and fuming from being boxed in, settled instantly.
Following his instructions, she tucked herself right behind the two Mecha Girls, effortlessly riding their slipstream.
...
"Ladies and gentlemen, our dark-horse racers, Derek Su–Stella, seem to be in a bit of trouble~"
Kool Kenny's voice blasted from the speakers beside the giant screen.
"To stop Derek Su–Stella from taking the championship, SSC Club has sent two racers to interfere—they're blocking the track!" If Derek Su–Stella can't break through, then unfortunately, they'll have no choice but to hand over the trophy that's practically already in their hands.
Kool Kenny raised a finger, flecks of spit hitting the microphone. "But if they can break through, this might be the moment their legend begins! After a 300-meter straight, they'll enter a 100-meter tunnel, followed by Knox's toughest Z-shaped series of hairpins—the infamous 'Knox's Severed Wrist.' The narrow turns allow only one Mecha Girl at a time. With less than a kilometer left, will Derek Su and Stella still get a chance to overtake?!"
The commentary was fired up, but the audience wasn't buying it.
The images of Derek Su guiding Stella through corner after corner with stunning skill were already burned into the spectators' minds.
Some were ordinary racing fans.
Some were wildcard drivers who would never get the chance to join a club.
But today, all of them had fallen for those soul-trembling curves.
They were already devoted to Derek Su and Stella.
And that devotion fueled their anger now.
"How can they do that?! Why block the track?!"
"SSC Club, get out!"
"Kick those SSC racers off the course!"
"I'm here to watch racing, not club politics!"
"SSC is ruining the competition! I'll never support your team again!"
One emotional spectator tore off his SSC Club supporter jersey and hurled it from the stands—only for it to land right in the SSC viewing area.
The SSC racers stared at the torn jersey at their feet, their expressions darkening.
Miles Wang, however, looked completely unfazed.
Only rookie spectators like those at Knox would get this worked up.
As races advanced to national and even world-class levels, people would realize blocking was nothing. Techmasters and top-tier Mecha Girls never used such low-grade methods. Their strategies were endless—far beyond imagination.
"You're not escaping now."
Miles Wang watched Stella being held back on the track, a smirk curling at the corner of his lips.
Derek Su and Stella were like birds in a cage, and SSC's two racers were the shackles clamped onto their wings.
No matter how they struggled, caged birds could never break free.
Right now, those birds must be furious—panicked, terrified, right?
As if responding to his thoughts, the camera slowly zoomed in.
The shot locked onto Derek Su's face.
That cold, sharp expression showed neither panic nor anger.
Instead, the corner of his mouth lifted in a calm, confident smile.
Miles Wang's pupils tightened.
This driver… he was mocking them!
What was he smiling at? How could he still be smiling now?
Miles Wang rubbed his eyes in disbelief—but before he could look again,
the image cut off.
The three Mecha Girls had already shot into the tunnel in a triangular formation.