Chapter 107: I Want Her
“Will he come today?”
“He won’t come today.”
“Will he?”
“Mm… no.”
A flicker of irritation surfaced in DL-01’s eyes. She tossed the last rose petal onto the floor and reached for another bloom in the vase—only to realize that every rose had already been stripped bare.
Petals carpeted the floor at her feet.
“…”
Annoying.
DL-01’s gaze drifted before settling on an American Shorthair curled up on the sofa, half-asleep.
Sensing danger, the cat cracked open its eyes, glanced at the petals on the floor, then at DL-01. Seeing the restless look on her face, it shuddered, spun around, and bolted.
Fine. Let it run.
DL-01 rested her chin on one hand, leaning against the sofa as she stared through the glass wall at the constant flow of traffic outside.
She never should have come to such a high-end auction exhibition.
Too bad she’d already made her choice.
“Sigh~”
The premium auction exhibition hosted in Jiangyuan City featured Mecha Girls whose performance levels were all above average. Some were specialized builds with exceptionally outstanding attributes in specific areas. Naturally, their starting prices were anything but low.
To ensure efficiency, the organizers adopted an invitation-only system.
Invitations were issued exclusively to clubs and to certain entrepreneurs or wealthy individuals interested in racing.
DL-01 hadn’t known that man didn’t belong to any club.
Before leaving Mecha Island, she had only studied his techniques and watched recordings of his races. Naively, she had assumed that someone so formidable must be the ace of a major club.
One wrong assumption led to another.
Now she had to deal with these annoying flies every single day.
And she still had to come up with excuse after excuse to turn them down.
At 10 a.m., the first round of exhibition auctions began.
As time passed, more Mecha Girls were gradually delivered to the venue.
At the same time, clubs and individual buyers from all over the world continued to arrive in growing numbers.
Still, the 500-million starting bid spared her a great deal of trouble.
Before each exhibition auction, the organizers conducted intent consultations and asset evaluations for participating clubs and buyers. In essence, they asked whether bidders had already set their sights on any Mecha Girls. If most participants lacked sufficient funds, the top-tier Mecha Girls simply wouldn’t be brought out—there was no point displaying items no one could afford.
Some newcomers might think that high-performance Mecha Girls were being overly arrogant.
But that was the reality.
Before a deal was made, Mecha Girls and buyers stood on equal footing.
After the deal, they merely entered into an employment relationship.
Only after a Mecha Girl and a driver signed a contract could a partnership be considered—barely—established. Whether that partnership remained stable depended on the driver’s ability and whether the club’s resources were enough to satisfy the Mecha Girl. It was also worth noting that not all Mecha Girls set their breach penalty equal to their auction price. Under the regulations between humans and Mecha Island, the base breach penalty could be set as low as 50% of the final transaction price.
...
“DL-01, I heard some rich buyers are coming today. Maybe someone will actually be able to afford your starting bid.”
“So what?” DL-01 replied lazily, as if she hadn’t even understood the question. “Money can buy Mecha Girls. It can buy modules. But it can’t buy skill, and it can’t buy a genius mind.”
TB-21 stuck out her tongue helplessly. After spending the past few days together, she had grown much more comfortable around DL-01. This big shot was only cold on the surface—she was actually fairly easy to get along with.
She knew DL-01 was thinking about that man again.
And it made sense. Countless Mecha Girls wanted to contract with the Magician—some were even willing to do it for free, or pay out of their own pockets.
Unfortunately, the Magician didn’t belong to any club. He likely wouldn’t show up at an exhibition auction for at least half a year.
DL-01 could afford to wait.
Those other Mecha Girls couldn’t.
Staying at an exhibition auction was nothing but wasted time.
With that same time, they might already be carving out their own glory on the track.
【Ding-dong—!】
【You have a new message~】
TB-21 glanced at her phone, surprise blooming across her face.
“DL-01, let’s go. Big spenders are here, and there are even several top-100 clubs! Good thing I held back yesterday and didn’t sell myself off—maybe today I’ll find an even better choice.”
“Oh.” DL-01 sounded completely uninterested.
But attending the exhibition was part of her assignment.
She could only drape her military coat over her shoulders and follow TB-21 out.
...
VIP seating.
Even though it wasn’t her first time attending an exhibition auction, Chloe Qin still felt excited. It was like walking into a luxury boutique—no matter how many times you’d bought bags there before, the thrill never faded.
Looking at the Mecha Girls on the display platform—each with a distinct appearance yet all exuding an elite aura—she wished she could bid on every single one of them.
“Howard Wang, these Mecha Girls all look incredible! Every one of them seems stronger than Blazing Wind!” Chloe Qin said eagerly, her eyes shining.
“Of course they do,” Howard Wang replied smugly. “Jiangyuan City’s exhibition auctions only feature high-performance Mecha Girls. Not just anyone can get in—bidders like us are screened too.”
Money made things easy. Even without a club, his assets of over ten billion were enough for the organizers to obediently send him an invitation.
Blazing Wind shrank silently to the side.
She did her best to reduce her sense of presence.
“Distinguished bidders,” announced the auctioneer—a functional Mecha Girl dressed in a suit. “We will now present the five most powerful Mecha Girls of this exhibition auction. Please bid rationally and civilly. Disputes are not permitted.”
As her voice fell, a cylindrical platform rose from the floor.
Five Mecha Girls stood upon it.
The spotlights snapped into place with perfect timing, illuminating them all—and DL-01 stood at the very center.
She was the tallest of the group, with refined features and a commanding presence. Clad in a black military uniform, a deep crimson cape draped over her shoulders. Both hands rested on a scepter as she stood there, gaze sharp and cold, her aura overwhelming.
Most of the eyes in the auction hall were immediately drawn to DL-01.
Not only because of her striking presence—
But also because of the brief introduction displayed on the massive screen behind her:
【Top-tier Mecha Girl DL-01. The first Mecha Girl of the Imperial Family of Mecha Island. Exceptional overall performance with no weaknesses. Outstanding impact resistance, endurance, and stability. Possesses special skills. Starting bid: 500 million.】
Top-tier Mecha Girl.
Five hundred million.
The crowd collectively sucked in a breath.
Top-tier Mecha Girls were the collective term for Mecha Girls with special skills.
They were exceedingly rare, and every single one sold for astronomical prices. Possessing a top-tier Mecha Girl was effectively a ticket into the world-class stage.
Powerful. Noble.
They were the ultimate dream of every driver.
Of course, not every top-tier Mecha Girl was compatible with every driver.
A fine horse still needed a skilled rider.
Otherwise, even the best steed was wasted in the hands of someone unfit.
The moment Chloe Qin saw DL-01, she made up her mind.
This Mecha Girl’s aura left the others far behind. And the description made it perfectly clear—special skills, no weaknesses, exceptional impact resistance, endurance, and stability.
Wasn’t this exactly the dream machine she’d been searching for?
“Howard Wang, I want her!”
Chloe Qin pointed straight at DL-01, standing cold and aloof at the center of the platform, impatience written all over her face.
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