Chapter 52: Underground Races and Official Races Are Two Different Beasts!

Derek Su couldn't even be bothered to watch that heavy-duty truck Mecha Girl’s Impact Resistance anymore—it was obviously sky-high.
If her steel shovel of a front end so much as grazed you, you’d either get flipped or knocked straight off the track.

“Hahaha! Did you see that kid’s face go pale the moment he saw Savage Bull’s Mecha Girl?”
“Forget him—any of us who run underground races regularly, who doesn’t go pale when they see Savage Bull?”
“This kid’s doomed. Savage Bull’s not slow at all.”

The racers’ chatter rose around him.

A fair-skinned young man leaned in and whispered to Derek Su, “First time here, right? Listen—don’t go head-to-head with Savage Bull. His Cornering is trash. Just hold out until the first Cornering. Once you get past that, he won’t be able to keep up!”

“Thanks for the warning. I’ve got it,” Derek Su replied with a light chuckle, signaling Stella to deploy her chassis.

The young man looked at Stella’s bright silver body with pure envy.

This very Mecha Girl had taken first place with Derek Su in the Knox Rally—breaking the track record in the process.
He hoped that one day, he and his Mecha Girl could enter an official race like Derek Su.

For now, they were still grinding underground races, scraping together money for Modules.

The racers ahead launched one after another. Soon, it was Derek Su and Savage Bull’s turn.

“Kid, I’m gonna crush you! Heh—heh—heh!”
The middle-aged man was hyped beyond reason—during the countdown, he even dragged a finger across his throat and made an ugly face at Derek Su.

【Cars 34 and 35, prepare for launch. Five-second countdown!】

Derek Su pressed the clutch, shifted into first, and floored the accelerator.
The engine output surged straight to maximum—ready to deliver brutal torque at any moment.

Vroooom, vroooom—!

The low, guttural roar sounded like a wild beast.

The old man inside the heavy-truck cockpit was stunned.

“What the hell is this kid doing? Why’s he revving at the start line? Is he brain-damaged?!”

Five seconds flashed by.

Derek Su eased off the clutch. Stella’s control system monitored tire grip in real time and fed the data straight into his mind through their mental link.

The moment was perfect.

The countdown hit zero—

SKR—!

Explosive kinetic force spun the tires at maximum speed, rubber grinding against the pavement until red sparks burst forth.

Then Stella shot forward like a wild horse breaking free.

All that remained behind were scorched tire marks—and a faint trail of “tire fumes”.

“What the—hell?!”
The old man’s eyes bulged, his jaw nearly smacking the control lever. Only when Derek Su and Stella were nearly out of sight did he remember to start his own Mecha Girl.

“Underground races and official ones really are two different beasts…”
He stared at the empty track ahead with a sigh, lit a cigarette, rested his elbow on the window, and looked utterly world-weary.

“Master, I don’t mind you slapping all those ramming plates on me, but if you smoke on me again—your girl’s gonna throw you straight out!”

...

Street-level Mecha Girls weren’t exactly impressive in terms of speed.

After all, most people could only afford Mecha Girls ranging from tens of thousands to a few hundred thousand credits. Some rich folks owned million-credit mechas—but those people would never waste their time on underground races.

So even without going full power, Stella’s speed was nearly double theirs. After clearing the first easy Cornering, Derek Su and Stella could already see several of the earlier starters.

“Master, this feels strange—turning is so easy now!”
Stella tilted her head, her petite rear wiggling in delight.
Her fluttering lashes and upturned smile showed just how thrilled she was.

“Before, when I tried to sync with you on turns, I’d lose control. But now I can match you perfectly! I didn’t think one Module could make such a huge difference!”

Derek Su flashed a mysterious smile, hiding his pride.

The Module upgrade was huge, sure—but the real game changer was the MP boost to Cornering and Drifting.
Drifting improved stability mid-drift, while Cornering enhanced controllability through bends. Combined, it meant navigating these low-difficulty turns no longer felt like wrestling a bull by the horns.

As they chatted, Stella was already rapidly closing in on two Mecha Girls ahead.

Just as Stella prepared to overtake—

One Mecha Girl’s sunroof popped open, and the driver half-stood up, hoisting a metal rod. He first aimed at the Mecha Girl beside him—then spotted Stella barreling toward them and redirected it at her.

“Master, what’s that guy holding?”
Stella leaned closer curiously, wanting a better look.

A cold sweat crawled down Derek Su’s back.

“That’s a damn rocket launcher!”
“Dodge!”

“Waaahhhh—! A rocket launcher?! We’re dead—Master, we’re gonna get blown up!!”

