On the first section of the Panlong Mountain Circuit, Lucy Luo and Eternity-01 left the last racer behind.
From that moment on, they were the pair running at the very front of the entire Panlong Mountain Circuit.
By now, almost all uncertainty on the track had been eliminated.
The only remaining factors that could affect Eternity were unpredictable ones, such as collisions in corners, changes in weather, or obstacles caused by falling rocks. Those were the final challenges Lucy Luo and Eternity-01 still had to face.
Panlong Mountain was not Mermaid Bay.
There was no guarantee the track would stay perfectly clear.
"Eternity, activate your skill."
Lucy Luo's expression turned serious.
This final stretch was their chance to open a decisive gap over the other racers.
There was no reason to hold anything back now.
The Path of Glory unfolded before Eternity-01, and a golden gate appeared. Carrying Lucy Luo with her, Eternity-01 entered the gate and accelerated to an astonishing speed.
At the same time, the Path of Glory appeared throughout the entire first section of the track.
Derek Su and Stella saw it, and so did Elton Chen and Swain Li farther behind, who were still chasing each other and trading slipstreams.
Because of the unusual nature of Shay Guang's skill, Silver Mirror and Shay Guang had become locked in a fierce battle.
Whenever Shay Guang pulled ahead, Silver Mirror stole her speed.
Whenever Silver Mirror took the lead, Shay Guang turned around and stole hers instead.
The two Mecha Girls kept stealing from each other, yet somehow neither had slowed down much.
Only Miles Wang and Hurricane were being thoroughly suppressed, with no hope of breaking free.
...
The battle on the first section of the Panlong Mountain Circuit had reached its fiercest point.
The drivers' positions in the speed rankings had almost completely stabilized.
Looking at the standings on the screen, Kool Kenny sighed.
"Ladies and gentlemen, Lucy Luo and her Mecha Girl Eternity-01 have activated their special skill. Anyone who watched the Mermaid Bay Advanced Race should already know just how absurdly powerful this skill is. It can raise Eternity-01's speed to an unimaginable level, and so far, there appears to be no limit to how long it can remain active.
"Meanwhile, our most popular racer, The Magician, and his Mecha Girl Stella have fought their way through obstacle after obstacle and firmly secured second place. Unfortunately, it may be difficult for them to challenge first, because Stella-99 does not appear to be a top-tier Mecha Girl. Her speed is terrifying, but if she isn't top-tier, competing with Eternity-01 will ultimately be extremely difficult.
"Still, the first section isn't over yet.
"We'll have to wait and see how it ends."
Click.
Derek Su switched off the in-car radio.
He stared at the Path of Glory covering the track and pursed his lips.
What had to come had finally arrived.
The ultimate challenge of the first section of Panlong Mountain.
"Stella, you haven't used your special skill before, have you?"
"I have. But my engine blew."
Stella sounded a little dejected.
She could feel the pressure coming from the Path of Glory as well.
Even so, she stubbornly said, "Master, I feel like my engine won't blow this time. I won't lose to Eternity-01."
"Yeah."
A smile appeared on Derek Su's lips.
"You're right, Stella.
"In my eyes, you're the true king of straight-line acceleration!"
Derek Su's words immediately lifted Stella's spirits. She stared at the track ahead, her breathing trembling slightly.
She had endured countless doubts throughout her life.
They had followed her from the moment she was born.
A killer race car. A useless machine that couldn't turn.
Even after her Cornering performance gradually improved, even after she was no longer the worthless machine people mocked as a "killer Mecha Girl," one thing had always bothered her deep down.
She couldn't use her special skill.
She envied Imperial Scale.
She even envied Purple Lightning.
Because Imperial Scale and Purple Lightning were true top-tier Mecha Girls.
But what about her?
Her title of "top-tier Mecha Girl" felt more like a cruel joke.
"It's time to show everyone what you look like at your absolute best."
Those who looked down on her.
Those who thought all she could do was accelerate in a straight line.
Those who believed she had no special skill, or that even if she did, it was useless.
Derek Su smiled faintly.
And silently added one more thing in his heart.
They were also about to see the Track Emperor at his peak.
The King of the Track, capable of performing extreme maneuvers even at terrifying speeds.
"Sovereign Engine, activate!"
"Yes!"
Stella nodded, blazing light filling her eyes.
"Sovereign Engine... activate!!"
ROAR—!
The engine erupted with a deep, powerful roar like rolling thunder.
It sounded like thousands of troops charging at once, while every inch of the surrounding air seemed to tremble beneath an invisible pressure.
Light.
Endless light engulfed Stella's body.
Her vehicle body seemed to be remade at that very moment, her silver finish flowing like a river of stars.
Even her originally black rubber tires were flooded with radiance. Electric arcs collided with flames inside the wheels before bursting outward.
Her rear wing tore through the air, trails of fire streaming from its edges.
Four additional exhaust pipes extended beneath her, bringing the total to eight. All eight spewed silver light, leaving scorched marks wherever Stella passed.
Ghostly blue flames continued burning along those trails.
They looked nothing like ordinary fire.
They resembled sparks that had fallen from the stars themselves.
On Stella's dashboard, her speed broke through 600 and continued climbing toward 700.
The brutal force pressing Derek Su back into his seat made him feel less like he was driving a car and more like he was piloting a rocket.
Even he struggled to adjust to the instantaneous acceleration produced by the Sovereign Engine.
He quickly glanced at Stella's stats.
Her Acceleration had risen to 148.5.
Her Boost Charge had reached an astonishing 180.
Derek Su still couldn't fully grasp what a Boost Charge of 180 actually meant.
But since the stat was specifically mentioned in the Sovereign Engine's skill description, it clearly held some extraordinary significance for Stella.
The instant Stella activated her special skill, the spectators in the stands were stunned.
Even Kool Kenny froze.
Only the Mecha Girls from Stella Club remained perfectly calm.
Kool Kenny's professionalism quickly kicked in. He recovered, gripped the microphone, and shouted excitedly.
"Ladies and gentlemen! We have an unexpected development! The battle for the first section is not over yet! Fan favorite The Magician and his Mecha Girl Stella have activated a special skill!
"You heard that correctly!
"Stella is a top-tier Mecha Girl!!"
Stella was a top-tier Mecha Girl?!
Chloe Qin, who was about to take a helicopter to the mountaintop to prepare for her race, nearly fell straight out of it.
She stared at the screen, teeth clenched, watching the silver phantom race so fast that even the camera could barely keep up.
Derek Su had hidden this well!
He had entered so many races with Stella, yet she had never activated her special skill even once.
Chloe Qin was panicking now.
If Stella could use her special skill, the pressure on her during the second section would become even greater.
Among everyone in the stands, aside from the Stella Club members who already knew Stella inside and out, only Caio Yang and Comet showed no surprise.
Both of them already knew Stella had a special skill.
The problem was that using it usually caused her engine to blow.
That was a common flaw among XC-model Mecha Girls.
Those with skills, like Comet, were also prone to blowing their engines.
Those without skills generally suffered from poor handling.
"What a shame. The one ahead of them is a monster."
Caio Yang watched Stella on the screen and shook his head with a sigh.
Lucy Luo and Eternity-01.
In a race without Techmasters, that combination was practically unbeatable.
Lucy Luo was also extremely cautious. She had waited until every unpredictable factor was behind them before allowing Eternity-01 to activate her skill.
"Stella, you can do it!"
Comet suddenly shouted beside him, raising a fist as her eyes burned with excitement.
Caio Yang stared at her in confusion.
"Weren't you the one who couldn't stand Stella?"
"You don't know anything."
Comet rolled her eyes at Caio Yang.
"Being annoyed with Stella is just an elder being frustrated because a junior isn't living up to her potential. But our opponent now is the YH series, which is also famous for speed. Against them, we need to stand together!"
Caio Yang was speechless.
He muttered, "Even if you stand together, Stella still probably can't beat Eternity."
Comet immediately turned and viciously pinched Caio Yang's cheek.
"Shut up!"
...
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