"Huh???"
Derek Su recognized every word Leon Li said.
But when they were put together, the meaning became oddly hard to process.
"My boss sent me to target you," Leon Li repeated patiently. "To do that, Snowpeak and I have already put together a very detailed plan. Want to hear it?"
Derek Su nodded blankly.
"Here's how it is. Snowpeak and I have already competed in the Greenfield Advancement Race, so we can't enter it again. That means the first chance we'll get to make a move on you and Stella is the Silverstone Advancement Race after Greenfield."
Leon Li gestured as he spoke, even pulling out his phone to show Derek Su and Stella the Silverstone track map.
"Here, and here—these are Silverstone's most difficult corners. Snowpeak and I are planning to squeeze you and Stella off the track at these points… of course, that's assuming we start side by side. I'll do my best to make that happen. If we don't start together, then Snowpeak and I will make sure you two only get second or third place at Silverstone and all the following advancement races. We'll wait until the provincial-level Panlong Mountain Circuit before really taking action!"
Leon Li spoke with utter seriousness. Derek Su listened just as intently, while Stella silently pulled out a pineapple husk, her eyes gleaming with menace.
"I'm just a little curious," Derek Su said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Since you're here to target me, why tell me all of this? Wouldn't it be easier to achieve your goal if you said nothing?"
"Because of fairness," Leon Li replied stiffly. "Techmasters can only compete on tracks after the provincial level. That means all tracks before that are the fairest, and that fairness must be upheld. Besides, Snowpeak and I are your seniors. We have to keep our dignity."
The corner of Derek Su's mouth twitched.
Doesn't your boss ever worry about skinning you alive?
"I'll take this as a formal challenge," Derek Su said solemnly. "Your provocation—I accept. Thanks for the warning, but when it comes to the real race, I won't hold back."
"I'll be waiting for you at the Silverstone Advancement Race." Leon Li nodded, then took Snowpeak by the hand and headed into the hot spring.
Their voices could still be faintly heard.
"Master, I've changed my mind again."
"But didn't we just… this afternoon…"
"Can we? I really want to~"
"No problem. Let's book a private spring."
Glug— (the sound of Six-Ingredient Rehmannia Pills being poured into a mouth)
...
"Master, are those two seriously messed up in the head?!"
Stella stood with her hands on her hips, her face full of indignation.
She had almost lost control and slapped the pineapple husks straight onto Leon Li and Snowpeak's heads.
What did they mean by pushing her and Derek Su off the track? Were they made of steel or something?
"I kind of agree… they might be a little… um…"
Derek Su still hadn't fully recovered from the shock.
He had seen plenty of weird people before, but Leon Li and Snowpeak were on a whole different level.
"Ahem—Mr. Derek Su, that Leon Li is not someone you can underestimate," Xavier Young said, glancing at the two figures that had disappeared into the hot spring shop and lowering his voice. "Leon Li is the rookie ace of Tianyuan City's strongest club—RCC (Royal Crown Club)! His Mecha Girl has extremely strong attributes, and it's said he even has a special skill!"
"That strong?" Derek Su raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah. Think about it—when did you ever offend the Crown Club?"
"I don't even know him," Derek Su shook his head, just as confused. "If you hadn't mentioned it, I wouldn't even know there was an RCC club!"
Xavier Young shook his head, remembering that Derek Su really didn't know much about racing clubs.
"My guess is that your 'King of Knox' reputation has become too prominent, and you haven't joined any club. The Crown Club is putting pressure on you. Some clubs deliberately send people to suppress drivers they're interested in recruiting."
"But wouldn't that just drive people away?"
"No," Xavier Young said with a smile. "It's called showing muscle. Racers and Mecha Girls ultimately want to grow stronger, race on better tracks, and build their reputation. Stronger clubs are naturally attractive. Sometimes getting pushed around a bit actually clears people's heads."
Derek Su curled his lip inward.
How is that any different from being a masochist?
Either way, he had no goodwill toward a club like that.
"No matter what, Stella and I need to be prepared."
Derek Su exchanged a glance with Stella, their gazes gradually sharpening.
Right now, the most important thing was the Greenfield Advancement Race—steady and solid, taking first place.
That would give Stella a full 30 MP points. Added to what they already had, that would be 49 points total. By using those MP points to strengthen Stella's attributes in a targeted way, even if Leon Li and Snowpeak had three heads and six arms, they wouldn't be able to force them into a passive position.
"Greenfield Advancement Race—let's do this!"
"Oh ho! Master, the Pineapple King won't let you down!"
...
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, a week had passed—
"Tomorrow is the Greenfield Advancement Race already~"
"Yeah, time really flies!"
Stella, Lumina, and Lingwind sat facing each other in the courtyard, each holding a cup of iced tea.
In the neighboring courtyard, beneath the parasol tree, Xavier Young, Derek Su, and Zane stood around a sand table displaying the Greenfield Advancement track. Xavier Young carefully explained every segment of the course, while Derek Su and Zane listened attentively, nodding from time to time.
