At that moment, Lumina was also watching Derek Su and Stella at the finish line. Her gaze slowly drifted back toward the steel frame bridge, the light in her eyes growing firmer. But just as she tried to take a step forward, her body tilted uncontrollably to the side, falling straight into Xavier Young's arms.
"Lumina, you… you can stand up?"
Xavier Young stuttered—he was truly overjoyed.
His hands trembled as he held her steady.
"Yes… but I still can't walk…"
Lumina frowned and tried to move, only to realize her legs were still weak and powerless.
"This is good. As long as there's hope for recovery."
Xavier Young quickly helped her sit in the wheelchair, discreetly wiping away the tears at the corner of his eye.
His judgment had been right.
Watching Mecha Girls perform flying jumps really did help Lumina confront the fear lodged deep in her heart.
But the Greenfield Advancement Race only opened once every six months. And outside of that, no Mecha Girl would randomly practice jump launches along the riverbank. So he had been building steel bridges himself, inviting black-market racers and Mecha Girls to test the jump. But even then, he couldn't make it a permanent event in every underground race—it could only appear occasionally.
Besides, most underground racers and Mecha Girls were heavily modified. Their jumps lacked meaning for Lumina. She had watched them several times, and although their mod-boosted jumps were impactful, none of them compared to what Derek Su and Stella had just done—clearing the challenge completely unmodified.
After all, it recreated the same decision he and Lumina had faced in the final stretch of the Greenfield Advancement Race—the 150-meter airborne zone. And now, Lumina finally understood: that 150-meter span wasn't a nightmare.
It was a challenge that could be conquered.
...
The glider-wing Mecha Girl arrived at the finish line as well.
They secured second place. No one else—neither driver nor Mecha Girl—managed to reach third. Back then, the airborne zone between Xavier Young's steel bridges had been only fifty meters; later, he expanded it to one hundred. Even that distance was nearly impossible for most Mecha Girls.
But 150 meters?
To underground racers, it was practically a death sentence.
Just look at the wrecks below the airborne zone.
Every Mecha Girl and racer was covered in dirt and scraped up.
Fortunately, the bridge wasn't very high; otherwise, they'd have needed several ambulances today.
"Master, it felt like a knife flew right over my head just now," said Kenzie—the glider-wing Mecha Girl—following her driver off the track with lingering fear. "But at least we got second place. That prize money is pretty good~"
She playfully stuck out her tongue—but her master was staring at the top of her head with a strange expression.
"Kenzie, you…"
Confused, she scratched her head—and came away holding a full clump of scorched hair.
Her eyes widened, pupils trembling, and she shrieked:
"My—my hair!!"
"Kenzie… your hair's burned…"
The racer sighed helplessly.
"When that Mecha Girl flew over us, her super-heated tires scraped the top of your roof."
"Waaaaah! My hair! I'm ugly now—I'm bald!"
If she hadn't rubbed her head, she would've been fine—but once she did, the entire patch on top fell right off, leaving her with a shiny bald spot.
Even then, the racer didn't dare look for trouble with Derek Su or Stella.
Racing was a battlefield—they were already lucky not to be used as launchpads.
He felt only admiration and envy for Derek Su.
Admiration for his ridiculous skill.
Envy for having such a high-performance Mecha Girl.
Still, envy aside, he would never despise his own Mecha Girl.
"It's okay, Kenzie. It'll grow back in a week."
He patted her shiny head gently. "Once we get our prize money, I'll buy you a wig and some high-energy nutrients. It'll grow back fast~"
"Wuuu… (╥╯﹏╰╥)ง"
...
In the crowd, a hooded Mecha Girl silently turned away.
As she slipped out of the audience, the light in her eyes slowly dimmed.
"Can I really cross a hover zone like that on my own?"
Purple Lightning moistened her dry lips.
That Mecha Girl was truly fortunate.
They said she was born with a defect in her turning system, yet found a master who never abandoned her—someone willing to grow alongside her.
But her own master?
A glamorous woman appeared in Purple Lightning's cyberbrain—
The current ace of BSC (Blitz Speed Club).
That woman had once chosen her before any talent had emerged. But at the peak of her career, she cast Purple Lightning aside, calling her dead weight—not even allowing her to compete as a secondary Mecha Girl.
"I don't need a pilot!"
Purple Lightning shook her head, her gaze turning cold.
"Humans are hypocrites. A genius like that man—he'll abandon that Mecha Girl sooner or later. No genius pilot would accept a defective Mecha Girl. There are no exceptions."
Her thoughts stiffened her resolve.
She walked along the corridor wall until her figure vanished into the darkness at the end.
...
"Mr. Xavier, was that jump impressive enough?"
Derek Su and Stella stood before Xavier Young. They could clearly feel his attitude toward them becoming much warmer. Next to him, Lumina wore a serene smile.
It was the first time Derek Su and Stella had ever seen her smile.
Until now, she had always looked hollow and melancholic.
"Impressive! More than impressive!" Xavier Young gave them a big thumbs-up and ordered his staff to bring the prize money.
Originally, the top three prizes were 1.1 million, 300,000, and 100,000.
But since no one took third place, the first and third prizes both went to Derek Su.
A case was placed in front of him—filled with a total of 1.2 million.
"Whoa—woooah~ We struck gold! We struck gold!"
Stella grabbed stacks of cash with both hands, her sapphire eyes sparkling.
"Derek Su, that was the most flawless jump Lumina and I have ever seen!"
Xavier Young exclaimed. "Especially that final cornering—the mid-air setup… it was absolutely beautiful!"
He scratched his head awkwardly.
"There's something I'd like to ask of you… Could you show Lumina more flying jump footage before the Greenfield Advancement Race starts? I know it's tough on Stella's tires… but don't worry, I'll cover all nutrient solutions and tire expenses. And I'll pay you 20,000 for every jump you complete."
"Master!"
Stella tugged on Derek Su's sleeve, raising ten fingers with absolute seriousness.
"I can do a hundred jumps a day! I'm not afraid of pain! Not afraid of exhaustion! I'm hardworking, durable, and Impact Resistance certified!"
Derek Su & Xavier Young: "…"
"Um… actually, one jump a day is enough. Anything more and Lumina can't handle it."
Xavier Young looked extremely embarrassed.
If they followed Stella's plan, his club and the black market would have to shut down by the end of the week.
"Lumina, I believe in you—you can handle it, right?"
Stella grabbed Lumina's hand eagerly, her big eyes shining. "Even if 100 is too much, 50 is fine! Master said watching is also experience—the more you watch, the better your visual memory gets!"
Lumina: "Uh… hehehe…"
Derek Su was speechless.
He had clearly said that practice builds muscle memory.
What the hell was visual muscle memory?
"Mr. Xavier, are you planning to push Lumina to recover so she can compete in the Greenfield Advancement Race?"
"Yes." Xavier Young and Lumina exchanged a look, both seeing the same determination in each other's eyes. "Competing on a provincial-level track has always been our dream. If we stop here for the rest of our lives… our future selves will despise who we are now."
"How long until the Greenfield Advancement Race?"
"Fourteen days. Fourteen and a half, to be exact," Xavier Young replied. "If we miss this one, we'll have to wait another half-year."
"Hmmm…" Derek Su rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Whether Lumina could recover in fourteen days was uncertain.
But Xavier's offer was hard to refuse—free tires, free nutrient solution, plus 20,000 a day.
It meant training while earning money. Why wouldn't he?
However—
"Mr. Xavier, I can agree. But about Zane…"
"I'll release Zane right now!" Xavier Young waved boldly. "He doesn't even need to repay the debt. As long as he stops causing trouble, I won't pursue him."
"No, no, no—you misunderstand."
Derek Su grinned. "That deadbeat still needs to pay his own debt. A bootlicker like him needs to learn some lessons. Right, Stella?"
"Yes, Master. Hehehe~"
Stella's thoughts were now almost perfectly aligned with Derek Su's.
She knew that keeping Zane indebted was a useful way to keep him under control.
Of course her master was brilliant—how could she not adore him~
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser