"Later, Liang tried every possible channel to demand justice, but it was meaningless. Let me tell you—even if there was solid proof that the Techmaster did it on purpose, it wouldn't change anything. Techmasters have privileges. They're protected by the rules of the upper class!"
Zane clenched his fists, anger burning in his eyes.
"Back then, in less than a month, Liang aged ten years. Can you believe that? He had already cleared every national advanced circuit and was preparing for the Death's Breath: Grivin Desert Circuit. Among all the qualified competitors for that national event, he was the only ordinary human!
To fight his way through as an ordinary human and reach the national stage—just how talented and hardworking were he and his Mecha Girl?
But even someone like him still couldn't gain the officials' attention. His talent and hard work were nothing in the eyes of a Techmaster."
Derek Su fell silent, as if a heavy stone was pressing down on his chest, choking him.
He didn't dare imagine what Mr Liang had endured back then. Just hearing Zane's account made the suffocating despair feel overwhelming.
"Grandpa Liang was so pitiful…"
Stella recalled all her moments with Mr Liang, and big tears rolled down her face.
Although he hadn't liked her at first, he had always treated her well afterward—he knew she loved fish heads and would always insist they had "no nutritional value" just so she could have them.
"Liang gave up the national competition to avenge his son. He spent three months mapping out that Techmaster's home and routine, preparing high-yield explosives. With multiple Mecha Girls protecting the Techmaster, killing him directly was nearly impossible—so this was the only way to send him and his Mecha Girls straight to the sky!"
"…Did Mr Liang… succeed?" Derek Su asked nervously.
"The bomb was planted in a roadside trash can. It was midnight, right when the target was driving back from a nightclub. When he approached with his Mecha Girl, the bomb detonated perfectly."
Regret clouded Zane's eyes. "But the target got an early warning. With his displacement ability, he casually swapped positions with a nearby car. Both he and his Mecha Girl were completely unharmed."
"Early warning? From his Mecha Girl?"
"No. It came from Liang's secondary Mecha Girl—she only had a Mind-Imprint Contract with him."
Derek Su was stunned. He never expected that Mr Liang's final revenge plan would be destroyed by his own Mecha Girl.
"That secondary Mecha Girl wanted to use the chance to climb into the Techmaster's good graces. Meanwhile, Liang's primary Mecha Girl, Crimson, realized the Techmaster wasn't dead. Ignoring Liang's attempt to stop her, she bolted out of hiding.
She knew he was protected by Mecha Girls—Mecha Girl against Mecha Girl, and especially one against three, she had no chance. She rushed out solely to take the blame for Liang."
Derek Su had seen mecha betrayal before. Beyond Jade-786's repeated betrayals of him and Kyle Zhang, Zane himself was standing proof.
He had also witnessed, after the Knox Rally ended, a Mecha Girl throwing the penalty fee at her driver before storming off.
Back when Stella told him that Mecha Girls with Mind-Imprint Contracts could switch drivers, and only Core Contracts meant true commitment, he hadn't taken it seriously. His past-life instincts still lingered—he couldn't imagine buying a "car" that could choose not to acknowledge its owner.
Only throughout this journey did he truly understand the relationship between driver and Mecha Girl. No one belonged to anyone. Only goals and interests mattered.
When a Mecha Girl thought her driver unworthy, she'd walk away even while throwing money. And when a driver thought his Mecha Girl wasn't good enough, he could abandon her just as easily.
This world was cruel—survival of the fittest.
And yet Stella had entrusted everything to him with absolute faith.
The Core Contract was inherently unequal, because it never restricted a driver to a single Mecha Girl.
If a Mecha Girl chose the wrong driver for a Core Contract, she risked being shelved or even sent to the Recycling Yard.
For a Mecha Girl, signing a Core Contract required immense trust and the courage to gamble her entire future.
Among the Mecha Girls Derek Su had heard of—like Comet from VVC Club or Absolute Shadow from SSC—none had signed a Core Contract with their drivers.
No matter how close they looked, the relationship was still just partnership.
"You can probably guess what happened next."
Zane's voice was flat. "Crimson was charged with attempted murder of a Techmaster and sentenced to the Recycling Yard. Liang was labeled an accomplice. He got a lighter sentence, but still seven or eight years. He lost his son, lost his Mecha Girl, and was consumed by vengeance. Of course he refused to accept it. He hid himself and went on the run. He's probably been caught already. This time, he'll get life, at the very least."
"And Mr Liang's wife?" Derek Su recalled the gentle smile of the woman in the photo.
"She passed away from illness years ago. Her last wish was simply for Liang and his son to be safe."
"…I'm sorry."
That final wish had become nothing more than a dream.
Derek Su lowered his head, staring at the photo in his hand.
Under the helmet, Mr Liang was in his prime—standing shoulder to shoulder with a teenage boy, both flashing peace signs. His wife stood beside them, smiling softly, eyes filled with love.
What a beautiful family.
A family completely destroyed by a Techmaster.
"Honestly, maybe it's better that Liang got caught."
Zane suddenly sighed, breaking the silence with a bitter smile. "In a way, the only reason he even managed to escape back then was because that Techmaster allowed it. Every time they were close to catching him, the trail would suddenly go cold."
"Why?" Derek Su frowned.
From a Techmaster's perspective, wouldn't capturing Mr Liang be to his advantage?
"Kid, ever seen a cat play with a mouse?"
Zane lowered his gaze. "Before killing the mouse, the cat enjoys toying with it—watching it struggle and suffer in its paws. The Techmaster is the cat. Liang is the mouse. The cat could catch him anytime, but the mouse could only live a miserable life in the sewers.
Now that Liang is in a mousetrap, he's lost his freedom—but the cat can only stare at him from the outside."
Just imagining it sent chills through Derek Su.
Legally, this world favored Techmasters absolutely.
In reality, their privileges were probably only the tip of the iceberg.
Mr Liang was most likely in prison now. No wonder they said "food and lodging included"—it really was a forced retirement…
Derek Su couldn't help but share Zane's bitter smile.
But Mr Liang was his savior. He couldn't just leave him there, spending the rest of his life behind bars.
His revenge hadn't been settled. How painful must those nights be, lying under that cold prison ceiling, remembering everything?
"So that Techmaster just gets to walk free?"
Derek Su looked up, cold light flickering in his eyes. "Is there any way to bring him to justice?"
"There is."
Zane met Derek Su's gaze and spoke each word clearly: "Become a Techmaster yourself."
"I will become a Techmaster." Derek Su said, unwavering.
"Heh. You think wanting it is enough? If it were that easy, everyone would be a Techmaster."
Zane rolled his eyes, arms crossed, blunt as ever.
Derek Su gritted his teeth. He'd heard how difficult it was to become a Techmaster—something only luck and fate decided.
But even if he couldn't, he would still climb to the very top with Stella, step on those Techmasters' heads, and stand at the peak of this world's racing scene!
If he became an "Emperor," surely he could exercise life-and-death authority, right?!
Zane glanced at Derek Su from the corner of his eye.
Liang's family photo was the most precious thing he owned, yet he entrusted it to this young man. That meant he trusted him deeply.
So…
"Kid, you really want to become a Techmaster?"
"I do!" Derek Su answered without hesitation.
Zane sat cross-legged, his greying curls half-covering his face, an unshaven grin spreading—half mysterious, half sleazy.
"Heh heh~ Maybe I can raise your chances of becoming a Techmaster!"
"But you'll have to figure out how to get me out of here~"
...
Happy New Year to all my readers!
Wishing you good health, peace of mind, and a year filled with positive energy and strength.