Did anyone even need to guess why Kyle Zhang had shown up?
Obviously, he was here out of regret—trying to claw back some sense of existence, hoping that whatever old workplace bond they once had could be used to drag Derek back to Ascend Club.
The way Kyle Zhang was squatting there… Derek already knew exactly what kind of nonsense this guy was about to spew.
While Derek Su silently mocked him, Kyle Zhang took a deep breath, bowed deeply, and slammed his forehead down.
"Derek Su, I'm here to apologize! I'm sorry!"
Derek Su blinked, genuinely surprised that this was the first thing out of Kyle Zhang's mouth.
"I was wrong before. I know it's foolish to think I can earn your forgiveness… You're a pure racer, but I'm not. I race to make money, pay off debts, keep my Module factory running."
"So?" Derek raised an eyebrow, his expression still cold.
"I've sold the factory and the club. All my debts are paid. I have a little money left—enough to bid on a Mecha Girl." As he spoke, Kyle Zhang looked visibly relieved, the tension leaving his shoulders. "I came today to apologize and to say goodbye. I'm leaving Jiangcheng City and heading somewhere with a more developed racing scene. Jade-786 and I have terminated our contract. I have a feeling she'll come looking for you. You need to be careful around her."
Kyle Zhang's expression darkened, his voice tightening with bitterness. "After forming the contract, I got full of myself. I didn't resist the temptation. She drained almost all of my liquid funds. She's cunning—brilliant at disguising herself. If she comes for you, don't lose the watermelon for the sesame seed."
"Jade-786 already came to find me."
Kyle Zhang's eyes flew wide. "Then you two—"
"Heh." Derek curled his lip. "You think everyone thinks with their lower half like you?"
"Exactly! A small-fry who lets the little head control the big head!" Stella shot Kyle a disdainful glance.
"That's fair." Kyle Zhang let out a bitter laugh. "I overthought it. My apologies again—to you and your Mecha Girl."
Then he turned and left.
Derek Su and Stella watched him go.
He had arrived trembling… but left looking as if a massive weight had been lifted.
"Master, you really forgave that yellow-haired chicken-head?" Stella tugged on Derek's sleeve.
"As if." Derek narrowed his eyes, rubbing his chin as a wicked grin spread across his face. "Let him get hopeful. Let him rebuild his confidence and spend money getting back into racing. Then—when we run into him on the track—I'll smash him right off it. That'll break his spirit for sure! Hahaha!"
"Wooah! That's my Master! I love it! Hahaha!!"
Nearby, the Module shop owner instantly regretted ever coming.
Why hadn't he just stayed home? Why provoke these two disasters?
But the moment he edged a foot backward, two sharp gazes locked onto him.
"Come and go whenever you want? What, you think this place is a recycling yard?"
The owner wiped at his cold sweat, muttering internally—well, wasn't this literally a recycling yard?
Since Derek and Stella already had him pinned, he could only brace himself and step forward.
"Mr. Derek Su, Miss Stella, you remember me, right? You came to my Module shop before asking for investment… Ahahaha, I failed to recognize you were the champions of the Banag Training Race! So now—I'm ready to invest!"
"Tch, like we care." Derek snorted.
"But Master, he's holding a purple Module…"
"Even if it's purple—ahem—boss, come inside. Let's discuss properly." Derek's face had already changed the moment he turned around.
Sure, they'd just received a 2-million sponsorship from Mr. Ming, but purple Modules started at 500k and could go up to 8 million depending on compatibility. Meaning this shop owner was essentially giving them at least half a million for free.
Yeah—Derek cared about that kind of money.
...
A short while later, the three of them were seated in the small wooden cabin.
Stella casually cracked open a pineapple and split it into three portions.
Then she poured three bowls of iced black tea and set them on the table.
"The setup's a bit simple. We don't have fancy tea leaves. If you don't like it, you can add a pinch of salt,"
Derek said with a cheerful smile.
The hospitality was… unusual, to say the least. The place looked so bare that the shop owner couldn't tell whether this was genuine sincerity or simply all they had to offer. After hesitating for quite some time, he finally sipped the tea.
Surprisingly… it tasted different when served in a bowl instead of a bottle.
"Um, Mr. Derek Su, I watched your race. It was incredible. I believe your future is limitless." The shop owner laughed awkwardly and opened his box—the purple glow inside instantly brightened the whole cabin.
"This is a structural Module called [Black Scale]. It can change Miss Stella's vehicle form and improve Impact Resistance and Stability. The downside is that it lowers Speed and Cornering a bit."
Derek stared at the Module as rows of data illuminated:
[Impact Resistance: +7]
[Stability: +5]
[Acceleration: -3]
[Cornering: -6]
Module grades were determined by the net difference of their attributes.
Zero or higher—purple tier.
Ten or higher—gold tier.
For example, the [Cyan Storm] Derek had seen before:
[Cornering: +20], [Acceleration: -13], [Stability: -8], [Impact Resistance: -2], [Boost: +3]
Net difference: 0 → purple Module.
Or the [Hurricane] Module currently installed on Stella:
[Cornering: +8], [Endurance: +4], [Acceleration: -5], [Boost: -5], [Stability: -3], [Impact Resistance: -3]
Net difference: -4 → blue Module.
[Black Scale] had a net difference of +3. Even though the boosts were small, it qualified as a purple Module—a versatile, beginner-friendly option ideal for making slight adjustments to certain Mecha Girls.
Choosing Modules was an art. Most drivers and Mecha Girls had to try them firsthand. Higher-tier didn't always mean better. For Stella, this [Black Scale] wasn't as good as her current [Hurricane].
Modules underwent testing before sale, revealing only rough net values—never precise attributes.
But one look was all Derek needed.
"Boss, this purple Module is the cheapest kind, right?" Derek tapped the table lazily, completely unmoved by the glow of the purple Module. Stella, however, was practically vibrating with excitement.
Absolutely hopeless…
Derek sighed internally.
This Mecha Girl of his had gone through too many hard days. Everything felt precious to her.
"Uh, Mr. Su, how could you say that? This is our best-selling purple Module~" the owner said stiffly, sweat beading down his face.
He couldn't exactly give away an expensive Module.
Blue ones were embarrassing. So he'd offered the cheapest purple-tier he had.
But Modules were like gambling stones.
He admired Derek and Stella's racing skill, but he didn't believe an amateur like Derek could actually appraise Module value.
"Heh. The net difference is around +3, isn't it? Barely improves anything. And Modules that lower Acceleration and Cornering—only Mecha Girls who specialize in combat racing would buy those."
More sweat dripped down the shopkeeper's forehead.
His back was soaked.
Under Derek's oppressive stare, he finally caved.
"You really do understand this stuff… I admit defeat." He sighed. "This purple Module is cheap—510,000. But its performance is still decent."
"Spare me the excuses."
Derek leaned back, shaking his leg like he owned the place. "If you want to talk investment or partnership, bring real sincerity. Keep trying to cheap out on me, and I'll kick you right out. One shout from me in Jiangcheng City, and Module shops will line up to sponsor me."
The shopkeeper clenched his teeth. He knew Derek wasn't bluffing.
If Derek endorsed another shop's Modules, the moment someone asked which Modules the Knox Rally champion used, the herd mentality alone would funnel all customers to that shop.
His business would be finished.
"Since Mr. Su has such sharp eyes, I'll be honest."
Heart aching, the shopkeeper pulled out another Module—this one glowing even brighter, flooding the cabin with purple light.
"Purple-grade Steering Module—[Ice Breath Waterfall]. Please take a look, Mr. Su!"
...