BOOM!

The muffled thud of the launcher firing echoed in their ears.

Derek Su didn’t even look—he yanked the joystick, drifting hard to the side.
The projectile exploded ahead, but strangely lacked force—what blasted toward them instead was a spicy, pepper-laden wind.

Seeing Derek Su forced back, the driver ahead howled excitedly.

Just then, host Connor’s commentary rang out, solving the mystery:

“Ladies and gentlemen! Foxfire Club’s underground races ban all lethal heavy weaponry! Instead, racers may use flash grenades, pepper rounds, and ink rounds! Trust me—less gore, just as thrilling!”

“For example—our very own Knox Rally Champion just got schooled!”

Spotlights locked onto Derek Su and Stella.

The audience erupted in laughter.

Derek Su pressed his lips together, tasting nothing but pepper.

“Pff! Ack—gross!”
Stella shook her head violently, as if she could shake the taste out. Puffing her cheeks, she complained, “Master! These people are so annoying!”

“I think so too.” Derek Su narrowed his eyes, realigned Stella, and began closing the distance again. “Since they want to play… let’s play.”

At that moment, the driver ahead had already used his arsenal to force the Mecha Girl beside him to crash into the guardrail. A crimson pepper cloud engulfed her as violent coughing echoed from within.
Seeing Derek Su and Stella rushing up again, the driver reached for another weapon—but it was too late.
He dropped back into the cockpit, jerked the controls, and blocked Stella’s path.

The trunk snapped open—
A mist of pitch-black ink blasted out, drenching Stella’s body.
The windshield turned completely black.

Derek Su lost all visual.

But sight wasn’t always necessary.

Memory and instinct were enough.

He flicked the wipers on and prepared for the turn.

Even in total darkness, Derek Su felt the track ahead—
A left-hand bend.

No handbrake.
No gear shift.
Just inertia.

He swung the joystick fully—Stella’s chassis snapped into a 170-degree drift, wheels slicing diagonally across the track, shrieking with friction.
The monster acceleration carried Stella through the turn—overtaking at the same time.

The wipers finally cleared a patch on the windshield.

Stella was now pointed directly at the opposing Mecha Girl.
Her pilot, half-outside the sunroof and holding some weapon, froze completely.

Derek Su met the racer’s eyes.
A grin tugged at his lips.
He flipped the driver the middle finger.

The drift ended—traction returned.

He guided the joystick right, slowly realigning Stella’s front.
The car straightened just as they exited the bend.

“Woooah! Master, what was that?!” Stella’s excited voice rang out.

She tapped her head in frustration. “I suddenly locked eyes with that Mecha Girl—I totally blanked out!”

“That’s called a J-turn drift~” Derek Su said proudly.
“And we’re not done—we still owe that guy something~”

He stomped the brakes, spun the steering left and right, and just as Stella nearly lost control, he pulled her back.

A zigzag drift trail carved itself across the asphalt—like the staggering steps of a drunk.

Burning rubber produced a thick, terrible white smoke odor.

It completely blocked the Mecha Girl behind them.
She had no choice but to stick to Stella’s silhouette.

Then Derek Su charged straight at the guardrail.

At the last instant—
A handbrake flick sent Stella whipping back onto the track.

The Mecha Girl behind them wasn’t so quick—
She slammed straight into the guardrail.

The crowd roared wildly, their cheers never stopping.

When Derek Su finished the J-turn, Connor’s voice was already shot.
Now, croaking like a duck after a fever, he screamed:

“Ladies and gentlemen! Our Knox Champion has just shown us what true professional driving looks like! Anyone who’s never been on an official track is just a rookie!”

“His Mecha Girl Stella has zero modifications! You heard me—she’s the only unmodified Mecha Girl on the track tonight!!”

“I still can’t even fathom how he pulled off that insane maneuver! But now we can look forward to seeing whether Derek Su can clear the steel frame bridge with Stella—unmodified!!”

...

From the best seats in the arena, Xavier Young and Lumina stared at Stella as she tore around the ring-shaped track.

The roar of the engine made their cooled blood surge again.

“This kid better not disappoint me.”

Xavier Young’s hand loosened and tightened again.
He glanced at Lumina, searching for the light in her eyes.

Among the crowd, a small hooded figure watched intently, eyes fixed on Stella’s shadow streaking across the track.

The stands were erupting with noise.

Another Mecha Girl had just failed to clear the steel frame bridge, tumbling down with her pilot. Thankfully, the bridge wasn't high, and the cushioned landing area below kept them safe.

But more importantly—

The silver Lumina burst through the wind!

Roaring toward the steel bridge, unstoppable!