Derek Su didn't know when he'd fallen asleep last night. His mind had been spinning nonstop with thoughts of training races and Modules, but in the end, he was awakened by sunlight filtering through the window.
Strange. Why was there sunlight...? Wasn't he sleeping in the car?
He opened his eyes and started to sit up—only to feel soft, sweet breaths brushing against his face, accompanied by gentle little snores.
Turning his head, he found himself face-to-face with a youthful, delicate sleeping face. Long lashes fluttered slightly as Stella slept soundly. Curled up beside him, she lay close enough that they almost touched, but not quite. Looking at that innocent face, Derek Su—once a model citizen of the 21st century—felt an unreasonable wave of guilt wash over him.
Wait… how exactly was a mecha girl's age determined?
She was considered an adult once she left Mecha Island… right?
Trying to suppress the sudden impulse rising in him, he quickly attempted to roll away.
But his shirt hem was caught in a small hand. Stella had been holding onto him in her sleep, clutching his clothes like she feared he would disappear.
"Master… don't… don't go… wuu~ I swear I can make this turn…"
Derek Su: "..."
Good grief—Stella was so dedicated she was practicing turns in her dreams.
When the warmth beside her shifted, Stella slowly woke up. She rubbed her eyes in a daze, staring at Derek Su for a long moment. Then, as if her mind suddenly rebooted, color rushed to her cheeks at a speed visible to the naked eye. Her sleepy eyes flew wide open.
"Ma—Master! I'm sorry!"
Bang! Without warning, Stella dropped to her knees and slammed her forehead into the warehouse floor tiles—hard enough to crack them.
Derek Su could only gape. After smashing her head into the ground, completely unhurt, she bowed again. And again.
Only when he felt the floor vibrating did he snap back.
"You didn't do anything wrong—don't... don't do that!"
"I—I made my most respected Master sleep on the floor!" Stella covered her face, full of despair. "I'm such a failure of a mecha girl!"
"Uh… I'm pretty sure when I fell asleep last night, you were still in deployed mode."
Derek Su held his hands out in front of her defensively, ready to stop her from headbutting the floor again.
"I—I'm sorry!" Stella lowered her head, twisting her fingers anxiously. "I got too relaxed… and my Endurance was low… and I didn't replenish my nutrient solution… so when I fell asleep, I must have switched back forms without noticing…"
"Master, I promise—it won't happen again!"
She shot to her feet, puffed out her chest, and saluted.
"I will absolutely become a qualified mecha girl!"
Derek Su: "...I believe you. But let's eat first."
After a night to cool off, Mr. Liang had returned to his usual gentle demeanor. Derek Su ate steamed buns dipped in last night's leftover fish soup, and Stella replenished her food and high-energy nutrient solution. As they talked over breakfast, Derek Su learned that a mecha girl's Endurance referred to how long she could remain in deployed form. Mecha girls with high Endurance were naturally better suited for rally races. Sudden situations during races—collisions, steep climbs, sandstorms—would further drain Endurance. Unless necessary, mecha girls stayed in human form to avoid wasting it.
"By all logic, your Endurance should be more than enough."
Derek Su frowned at Stella's Endurance rating of 85. Jade-786 only had 60, yet she was absolutely confident she could finish the Knox Rally. Meaning for Stella, a track like Knox should be no problem at all.
"I haven't eaten for days," Stella mumbled while shoving buns into her mouth and gulping nutrient solution. "I figured since I was going back to the Recycling Yard anyway, eating would just waste food and resources… so I stopped. This is actually the first real meal I've ever had."
Derek Su: "..."
This kid...
Stella hadn't eaten, and yesterday he made her practice cornering nonstop and sleep in the car with him.
A new wave of guilt punched him in the chest. He truly was terrible!
"You didn't even know mecha girls need food, and you still dare talk about racing Knox?!"
Mr. Liang peered over the top of his newspaper, his voice so sharp it could cut steel.
Derek Su knew Mr. Liang had a sharp tongue but a soft heart. So he scooted over shamelessly and grinned. "Mr. Liang, do you know any training races coming up with fewer turns? Or maybe wide ones that aren't too sharp?"
"Fewer? Wider? Dream on! You'll only find those in your dreams!"
"Okay, okay… even one of those would work…"
"There are plenty of training races. Knox is starting soon—everyone's holding practice events." Mr. Liang snorted. "What, you planning to take XC-99 into one?"
"I just want to get some practice with Stella."
Seeing Derek Su's cheeky grin made Mr. Liang's blood pressure spike. "You brat! Even in a practice race, XC-99 won't make it far. Practice races may be easier than official ones, but they still have corners. And as long as there are corners, XC-99 is doomed."
Beside them, Stella buried herself in her bowl, practically trying to drown herself in fish soup.
"Mr. Liang, racing takes teamwork between driver and mecha. I—"
"Stop. I know you won't give up." Mr. Liang waved him off. "Fine, go try a practice race. Better to crush the dream early."
He slapped the newspaper down, snatched Stella's empty bowl, and headed into the kitchen.
Glancing at the newspaper, Derek Su noticed three practice races advertised—two of which looked perfect for Stella.
"Mr. Liang really is a softie under all that bark."
Derek Su sighed, watching him bustle around the kitchen.
"Stella, let's go! We're heading to Triumph Club!"
...
Triumph Club was located in a valley north of Jiangcheng, surrounded by converted training tracks.
Back when he first joined Ascend Racing Club, Derek Su often heard that Triumph Club's wealthy owner loved hosting training races—and offering generous prizes.
They welcomed racers from other clubs and private drivers too, partly to show off their own team's strength, and partly to poach talent.
By the time Derek Su and Stella arrived, the practice race was about to start.
The track was packed with racers and mecha girls. Most couldn't meet Knox Rally standards, but that didn't matter—training race placements awarded prize money. Enough winnings could buy high-grade Modules and upgrade their mecha girls, and maybe one day earn them a shot at official competitions. The atmosphere was electric.
Derek Su and Stella quickly registered.
Because of the large number of participants, the race used a staggered grid start, with final standings based on finish times.
Since they arrived late, Derek Su and Stella were placed at the end of the lineup.
The announcer had already begun reading out race instructions.
This Triumph Club practice race used a "几"-shaped track, 25 kilometers long with three major turns. Each turn had a roughly ninety-degree angle, but the real challenge was the sudden narrowing at each apex—difficult for drivers and mecha with limited cornering experience.
Especially someone like Stella.
"Clack clack clack clack…"
A strange noise came from beside him.
Turning, Derek Su found Stella staring blankly at the track—her face pale, body trembling violently, steam literally rising from her head. The clacking was her teeth chattering.
Derek Su: "..."
Was she really this nervous? It was just a practice race.
He patted her head. "Relax. Twenty-five kilometers will be over before you know it."
"But Master, there are three corners! Three!" Stella raised four fingers in panic. "And—and there are no guardrails! No guardrails means I can't use collisions to correct my trajectory…"
"Ahem. With me driving, do you need collisions for correction?"
"Kid, this your first time taking a mecha girl onto the track? Don't talk big."
The voice came from a middle-aged racer ahead of them.
"Your mecha girl looks like she hasn't even finished developing—her legs are shaking. Take it from an old-timer: you should go train for another year."
At the words hasn't fully developed, Stella's head shot up, ready to argue—until she saw his mecha girl.
A towering, 1.8-meter-tall muscle goddess with a chest that could blot out the sun.
Stella's budding confidence evaporated instantly.
"Come on, Warhammer! Show them that killer body!"
With a smug grin, the man gestured. The muscular woman stepped forward and unfolded, transforming into a massive machine right before their eyes.
It looked like an off-road vehicle, but Derek Su had never seen one encased entirely in steel plating.
It was basically a tank.
As he stared, her stats appeared:
[Drifting: 17]
[Acceleration: 34]
[Cornering: 41]
[Boost Charge: 15]
[Stability: 88]
[Impact Resistance: 97]
[Endurance: 30]
[Evaluation: You wouldn't want to crash into a low-end, short-lived slab of rolling steel on the track, would you?!]
"Cool, right?" the man said proudly, sticking his head out the window. "Kid, racing isn't a game. In a moment, Warhammer and I will show you what it means when you can't even catch a glimpse of our taillights!"
Derek Su: "..."
While they talked, it was already his turn to start.
He pulled his head back into the cockpit and let out a wolf howl as Warhammer barreled onto the track.
And immediately began bouncing violently.
Seeing that, Stella's tension eased a little—because Warhammer's launch was nowhere near as explosive as Derek Su's launch control.
Countdown: 30 seconds.
Derek Su patted Stella's head. "Stella, deploy."
Stella nodded. A shining silver luxury sports car unfolded before him.
Unfortunately, the other racers had already entered the track, so no one saw her stunning transformation.
In a way, powerful mecha girls almost always had luxurious forms.
Derek Su settled into the driver's seat, tightening his grip on the controls as Stella's spirited voice rang from the front.
"Master, I'll do my best!"
"Relax." Derek Su smirked, released the handbrake, and slammed the accelerator.
"First—overtake that Warhammer up front!!"
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser