After overtaking Contestant No. 2,
Derek Su and Stella went on to pass Contestant No. 1 at around the two-thirds mark of the Echo Valley course.
Despite starting a full minute later than Contestant No. 1, this kind of curve-heavy track actually favored Derek Su and Stella. His cornering ability was simply far beyond that of racers in this world.
They completed the entire Echo Valley training race in 72 minutes and 14 seconds.
When Derek Su and Stella exited the track, the finish-line staff were still eating lunch. The instant they saw the two of them, the instant noodles in their mouths sprayed everywhere.
"Good heavens!"
"Y-you're already done?!"
The person in charge of the Echo Valley track—the owner and event organizer—hurried over, his face completely blank with shock.
He had hosted countless events at Echo Valley. The fastest Mecha Girl and driver he'd ever seen finished in about 75 minutes—and that had been a major club racer deliberately coming to flex, who even left without taking the prize money.
And now someone even more outrageous had shown up.
Seventy-two minutes and fourteen seconds? Was that a joke?!
Among competitors who usually needed 80, even 85 minutes to finish, this result stood head and shoulders above the rest.
"All done!" Stella stretched lazily, grinning. "Boss, you built a great track. It's exciting to run, and it's really well maintained!"
As she spoke, she somehow pulled out a pineapple, cracked it open against her forehead with a smack, scooped out a small chunk, and handed it to the owner.
"Since you worked so hard on the track, Stella will share her favorite pineapple with you. No need to be polite~"
The owner accepted it in a daze and, under Stella's expectant gaze, popped it into his mouth.
…Surprisingly, it was pretty sweet.
"Boss, how do we get to the spectator area?" Derek Su asked, glancing around. He didn't see any cable cars.
"You're still going to the spectator area? You're not waiting for the awards?" the owner asked blankly.
"The awards aren't urgent…" Derek Su shrugged. "We finished so fast specifically so we could go watch the other Mecha Girls race."
"Yeah, yeah! I've run my wheels crooked already!"
Stella puffed out her cheeks and rotated her ankles.
She couldn't wait to see Lingwind's performance.
The owner fell silent.
Running that fast… just to watch other Mecha Girls race?
That reason was truly…
"Forget it. I'll take you to the stands."
He no longer knew what to say. In the end, all his thoughts turned into a single sigh.
He really couldn't understand the world of monsters.
...
Before the race, Derek Su had asked Zane in advance to save seats for him and Stella.
Zane hadn't understood at first, but when he saw Derek Su driving Stella through the final set of extremely difficult consecutive hairpins at an unbelievable speed, he finally got it.
Xavier Young and Lumina, who were seated ahead, had already seen Derek Su and Stella corner before. Even so, when Derek Su walked over with Stella, they still couldn't help looking at them as if they were staring at a monster.
"Lumina, eat pineapple!"
Stella lifted a slice of pineapple to Lumina's lips. Lumina's pretty face flushed slightly as she instinctively opened her mouth and accepted it. The two girls exchanged a glance. Lumina shyly said, "Thank you," while Stella giggled, her face filled with the satisfied smile of a successful feeding.
Ah~
If only she could turn all her friends in this world into pineapple.
She sneaked a glance at Derek Su.
Too bad Master only ever eats a tiny bit each time.
This transformation would have to start with Master—there was still a long way to go.
"How many Mecha Girls have gone by already?" Derek Su asked Xavier Young.
"Number 14," Xavier Young replied. "Lingwind should be coming up soon."
Most competitors couldn't escape the limitations of their starting positions. A 30-second gap was more than enough to stretch the field. Starting from third and overtaking two cars to take first—today, there was probably only one example of that: Derek Su–Stella.
…
Meanwhile, on the Echo Valley track.
Broken Moon swore that since her birth, she had never felt as anxious as she did today.
Ever since the race began, she had checked the rearview mirror again and again.
She was terrified of seeing that persistent shadow appear once more.
Lingwind—this Autonomous Mecha Girl—seemed completely reborn. Even without a driver's assistance, she had broken through the 30-second starting gap and was clinging tightly to their rear. No matter how they tried to shake her off, they couldn't.
