The moment Derek Su saw this Module, he knew it was unusual. And once the attributes appeared, he could no longer suppress the greed rising in his chest.
[Cornering: +15]
[Acceleration: -4]
[Impact Resistance: -4]
[Stability: -4]
[Endurance: -1]
A net attribute change of +2 wasn't anything spectacular.
But everything about the distribution was perfect—the positive stat was generously poured into cornering, and the negative stats were evenly spread out, all within a range he could accept.
The instant Stella saw the Module, goosebumps erupted across her skin.
Top-tier Mecha Girls have a special intuition for Modules.
She could feel that installing this thing on her would let her take off on the spot!
Stella hooked her tiny foot around Derek Su's ankle. On the surface she remained still, but her eyes were firing desperate signals.
[Master!! This Module is incredible!!!]
Derek Su was speechless.
The Module shop owner had been doing this for years—he wasn't stupid.
Did Stella really think those frantic glances would go unnoticed?
"Mr. Su, looks like your Mecha Girl is very interested in this Module~" The owner narrowed his eyes with a sly grin.
Stella instantly grabbed two pineapples and held them up to cover her face.
Humans were terrifying!
Was she really that obvious?!
Derek Su didn't bother with mind games. "The Module is good. I want it. State your terms."
The chubby owner hesitated, rubbing his fingers together thoughtfully. Then he raised a brow. "I'd like your Mecha Girl to display my Module Shop's name on her chassis."
"No." Derek Su pressed down on the Module, refusing instantly.
"What about the rear window? That would also wor—"
"No!"
Putting flashy ads on his adorable Mecha Girl? Absolutely not.
"Th-then what should we do?" The chubby owner asked helplessly.
He wanted to pull the Module back, but Derek Su was holding it firmly. Meanwhile, Stella pressed her small hand against the table—fine crackling sounds followed as hairline fractures spread across the solid wood surface.
If he dared to touch that Module, would he walk out intact? Or in neatly packaged pieces?
"I'll give you a few choices. Pick one." Derek Su's tone turned icy. "The wheels, the license plate, or you can make a badge with your Module shop's logo for Stella and me to wear on our chests. Races always show close-ups of pilots and Mecha Girls. That'll put your shop name right on camera. A win-win."
"Mhm! Mhm!" Stella nodded with importance, raising a pineapple. "Or you can print it on this pineapple—I'll carry it onto the track!"
The shop owner: "…"
After much internal suffering, the Fat Boss finally chose to make custom badges for Derek Su and Stella printed with the [Good Again Module Shop] logo. He also agreed to cover all the costs for painting Stella's wheels and replacing her tires from now on.
It looked like he was losing a lot—and truthfully, he was. The payoff would only come if he survived long enough to see it.
Such outrageous terms had never appeared in the history of Module trading.
"At the very least, he's Jiangcheng City's first Knox Rally champion. As a local, I should support him."
That was the final reasoning that broke the Fat Boss's spirit.
...
"Master, this Module is AMAZING!!"
The moment the Fat Boss stepped out, Stella burst into pure, unrestrained joy.
She immediately turned around, her long, flexible fingers hooking into her zipper as she pulled it down to her lower back. Smooth, snow-white shoulders and soft skin slipped into view. Derek Su had seen this once already—he thought he'd built immunity—but he still sucked in a sharp breath. With the morning light streaming in through the window, gliding down her S-shaped waistline, her already pale skin seemed to glow with a soft halo.
A warmth rose in Derek Su's nose—he felt something surging out. He quickly fumbled for tissues and stuffed them in.
Meanwhile, Stella reached behind her waist, removed the old [Hurricane] Module, and placed it on the table.
"Master! Install the new Module for me! I can't do it myself!!"
She turned and held out the [Ice Breath Waterfall] toward him, completely unguarded.
At that instant, a wave of heat shot to Derek Su's head. For a moment, he felt like he'd ascended into heaven, seeing the old orphanage matron from his past life waving to him from the clouds.
