Chapter 104: Rescue

The newcomer was none other than Purple Lightning.

Stella cried out in alarm and quickly helped the unconscious Purple Lightning onto the sofa, laying her flat.

Seeing that something was seriously wrong, Derek Su immediately sent Zane to notify Xavier Young. He and Stella then leaned in to examine Purple Lightning’s condition.

“How did she end up here?”

Derek Su couldn’t help but care about Purple Lightning.

After all, he was handsome and highly capable, yet she had still rejected him—something he’d probably remember for the rest of his life.

His impression of Purple Lightning was that she was aloof, proud, and solitary. What stood out just as much was her special ability, which had an exceptionally high compatibility with him.

“No idea,” Stella said, scratching her head. She noticed Purple Lightning’s deathly pale face, lips nearly devoid of color, and hands riddled with cracks. Her heart ached at the sight. Turning to Derek Su, she said, “Purple Lightning is so pitiful, Master. Let’s take her in as a secondary Mecha Girl.”

Derek Su sympathized with Purple Lightning’s situation as well. That old man had mentioned before that she’d joined black-market gladiator fights to pay off her breach-of-contract penalty. After so many years without clearing it, the debt must be enormous. But whether they could contract her wasn’t something he and Stella could decide on their own.

A contract required mutual willingness.

He was more than willing to contract Purple Lightning and even help her pay off the penalty. But the prerequisite was that she herself had to agree to become his secondary Mecha Girl. If she didn’t want it, nothing else mattered.

Xavier Young and Lumina arrived quickly. Purple Lightning had worked in his underground black market for years, so he remembered her well. After a quick call to the arena owner, he learned the situation: Purple Lightning had taken part in extremely intense gladiatorial matches that day and received only the most basic post-fight treatment—just enough to prevent total breakdown. The rest was left to her own recovery. It was the cheapest option, but it came with immense suffering.

Logically, after being dragged back, she should have been resting properly.

Instead, she hadn’t even caught her breath before forcing her still-damaged body to walk all the way to the entrance of the Foxfire Club.

To put it bluntly, Purple Lightning was like a porcelain doll covered in cracks.

One touch and she’d shatter.

“Her condition is extremely bad. I’ll call a professional medical team,” Xavier Young said, dialing his phone.

Lumina had already brought over a bottle of nutrient solution from the warehouse and handed it to Stella. “Give her some first. It’ll help stabilize her.”

Sodium Fiber-α nutrient solution was categorized by concentration rather than flavor.

The energy-type contained 20% to 50% Sodium Fiber-α and was mainly used to restore endurance.

The repair-type contained over 80% Sodium Fiber-α. In addition to restoring endurance, the high concentration promoted self-repair of a Mecha Girl’s body. The downside was the price—around 20,000 per bottle, four to five times more expensive than the energy-type.

The kind Stella usually picked up for free from Zane’s shop was the first type.

What Lumina brought this time was the second.

It went without saying that Purple Lightning would never have been willing to spend money on such basic healing resources.

Stella carefully supported the back of Purple Lightning’s head. Derek Su poured the high-grade nutrient solution into the bottle cap, and Stella fed it to her little by little. As the liquid moistened her dry lips, a hint of color finally returned. After half a bottle went down, Purple Lightning’s faint, uneven breathing became noticeably steadier.

Derek Su could see her condition more clearly than anyone else.

Her stats had once been perfectly normal.

Now, they were a mess.

【Drifting: 9 (Body Damage: Repairing)】
【Acceleration: 5 (Body Damage: Repairing)】
【Cornering: 9 (Body Damage: Repairing)】
【Boost Charge: 6 (Body Damage: Repairing)】
【Stability: 4 (Body Damage: Repairing)】
【Impact Resistance: 4 (Body Damage: Repairing)】
【Endurance: 8 (Body Damage: Repairing)】

“Why did she fight three gladiator matches in a single day?” Derek Su muttered, sucking in a sharp breath.

“Normally, a Mecha Girl can’t take consecutive gladiator matches, right?”

“That’s right,” Xavier Young said gravely as he returned from his call. “This is sheer recklessness. Without comprehensive treatment, someone like her should fight at most once a week. Win or lose, she’d need five or six days of rest to fully recover. Even with full treatment, she’d still need at least three days. I already chewed out the arena owner…”

“He said it was Purple Lightning’s own request. He tried to dissuade her, but she wouldn’t listen, so he arranged it. My black market has always operated on a voluntary basis. Looks like… she’s desperate to pay off that penalty as fast as possible.”

“How much does she owe?” Derek Su frowned.

“The exact remaining amount isn’t clear, but the total is thirty million,” Xavier Young replied. “You met her former pilot yesterday—Chloe Qin. She’s the one you and Stella knocked off the bridge.”

“Her?” Derek Su’s frown deepened.

Before, he’d only thought that woman was arrogant and foolish.

Now, because of Purple Lightning, his disgust had grown even stronger.

From Chloe Qin’s behavior, it was obvious she treated Mecha Girls as mere tools. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have rammed Blazing Wind into Stella’s rear so recklessly yesterday.

A Blazing Wind with just over fifty Impact Resistance crashing into Stella’s eighty? There was no need to think about it—she’d have smashed her own head senseless.

As for what kind of story lay between Purple Lightning and Chloe Qin, he didn’t even need to hear it to know it would raise his blood pressure.

Thirty million was an astronomical sum. Even if Purple Lightning had already paid half and still owed fifteen million, it was far beyond what he could afford.

Even with help from Zane and Xavier Young, and borrowing a bit from the old man, it might be doable—but he still had to think about himself and Stella, the club’s future, and all the expenses that lay ahead. Purple Lightning was pitiful, but he couldn’t ruin himself and Stella financially for her sake. He had to leave some margin as insurance.

Derek Su looked at the fragile girl on the sofa, conflicted.

Even though Purple Lightning hadn’t agreed to become his secondary Mecha Girl yet, he was already thinking about how to handle the situation properly.

...

The medical team arrived quickly; there was a medical station near the black market.

The ones responsible for treating Mecha Girls weren’t humans, but modified functional Mecha Girls. Some retired units chose this path, and the government would send them back to Mecha Island for specialized conversion. From then on, they could only serve functional roles in society, never again stepping onto the racetrack.

“Which one of you is this unit’s pilot?”

Angel-743, dressed in a white lab coat, scanned everyone with a sharp gaze before fixing her eyes on Derek Su.

“It’s you, isn’t it? This is outrageous!”

She pointed straight at him and launched into a furious tirade.

“Illegal modifications are bad enough, but you let her fight three gladiator matches in a row? Do you think Mecha Girls are made of steel? Push it any further and she’ll be scrapped! Do you understand? Then she’ll only be fit for recycling!”

“I…” Derek Su said awkwardly. “I’m not her pilot.”

“You’re not?” Angel-743 turned to Zane and Xavier Young, hands on her hips. “Then which one of you is?”

“Not me!” Zane instantly ducked behind Lingwind.

As the saying went, Mecha Girls could be offended—but functional Mecha Girls were absolutely off-limits.

Xavier Young shook his head as well. “She doesn’t have a pilot. She was abandoned.”

“Is that so…” Angel-743’s expression dimmed, as if something painful had resurfaced.

“I’m sorry,” she said, bowing to Derek Su. “I’ll apply a 20% discount to today’s treatment.”

“It’s fine. I understand,” Derek Su sighed.

Anyone would be furious seeing Purple Lightning in that state—especially a functional Mecha Girl working in medical care.

He watched as Angel-743 deployed into an ambulance form. A mechanical arm gently lifted Purple Lightning onto the operating table, then transferred her into a nutrient pod. Half an hour later, the arm retrieved her and placed her back on the sofa. Her complexion had returned to normal, and the cracks on her fingers were gone.

Angel-743 reverted to her humanoid form and casually tossed four faintly glowing, diamond-shaped modules onto the floor. “I removed the illegal modifications while I was at it,” she said tiredly. “I’ll give her a wake-up shot now. She’ll be conscious in three minutes. When she wakes up, make sure you remind her—this isn’t how you make money. She’ll end up wrecking herself before she earns anything.”

Derek Su nodded repeatedly.

After administering the injection, Angel-743 really did give them the discount. The final bill came to 240,000. Once Derek Su paid, she left in a hurry.

Derek Su and Stella immediately crowded around Purple Lightning, waiting expectantly, like people watching an egg about to hatch.

After a while, Purple Lightning’s eyelids fluttered.

She slowly woke up.

Stella leaned in, her face lighting up with joy.

“Purple Lightning, you’re awake! The surgery was a complete success!”