"Stella, even though you and Mr. Derek Su have helped me so much, I won't hold back tomorrow!"
Lumina looked at Stella, gratitude filling her eyes.
Her legs were completely healed now—Xavier Young could even drive her to jump steel frames. She had once thought she would never set foot on a track again.
"Oh ho! Bring it on!" Stella pumped her small fist energetically. "The Pineapple King and the Super Pineapple King aren't pushovers! If this Pineapple King takes first place, you'll all be Pineapple Little Kings from now on!"
When Derek Su was mentioned, Stella instinctively glanced toward the other courtyard.
Derek Su was sitting there with his head slightly lowered, one hand propping up his chin, deep in thought. Under the lights, his face seemed wrapped in a soft glow.
Her cheeks flushed faintly. Feeling a little guilty, she quickly looked away, her heartbeat suddenly speeding up.
Lately, she had been training hard, and Master had been working just as hard. Now, his nightly runs of 20 kilometers were already smooth and stable. Zane had said that once Master could finish 20 kilometers in 80 minutes, they could start adding other training items.
"Let's work hard together!" Lumina stretched out her hand with a smile. "We're all aiming for the top ten!"
"I—I'll work hard to catch up to Stella and Lumina, seniors!"
Lingwind gathered her courage and high-fived Stella and Lumina.
She was far more confident than before. After all, her Acceleration attribute was much lower than both of theirs. And the Greenfield Advancement Race had a track with lots of straight sections—if this had been before, she wouldn't even have dared to speak up.
...
At the same time, at the SSC Club.
"Master, take a break. It's already late, and there's a race tomorrow."
Hurricane brought over a cup of coffee to Miles Wang. Her master had been staring at recordings all day.
"It's precisely because there's a race tomorrow that we have to cram at the last minute!"
Miles Wang repeatedly rewound the footage and slowed it down to 0.25x speed. On the screen was Derek Su and Stella taking a corner.
"We've basically figured out Derek Su's mysterious cornering technique. The only thing left to watch out for is the choice of entry point," he said with a grave expression, biting on his finger. "This kind of thing can only come from training and experience. I really don't know how that kid's brain works—did he start racing back in the womb?"
"Master, the Greenfield Advancement Race doesn't have that many corners…"
"That's why I'm guarding against the Silverstone Advancement Race after it!"
"Sigh~" Hurricane sighed helplessly, lifting a hand to massage Miles Wang's temples as she smiled. "Master really does think of everything~"
"Of course. A genius like me who's also this hardworking—of course the heavens will favor me." Miles Wang took a sip of coffee, confidence written all over his face. "See? You're the gift heaven gave me. With you here, tomorrow's Greenfield Advancement Race will be a walk in the park!"
Hurricane smiled faintly, quietly hiding her achievements.
The Greenfield Advancement Race was practically tailor-made for her. There were very few corners—mostly slopes and straightaways. The slopes tested stability upon landing after jumps, while the straightaways tested acceleration. And acceleration and stability were exactly her strengths. With her competing, the other Mecha Girls would only be there to fill the numbers.
...
At the VVC Club.
Justin Kim swallowed hard as he stared at Cloud Leopard's smooth, flawless, pale pink back.
He took a deep breath and installed the module that Caio Yang had given to him and Cloud Leopard. In the end, he still couldn't resist giving her slender waist a quick squeeze.
"Cloud Leopard, it'd be a real waste not to do some fire cupping on that back."
Cloud Leopard blushed as she put on her racing suit, then turned her head to glare at Justin Kim. "Then Master, it'd also be a shame if you didn't get castrated."
Justin Kim awkwardly hunched over and hurriedly sat down by the bed.
An atmosphere of embarrassment and ambiguity brewed in the room. It was quiet, with only the steadily rising temperature filling the space.
"Um… Master?"
"Huh?"
"My waist… is it nice to touch?"
"Ah… yeah, it's really nice," Justin Kim sniffed, his face burning red.
"If I can make it into the top three in the Greenfield Advancement Race…"
Cloud Leopard paused, her voice squeezed out between clenched teeth, growing softer and softer. "If I make the top three, I'll let you touch… touch anywhere you want~"
"What?!" Justin Kim's eyes widened as he jumped up and leaned closer to her. "Y-you mean it? For real?"
"Mhm." Cloud Leopard buried her flushed face and nodded.
"Th-then…" Justin Kim rubbed his hands together with a lecherous grin. "Then can I touch here?"
Here…?
Cloud Leopard followed his gaze down to her chest.
"…Go die!!!"
Boom!
A powerful over-the-shoulder throw shook the room.
Justin Kim was slammed flat into the floor, spread-eagled.
"No rewards!" Cloud Leopard planted her foot on Justin Kim's head and ground it back and forth, baring her teeth in a vicious grin.
"If you don't make the top three, just wait—I'll personally castrate you with a pair of scissors!"