"Oh no, I'm doomed!" Stella quickly covered her chest and stuck out her tongue. "I forgot Master instantly goes into emergency shock whenever he sees a Mecha Girl's body… such a noob pilot…"
She shoved the [Ice Breath Waterfall] into his hands and hurriedly turned away.
The heavenly vision disappeared. The orphanage grandma vanished. And finally, Derek Su snapped back to reality.
The tissue had fallen from his nose, along with a few drops of blood.
"Master, right here!"
Stella stood with her hands behind her back, slightly tilting her head, cheeks flushed, long lashes fluttering.
Her silver-white hair cascaded down her shoulders as her fingers framed a square-shaped area at her lower back.
"Just put it right here~"
Derek Su swallowed hard and mechanically stepped forward to install the new Module.
He had calmed down frighteningly fast—and even took the opportunity to allocate the MP points from winning the Knox Rally.
Without modules, Stella's drifting and cornering stats sat at 25 and 34.
He didn't dump everything into cornering; instead, he assigned 16 points to cornering and 14 to drifting. Combining that with the bonuses from [Ice Breath Waterfall], Stella's stats changed drastically:
[Drifting: 39]
[Acceleration: 86]
[Cornering: 65]
[Boost: 90]
[Stability: 71]
[Impact Resistance: 76]
[Endurance: 84]
Still a bit unbalanced, but now nearly on par with the XC-76—and far beyond Jade-786.
If Jade-786 didn't install a cornering Module within two days, its autonomous cornering would be nowhere near Stella's.
This race was practically guaranteed. Stella trusted him unconditionally, and thus unconditionally dug pits for him—luckily, he was good at climbing out of them.
Seeing Stella zip up her suit with ease, Derek Su finally exhaled. He was young and full of energy, sure—but this was too much for any man.
"Stella, a small suggestion: don't suddenly unzip your racing suit like that. At least give me a warning so I can prepare myself."
"Why?" Stella turned with hands on hips, her face serious. "Master, didn't you say something before? Have you forgotten?"
"What did I say?"
"If you're weak, you need to practice more!"
Derek Su: "…"
...
After a simple breakfast, Derek Su took Stella to a nearby Module Shop to replace her tires. He bought a bottle of high-energy nutrient solution to refill her Endurance, then drove her out of Jiangcheng City toward the neighboring Tianyuan City.
Following the address Mr. Liang provided, they arrived at No. 178 Haitang Street. A dilapidated shop stood before them, its rolling shutter closed and sealed with an official notice.
The entire street was dead silent, with only a few pedestrians wandering around.
"Master, this is Haitang Street?" Stella looked around blankly. "I thought both sides would be lined with blooming hibiscus flowers…"
Derek Su's mouth twitched. "So, by your logic, the nearby Paradise Road must be crawling with wandering ghosts?"
"Uuugh… I'm scared of ghosts! Master, don't talk about them!"
Derek Su laughed and shook his head.
He remembered the time Stella had watched a horror short and screamed like a banshee.
The shop door was sealed. Had Mr. Liang's friend already left? Or had Mr. Liang mixed up the address?
Derek Su suspected the former. Knowing Mr. Liang's meticulous nature, he would never get an address wrong—he might even come check personally.
A small convenience store across the street was open.
Derek Su led Stella inside.
A middle-aged woman sat at the counter, engrossed in a drama on her phone.
"Excuse me, ma'am—"
"Hah? Ma'am? Your whole family's ma'ams!" She shot him a glare.
"Ahem, miss." Derek instantly corrected himself. He pointed toward the shop across the street. "Do you know where the owner of that shop went?"
"You're looking for Zane "Old Debt" Larkin?"
The woman eyed him suspiciously. "What's your relationship with that old deadbeat?"
"Um… we're friends."
Hearing that nickname, Derek Su already sensed bad news.
"Then my advice is to leave fast. Old Deadbeat racked up debt gambling on underground Mecha Girl fights. The black market took him. Anyone connected to him won't be treated kindly."
Black market?
Derek Su frowned.
He didn't know much about Tianyuan City, but one thing was clear—the black market wasn't somewhere respectable people went.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser