Chapter 106: If There Be Gods in This World

Purple Lightning returned to the gladiator arena.

Back to her own little nest.

The wooden shack—less than four square meters—contained only a bed and a television.

On countless agonizing nights, she would either lie on the bed or curl up in the corner. Her phone and the TV were the only things that helped her pass the time, offering a faint comfort to her numb heart. Yet now, everything around her seemed to have come alive. The room was still cramped, and even with the lights on it remained dim and gloomy—

But she felt it anyway.

As if everything was getting better.

No matter what she needed to do, she suddenly had motivation.

“These four illegal modules need to be installed by a professional at a mod shop.”

An image surfaced in Purple Lightning’s mind: a bespectacled girl with a perpetually serious expression. Those illegal modules had been made by that expert. Without her help, Purple Lightning would never have survived the brutality of the gladiator arena—let alone earned any money.

She never forgot those who had helped her, and she was deeply grateful.

After tidying up the room and making the tiny space look cleaner—and more in line with her current mood—she picked up the modules and was about to head out when a knock sounded at the door.

【Knock knock knock—!】

“Purple Lightning, are you free for a moment?”

It was the voice of the gladiator arena’s owner.

Come to think of it, she had caused him trouble again today.

After her third match, she had passed out right in the arena. It was one of the owner’s Mecha Girls who had carried her out.

“Coming.” Purple Lightning slipped on her coat and opened the door.

Standing outside was the chubby arena owner, his face piled high with smiles.

“Purple Lightning, you’ve been fighting in my arena for a long time now. Your popularity is the highest we’ve got. Watching you finish three consecutive matches today really got my blood pumping—it felt like I’d rediscovered the passion of my youth, so…”

Rediscovered the passion of his youth?

Purple Lightning shot him a wary glance. Keeping the door half-closed, her tone turned cold.

“Boss, I make money through underground gladiator matches, but that doesn’t mean I’m willing to slaughter Mecha Girls. If you’re looking for unrestricted killing that desecrates life, you’d better find someone else.”

The fat boss froze, then hurriedly waved his hands.

“No, no, that’s not what I meant! I want to raise your compensation and make you the star fighter of our arena!”

Purple Lightning looked at him suspiciously.

An underground black-market arena creating an ace fighter like a club?

It sounded reasonable… but was it really necessary?

“Purple Lightning, I want to package you properly,” the boss said, wiping sweat from his forehead. “That way, more people will come watch the matches, place bets on you, and every time you appear, there’ll be a big hook. You know what a hook is, right?”

Convincing Purple Lightning was a task Xavier Young had given him.

But at his age, coming up with a perfectly airtight explanation really wasn’t easy.

“I don’t know.” Purple Lightning shook her head blankly.

“Sigh… it’s just a way to make money. You’ll still fight like before—I’ll just earn more.”

“Oh…”

“So, are you willing? Don’t you need to pay off your penalty? With better compensation, you’ll clear it faster.”

That immediately caught Purple Lightning’s attention.

She nodded rapidly like a chick pecking at grain. “No problem. I’ll follow your arrangements.”

The boss finally let out a sigh of relief, secretly thinking that this silly girl really was easy to fool.

“As the arena’s most popular ace, you can’t keep living here—it doesn’t match your status. Pack your things. I’ll move you to a new place.”

Since she had accepted the boss’s setup, Purple Lightning acted with remarkable efficiency.

She ducked back inside and poked her head out again in under thirty seconds.

In her arms were a stack of racing suits, a jacket, a bedsheet, and a small TV. Her phone was tucked into her bag.

The boss’s mouth twitched. “Th-this is all you have?”

“Yes.” Purple Lightning nodded.

These were all her possessions.

She didn’t eat snacks, had no entertainment needs, and drank tasteless nutrient solution when she was hungry—the cheapest kind.

Besides, Mecha Girls didn’t sweat. Basic changes of clothes were enough.

“Alright. Follow me.”

The boss couldn’t help thinking how miserable her life was. In the past, he’d been so focused on making money that he’d never paid attention to Purple Lightning’s living conditions.

He led her to a spacious room—seventy to eighty square meters. It was bright, airy, and fully furnished with everything one could need.

Purple Lightning stood under the lights, clutching her few belongings, looking shy and timid.

“You’ll live here from now on. Here’s the key.”

The boss shoved a keyring into her hand. “I’ve also arranged a Mecha Girl assistant for you. If you need anything, just tell her. You’ll fight once a week, with a fixed prize of 1.2 million. All post-match medical expenses are covered by the arena—we’ll send professional functional Mecha Girls to treat you. The remaining six days are rest days. Without the arena’s permission, you’re not allowed to participate in other underground matches.”

The conditions were unbelievably generous.

Just the 1.2 million per match plus full medical coverage alone made it impossible to refuse—let alone the living arrangements.

She even wondered if she was dreaming.

1.2 million a week meant 5 million a month.

That meant in just three or four months—before the provincial competition—she could pay off her penalty!

Then she would be completely free!!

She opened her mouth to speak, but the boss cut in with a stern warning.

“Purple Lightning, you’re now the ace we’re packaging. We have to restrict your freedom. You can only fight here. Otherwise, things will spiral out of control. If you have objections, you can resign.”

“I—I have no objections!”

Purple Lightning bowed deeply, head lowered as tears spilled from her eyes.

“Th-thank you for giving me this opportunity! I’ll work hard—really hard!”

“Good. Then sign the contract.”

...

The boss left with the contract.

It needed to be handed to Xavier Young and Derek Su as proof that he had taken care of the matter.

Meanwhile, Purple Lightning lay dazed on the large bed in her new room, staring up at the crystal chandelier above her.

Did gods really exist in this world?

She didn’t know.

But if they did—

Then perhaps those gods were Derek Su and Stella.

At the very least, ever since meeting them, each day of her life had been getting better.

“I’ll work hard to become a Mecha Girl worthy of them.”

Purple Lightning clenched her fists. The confusion in her eyes vanished, replaced by resolve and fighting spirit.

“Starting tonight, I’ll train straight-line acceleration!!”

...

BSC Club.

Chloe Qin trembled with rage as she watched the report on the Aikun Channel.

Especially when she saw her own exit—so bold, so dashing from behind. And yet those damned paparazzi had labeled it as fleeing in defeat?!

Fleeing from what? Her opponent was just the Magician!

She hadn’t been scared at all!

Chloe Qin finally snapped, smashing everything she could reach into pieces.

Blazing Wind cowered in the corner, hugging her knees, not daring to say a word. Her lips silently chanted:

Don’t see me. Don’t see me. Don’t see me.

But an enraged woman indiscriminately locks onto all living beings within fifty meters and unloads her fury.

Chloe Qin whipped her head around, glaring at Blazing Wind. Her reddened eyes scanned her up and down, searching for a weak point.

At this moment, she only needed an excuse to attack.

Sometimes, she didn’t even need one.

“Blazing Wind!!”

Chloe Qin remembered that Blazing Wind had stepped into the room with her right foot first today.

She couldn’t tolerate it.

She completely blew up!!!

“Chloe Qin~”

An effeminate male voice suddenly sounded from outside the door.

Chloe Qin’s rage froze in place, and Blazing Wind narrowly escaped death.

A flamboyantly dressed man twisted his waist as he sauntered in.

This was Howard Wang, the owner of the BSC Club—an entrepreneur and Chloe Qin’s fiancé.

He adored Chloe Qin. The BSC Club itself had been founded for her.

Everything she had—Mecha Girls, modules, technology—had essentially been bought with his money.

“Who upset Chloe so badly?”

Howard Wang leaned close, glanced at the TV, and his smile vanished. A cold gleam flashed in his eyes.

“These paparazzi really have a death wish. Aren’t they afraid of being dragged into a sack at night, beaten senseless, and dumped into the river?”

Seeing Howard Wang, Chloe Qin’s anger subsided considerably.

She pressed her lips together and said darkly, “The Aikun TV reporters have official backing. We can’t touch them. Forget it. Just sack them up and beat them.”

“No problem, I’ll arrange it right away~”

Howard Wang pulled out his phone and sent several messages.

Seeing her anger still simmering, he asked, “Besides those reporters, there’s something else, isn’t there?”

“Yes. I came back soaked yesterday. I was too angry to explain—it was because someone knocked me off a bridge.”

“The Magician and Stella?” Howard Wang asked. He had already seen the news.

He was pretending not to know, just to perform a little and strengthen their bond.

“Yes.” Chloe Qin ground her teeth.

Howard Wang wrapped an arm around her waist and smiled.

“So, Chloe, how do you want to deal with them? They’re just wild racers without a club. You can toy with them however you like~”

Chloe Qin was silent for a moment—unusually, she didn’t respond right away.

She crossed her arms and frowned.

“I want to defeat him on a provincial track.”

Now that she was known as the Queen of the Track, using dirty tricks would inevitably invite criticism.

Only by crushing Derek Su and Stella with absolute strength would she earn genuine respect.

Only that would be worthy of her title.

Howard Wang reacted with exaggerated surprise.

“Oh? Chloe has grown up~ Not holding grudges anymore~”

He then shot a cold glance at Blazing Wind in the corner.

“This Mecha Girl won’t do. Replace her. There’s a Mecha Girl expo in Tianyuan City—let’s go tomorrow.”

Blazing Wind shuddered uncontrollably.

It was over.

She was about to follow Purple Lightning’s path.

“Blazing Wind’s performance isn’t bad,” Chloe Qin shook her head. “Give her another chance. I’ll run the Panlong Mountain two-stage relay myself. Blazing Wind will handle the first stage—her speed is an advantage. The second stage will rely on the secondary Mecha Girl we buy tomorrow. Preferably skill-type or combat-type, and she can’t be slow.”

Howard Wang naturally supported his fiancée without hesitation.

“No problem, Chloe. Whatever you say~”

He glanced at Blazing Wind, giving her a look that said she’d gotten lucky.

But inwardly, he thought: Even if Chloe Qin didn’t plan to target Derek Su and Stella—

As her fiancé, how could he remain indifferent when she’d been forced off the track and humiliated so badly?

Chloe Qin cared about her reputation and didn’t want to target Derek Su under the BSC Club’s name.

But he could always pay racers from other clubs.

Howard Wang might not understand racing.

But he understood money.