Every time they entered a corner, the howl of Lingwind's engine rapidly closed in.
And every time she heard it, Broken Moon's heart pounded violently.
"Did we shake her off?" Hansen wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and asked nervously.
Lingwind was already pushing him toward a mental breakdown.
This Echo Valley training race should have been an easy win. But starting from the seventh corner, Lingwind's engine sound had begun appearing behind them. With each successive turn, her silhouette would ghost into view in the rearview mirror, disappearing only on straightaways.
They blasted through another corner.
Broken Moon gasped. "We should've shaken her off…"
VROOOOM—!
As if responding to her words, Lingwind's engine roared closer once again. Exiting the corner, her body appeared just off Broken Moon's rear flank, watching like a predator.
"Damn it!"
Hansen slammed his fist down on the control lever.
Up front, Broken Moon let out a muffled grunt, her whole body trembling in pain.
She clenched her teeth, venting all her anger onto Lingwind and Zane, cursing Zane's ancestors eighteen generations back in her mind.
What was going on with Lingwind?
How could she be this strong without a driver?
What exactly had Zane done to her?
Broken Moon had far too many questions, but no time to think. All she wanted now was to widen the gap between herself and Lingwind. Judging by total race time, Lingwind—who had started 30 seconds later—was already ahead of them.
What Broken Moon and Hansen didn't know was this:
Lingwind, drafting behind them, had even greater ambitions.
…
I want to overtake her!
No—not yet…
"Stella's Master said: endure hardship for the sake of future victory!"
Lingwind's sharp gaze locked onto Broken Moon ahead.
She'd actually had a chance to pass at the previous corner.
But that would've been disadvantageous. Derek Su had taught her to endure. When your raw speed is inferior, you must learn to draft, use the slipstream to raise your own speed, and minimize the gap on the straights.
[The real point to surpass Broken Moon is the final triple hairpin. Before that, even if you have a chance, you must endure!]
Derek Su's voice still echoed in her ears.
"Endure."
Lingwind lowered her head slightly. Her flaxen bangs shadowed those sharp eyes, as if concealing her edge. She recalled Derek Su's words:
"So-called endurance is for the sake of final victory."
Buzz—buzz—buzz—!
Two Mecha Girls tore down the track, one in front, one behind.
The finish line was now close.
They blasted down a long straight, approaching the final high-difficulty corner.
The chance had come.
Huff—!
Lingwind took a deep breath.
The rain had stopped. Thin sunlight filtered through the clouds, gilding the road ahead. The roar of the engines drowned out all stray thoughts.
She lifted her eyes.
There was no longer Broken Moon in her vision.
Only the corner.
That narrow triple hairpin—could she really get through it on her own? Even fully prepared, doubt still crept into Lingwind's heart.
"Lingwind, you can do it! Fighting!!"
It was Stella's voice.
At extreme speed, with people and scenery blurred into indistinct streaks, Lingwind's peripheral vision still clearly found Stella. She was waving at her, smiling with pure encouragement.
Beside her stood that man, arms crossed, gaze steady.
Ah…
Just being watched by them made her heart feel like it was burning.
[Find this feeling…]
Following behind Broken Moon, Lingwind calmly cut into the corner.
[I want you to feel like you're going home the moment you enter this turn!]
The man's voice echoed in her mind.
Light and shadow shifted across the track ahead.
It was no longer that absurdly steep triple hairpin with no guardrails—it had become the abandoned dock training course, ringed by traffic cones.
"Home…"
Lingwind drifted cleanly through the first hairpin.
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught the stunned expressions on Broken Moon and Hansen's faces.
With her absolute advantage in cornering speed, she completed the overtake effortlessly at the first hairpin, then flowed precisely through the second…
…and the third hairpin!
The beautiful arc of her tail slide perfectly overlapped with the countless hours of training she'd put in at the dock—no deviation at all.
A thunderous roar erupted from the spectator stands.
"Master… did you see that…"
A sudden urge to cry surged up inside her.
…
The instant she exited the corner, the clouds parted.
Lingwind burst out of the shadows, a beam of sunlight gently falling upon her—
Escorting her all the way to the finish line.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser