Chapter 119: That’s All That’s Needed
Derek Su had heard about it from Xavier Young before.
Overclocking mode was indeed rare, and Mecha Girls couldn’t possibly maintain it indefinitely.
It could be understood as a release of emotions—once those emotions were fully vented or gradually calmed, the overclocking state would naturally fade.
Derek Su didn’t know what had ignited Leon Li and Snowpeak’s emotions.
But he and Stella were certainly part of the reason.
So when Leon Li and Snowpeak overtook him and Stella,
Snowpeak’s surging emotions might begin to cool.
And even if they didn’t—he’d crush them with absolute speed and strength.
So what if they were overclocked?
So what if they had skills?
He was the Track Emperor—specialized in shutting down all challengers. Show your head, get taken out instantly.
The first corner after removing the module.
To avoid any accidents, Derek Su braked slightly earlier than usual. Even so, the moment he pulled the handbrake, he felt Stella’s chassis slip beyond control. The rear had already swung out over the cliff. It was only thanks to the front tires’ grip that he managed to pull the car back—otherwise, the next second, both he and Stella would have gone straight down.
“Stella, how do you feel?”
Derek Su himself was fine. This level of danger was completely within his tolerance.
He had long been used to driving Stella with her Modules installed. Now that they were gone, entry points, braking points, and cornering speeds all had to be recalculated. In a race like the Silverstone Advanced Circuit, packed with complex corners, needing to re-adapt usually spelled disaster for an ordinary driver. For him, though, two or three corners were enough.
But this wasn’t just his problem—it was Stella’s as well.
So the first thing he did was check on her condition.
If Stella couldn’t adapt, he would lower their average speed.
Stella didn’t turn back. Her firm voice, carrying a slight tremor, echoed in Derek Su’s mind.
“M-Master… Master, I believe in you!”
The corner of Derek Su’s mouth lifted.
That was all he needed!
Ahead lay a series of hairpin turns.
Time to try this corner again.
...
Derek Su’s wild behavior didn’t escape the eyes of Kool Kenny, who had been monitoring the track the entire time.
Just moments ago, Leon Li and Snowpeak had overtaken using overclocking, and Kool Kenny had been predicting that today’s champions would surely be the emotionally explosive pair. But in the next instant, Stella’s speed skyrocketed. There were no visual effects on her body—only white smoke from burning tires streaking across the track. The earlier scene where Stella had nearly been flung off the cliff sent a chill straight down his spine.
“Ladies and gentlemen—and fellow experts—there’s another monster here!!”
Kool Kenny kicked Taimei down as she tried to get back up, then knocked her out with a swift chop. Grabbing the microphone, he roared, “Can you believe this?! At the Silverstone Advanced Race—widely considered the toughest advanced track before the provincial circuits—there’s actually a racer who’s been hiding their true strength! And that racer is our fan-favorite dark horse, the championship contender—The Magician!!”
“Looks like after being overtaken by Leon Li and Snowpeak, The Magician finally snapped and unleashed all of Stella’s speed!”
“Her current speed is… 519 kilometers per hour!”
“She’s not overclocked! No special skills at all! Her limit cornering speed has reached an astonishing 519!!”
Kool Kenny’s voice was already hoarse, and the stands erupted into chaos.
Dawnbreak, having just exited the Loren Vortex, heard the broadcast over the in-car radio. Her expression slowly turned blank.
She asked Laiya An behind her, somewhat dazed, “Master… what was my average speed?”
Laiya An patted Dawnbreak’s backside and said with a grin, “397. Pretty good~”
397 versus 519? Dawnbreak’s face went green.
Snowpeak reaching such an outrageous cornering speed while in overclocking mode was understandable.
The key was that Snowpeak was running a full-on destructive racing style.
Can’t make the corner?
No problem—just smash through it.
But Derek Su was different. He was still taking corners the conventional way.
“However, after Stella hit this speed, The Magician seems to be reaching his limits. He nearly lost control in the last corner. So how will The Magician and Stella handle the upcoming series of hairpin turns? If they simply slow down, that burst of speed might end up being nothing more than a flash in the pan!”
Kool Kenny didn’t have a Mecha Girl and had never raced himself.
But after years of watching and commentating, he had developed his own unique insight.
He could see Derek Su and Stella’s problem at a glance.
If they couldn’t overcome it, catching Leon Li and Snowpeak would still be impossible.
...
In one corner of the stands, Purple Lightning clutched the hem of her skirt tightly, her heart knotted with anxiety.
She wanted Derek Su and Stella to win—but she didn’t want them taking such terrifying risks on the track.
Especially with the consecutive hairpin turns coming up!
She nervously covered her eyes, yet couldn’t help peeking through her fingers at the big screen.
“Fall… fall already!” Chloe Qin clenched her fists, cursing Derek Su and Stella.
Falling off the cliff wouldn’t be fatal with the medical team on standby, but it would mean instant disqualification!
Even though Derek Su and Stella would still have two advanced races left, this would be a huge blow, directly affecting their upcoming Panlong Mountain Circuit. After all, the downhill section of Panlong Mountain was no easier than the Silverstone Advanced Race.
At this moment, Derek Su and Stella carried far too many eyes—and emotions—on their shoulders.
The hairpin was right in front of them.
Derek Su lowered his eyes and began his inputs.
The instant they entered the hairpin, he didn’t slow down. Instead, he stepped on the throttle, slightly increasing speed.
The optimal cornering point… now!
Derek Su suddenly yanked the control lever hard.
His vision turned into a blur of chaos—he couldn’t even tell where the track was anymore.
All he relied on was instinct, as if he and Stella had merged into one, her body becoming an extension of his own!
Apex—brake—downshift!
Commands flowed one after another.
Stella entrusted everything to Derek Su, executing without the slightest hesitation.
Even when both rear wheels momentarily lifted into empty space over the cliff.
Her center of gravity shifted forward, the rear swinging out in a beautiful arc.
The tires hovered on the razor’s edge between losing and regaining grip, kicking up scorching white smoke.
The car’s speed continued to drop. And the instant traction returned—
Derek Su released the brakes and slammed the throttle.
Out of the corner!!
A nearly perfect Shift-Drift.
Clearing that hairpin, Derek Su had completely regained his feel for controlling Stella.
Though Stella was still like a wild horse off the reins, he was now like the grass tied behind her—able to leap and sway in rhythm with her sprint.
Dancing on the blade’s edge at the threshold of control.
This was racing.
...
Less than fifty kilometers from the finish line.
Snowpeak’s overclocking state ended, her cornering speed dropping back to around 380.
Leon Li heard the faint howl of an engine in the wind, gradually overlapping with Snowpeak’s own roar.
He glanced at the rearview mirror.
A silver phantom tore through the dust, closing in fast.
Seeing this, both Leon Li and Snowpeak let out relaxed sighs.
“In the end… we still lost.”
“Yeah, Master. We really did our best~ You’ll need a good workout tonight.”
“Alright. I’ll listen to you.” Leon Li grabbed a handful of ginseng roots and stuffed them into his mouth. A faint smile rose on his face, and the fear and uncertainty in his eyes were gone.
He deliberately guided Snowpeak aside, clearing the racing line.
Watching as Stella overtook them.
And disappeared into the distance.
Author's Note
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