"Stella, you have to hold it in. Any time is fine—just not right now!"
Derek Su's voice was firm.
"Wh-why…?"
"Why?! Do you want to spray it all over my face?!"
"Uuu…" Stella twisted her waist awkwardly.
Clearly, she realized this was not the best position for such a crisis.
"Relax your body. Don't tense up." Derek Su softened his tone, coaxing her gently. "Didn't you already pass the consecutive-turns test? The Z-shaped curve up ahead is only slightly harder than that one. Just find that same rhythm you used during the exam. If you can do that, this Z-turn won't be hard at all."
"Really… only a little harder?" Stella asked in a tiny voice.
"Of course. When have I ever lied to you?"
Derek Su touched his nose without thinking.
He had lied—right this moment.
The difficulty of this Z-shaped section was far beyond "a little harder."
Not only were the corners extremely tight and narrow, but there were no guardrails—just cliffs. From the tunnel exit all the way to the finish line, the remaining track ran along an artificial cliffside.
It was obvious the Knox Rally organizers had deliberately designed this final stretch to be brutally difficult—a place that haunted countless Mecha Girls and drivers.
Most participants who'd never raced Knox before would be drenched in fear the moment they cleared the tunnel. Stella was the perfect example.
Fortunately, he understood Stella well. She was simple—easy to fool.
And especially gullible when it came to his words. She'd believe anything he said.
"Ohoh! If the difficulty is almost the same, then as the genius Mecha Girl—Stella—I definitely got this!"
Sure enough, her voice returned full of fighting spirit.
Seeing that the smoke on her forehead had stopped, Derek Su finally let out a breath of relief.
No idea how long he could keep tricking her like this…
Once she experienced more races, she probably wouldn't be so easy to fool.
Right now, Stella's driving skills and attribute points couldn't increase any further. All she could do was follow instructions and execute them with precision.
And a confident Stella was absolutely reliable.
So whether they could safely clear this death trap now would depend almost entirely
on the driver.
Stella wouldn't drop the ball.
And Derek Su—once the Emperor of the Tracks—certainly wouldn't either.
"But with how narrow this Z-turn is, normal drifting definitely won't work…"
Derek Su pressed his lips together. In less than half a second, a complete plan formed in his mind, and he mentally rehearsed it once.
...
"Ladies and gentlemen, the most exhilarating moment is upon us! I know I've said this many times today, but it fits perfectly for Derek Su–Stella. They've already given us too many breathtaking moments!"
Kool Kenny's words flew out rapidly, his hand shaking around the microphone.
His excitement came not only from Derek Su and Stella's nonstop surprises, but also from the prospect of a promotion, a raise, and an extra chicken leg. Today's commentary was the most impassioned of his career.
"Knox's Severed Wrist—the nightmare of countless Mecha Girls and drivers! Derek Su and Stella are approaching the entry point!"
Every heart in the stands tightened.
"They're not slowing down! They're NOT slowing down!" Kool Kenny's voice broke into a hoarse shout.
Whoosh—!
A wave of gasps surged across the arena.
In the audience's view, that silver streak pierced into the curve like a blade.
"Oh my god, they didn't slow down!"
"I can't imagine what they're—HOLY—!"
As a professional commentator, Kool Kenny wasn't allowed to swear—his pay would get docked. In his two and a half years of work, he'd cursed only a handful of times. The last time was when a Mecha Girl and her driver decided to have a little "private meeting" in a picturesque spot mid-race—and a helicopter caught them on camera.
That alone said a lot about his professionalism.
He almost never slipped—unless he truly couldn't help it.
While he was shouting, Derek Su had already begun his display of mastery.
First hairpin: a perfect entry.
Handbrake. Downshift. Control stick cranked hard right.
Stella's chassis skimmed along the cliff's edge. In the blink of an eye, the next hairpin loomed. Normally, he should've turned left and used a pendulum drift between the two hairpins to reset the car's angle for optimal entry.
But the spacing between the hairpins on Knox's Severed Wrist was far too short. The track far too narrow. Within 0.1 seconds, Derek Su rejected that method.
Instead, he kept the wheel turned full right.
Stella's body continued spinning with inertia.
Her tires screeched violently across the track as she spun one and a half rotations between the two hairpins.
Using Stella's rotation, Derek Su found the perfect entry point for the next hairpin—faster, more precise, and safer than any pendulum drift. With exact calculations and control, the moment Stella's nose realigned, she was already positioned perfectly at the next entry.
The spinning drift—made its debut in this world for the very first time.
"Full throttle!"
ROAR—!
The powerful acceleration pinned Derek Su against his seat.
He could feel Stella's excitement and restless energy.
Through the rearview mirror, he saw her locked onto the finish line ahead, silent and determined.
At that moment, the sunset met the sea's horizon.
The finish line merged with that glowing streak of orange.
The light reflected in Stella's eyes, stretching endlessly forward.
Sea wind howled past them. Time felt elongated.
"Run!" Derek Su's smile overlapped with Stella's as if perfectly mirrored. "Run toward the finish—and victory!"
...
"They crossed!" Kool Kenny raised his microphone, face flushed. "Derek Su and Stella have crossed the finish line! Total time: 42 minutes and 17 seconds! Champions! They are the champions!"
In his entire two-and-a-half-year career, Kool Kenny had never been this excited—or this nervous. When he watched Derek Su maneuver Stella through Knox's Severed Wrist with that bizarre spinning technique, he didn't even realize his fingernails were digging into his palm.
Whoosh—
Thunderous applause filled the stands.
Cheers erupted like waves.
Even the die-hard fans of rival teams rose to clap—because what Derek Su and Stella delivered today was nothing short of a visual masterpiece.
Past competitions had always been about the Mecha Girl's price—the more expensive she was, the easier it was to place well. Driver skill was merely icing on the cake. But today, they realized: Mecha Girls could be piloted like this. Corners had this much technique.
"That brat… he really does have skill."
Mr. Liang smiled warmly, then turned and quietly left the venue.
The Knox Rally was over. It was time for him to return to running his recycling yard.
But he didn't notice that as he walked away, one camera continued tracking his back until he disappeared.
Meanwhile, beside the camera, a middle-aged man pulled out his phone and dialed a number.
"We've found Julian Ziliang."
[What? Are you sure!?]
"Positive."
The man looked toward the direction Mr. Liang had gone, expression grave, his tone unwavering:
"Even with the disguise, I'd never mistake those eyes."