Chapter 95: Nerve Reflex

In the past, Purple Lightning would have treasured an opportunity like this.
If she could perform well in front of Chloe Qin, maybe she would finally get a chance to rise again.

But now, Purple Lightning felt nothing of the sort.

After countless life-and-death battles in the black market—times when the pain was so intense she could barely breathe, yet still forced herself to stand back up; times when she silently licked her wounds alone in a pitch-dark room—she often recalled the road she had once walked with Chloe Qin. Over and over, she questioned why she had ended up in such a miserable state. Gradually, that heart which had once been filled with hope and burning passion slowly cooled.

“I just want to make money now.”
She lowered her gaze, her bangs hiding eyes that had long since lost their light.

“What?” Chloe Qin raised an eyebrow, momentarily doubting her own ears.

“I want to make money.”

“You can earn money by racing with me in training matches.”

“Too little.”

Purple Lightning clenched her fingers. A sharp, penetrating pain surged along the scars left by her modifications, as if reminding her of every bit of suffering and humiliation she had endured.

“In the arena, winning once gets you at least five hundred thousand. After medical expenses, there’s still around two hundred thousand left. But in training matches, you only get that much if you place second or higher.”

“The arena?” Chloe Qin scoffed. “You’ve really grown bold—”

Before she could finish, Purple Lightning’s cold, razor-sharp gaze met hers.

“Most importantly, I don’t want to race with you.”

Chloe Qin froze. The words she was about to say lodged in her throat, her face filled with disbelief.

“If there’s nothing else, I’m leaving.”
Purple Lightning stood up with her backpack, her expression blank. “I still have three arena matches today. If I don’t make it back in time, they’ll dock my pay.”

Chloe Qin stared at Purple Lightning’s retreating figure, grinding her teeth in anger.

Letting Purple Lightning race with her had been an act of charity—yet now it looked as if she had been begging Purple Lightning instead. In the club, everyone feared her; aside from the boss, everyone had to read her mood. When had she ever been treated so coldly?

“Forget it. She’s just a piece of scrap anyway.”

Glancing at the contract on the table, Chloe Qin gradually calmed her breathing.

At least Purple Lightning could still provide her with eighteen million.

That money was more than enough to buy excellent modules for Blazing Wind. There was no need to get angry over a useless Mecha Girl like Purple Lightning.

“Master, did Purple Lightning come by?”

Blazing Wind walked out from the inner room. Her black hair was braided, and she wore a gray racing suit. She glanced toward the doorway, but the small figure was already gone.

“Mm, she left.” Chloe Qin pulled Blazing Wind over to sit beside her and said disdainfully, “I used to hear that the more useless a Mecha Girl is, the less self-aware she becomes. I thought it was a joke. Turns out it’s true—look at Purple Lightning. She even went to fight gladiator matches in the underground black market. Must’ve had her brain beaten senseless.”

Blazing Wind pressed her lips together. She sympathized with Purple Lightning’s situation, but as a Mecha Girl bound by contract, she couldn’t help her—or perhaps she had grown somewhat indifferent. After all, if Chloe Qin could abandon Purple Lightning for poor performance, she could abandon her just as easily. That was why, ever since joining the club as Chloe Qin’s Mecha Girl, Blazing Wind had trained relentlessly and acted with extreme caution.

Over the past two years, aside from coming to the club to pay breach fees, Purple Lightning had barely interacted with Chloe Qin or Blazing Wind. Chloe Qin never cared about Purple Lightning’s well-being, and Purple Lightning rarely saw her. Most of the time, it was Blazing Wind who handled the payments.

Today was an exception.

“Blazing Wind, you’re the Mecha Girl who’s been with me the longest.” Chloe Qin’s gaze turned cold as she spoke solemnly. “Last year, we won the Greenfield, Xiangshan, Mermaid Bay, and Brana Ruins advancement races. In the first half of this year, we took the Silverstone Advancement Race. In less than half a year, it’ll be the Panlong Mountain Circuit.”

She continued, her tone heavy. “That provincial-level track will definitely have plenty of top-tier Mecha Girls. The pressure on you is huge.”

Blazing Wind lowered her head, her face pale, fear quietly welling up inside her.

Her performance was indeed excellent, especially with the golden module installed. With those attributes, she could even contend with some top-tier Mecha Girls—but only contend.

How many elite Mecha Girls were there that she hadn’t even encountered yet? Those with unimaginable abilities could dominate the track with ease. For her to catch up, she would need to put in a thousand times the effort—and even then, it might not be enough.

Still, what she feared most was being abandoned by Chloe Qin.

She knew Chloe Qin was saving money. Depending on Blazing Wind’s performance, that money might be used as backup funds to buy modules—or to bid on a top-tier Mecha Girl at auction. If it was the latter, she would lose her chance to race, just like Purple Lightning.

Chloe Qin wanted to become a Techmaster.
That meant the Panlong Mountain Circuit couldn’t just be about finishing the race.

She had to place in the top ten to earn a chance at awakening—maybe even top five, or top three.

The Sodium Fiber-Ω Injection was one of the rewards for finishing in the provincial top ten. The champion of the Panlong Mountain Circuit would receive three such injections.

These injections stimulated the human body to generate psychic energy, increasing the probability of awakening as a Techmaster. They weren’t available on the open market.

The Panlong Mountain Circuit was the only way to obtain them.

Under such circumstances, the pressure on Blazing Wind skyrocketed.

Chloe Qin clearly noticed the fear in her eyes. She patted Blazing Wind’s shoulder and smiled gently. “Don’t be so nervous. I have complete confidence in you. With the two of us working together, placing at the provincial level won’t be a problem. Relax… There’s a training match in a few days. I’ll take you along for some fun.”

Blazing Wind nodded nervously.

They called it a training match, but in reality, it was just bullying weaker opponents—something Chloe Qin loved most.

Rumor had it this habit came from lingering trauma after being utterly crushed by VVC Club’s ace racer, Caio Yang–Comet.

Most Mecha Girls went into training matches happily. Blazing Wind was different. Even in training matches, Chloe Qin cared deeply about results. She had to prepare perfectly.

With a few days left before the training match, she decided she’d sleep less and train more.

...

Foxfire Club—

“Derek Su, your stamina is about where it should be now. We can start adding some other training.”

Zane looked Derek Su up and down.

Derek Su had always been in decent shape, but now his skin looked firmer than before. When he moved, muscles visibly shifted beneath the surface.

“No more running?” Derek Su froze.

He had just come back from a run with Stella when he heard this unexpected good news. It felt like a gift from the heavens, and even the way he looked at Zane became noticeably friendlier.

“You’re thinking too much.” Zane rolled his eyes. “You’re just handling running easily now—no longer looking like you’re about to lose half your life. To speed things up, starting today, you’ll also train your nerve reflexes.”

Nerve reflexes needed training?

Derek Su chuckled to himself. For a top-tier driver, nerve reflexes were like a pro gamer’s essential passive skill. On the track, dangers came in all forms. Whether you could avoid them in time and finish the race depended not only on the car’s performance and the driver’s experience, but also on reaction speed.

As the saying goes, driving for decades doesn’t automatically make you a veteran.

A true veteran is someone who can react instantly in emergencies and choose the optimal response.

Zane could tell from Derek Su’s smug expression that he didn’t take nerve reflex training seriously. He snorted, slipped something from his pocket, then suddenly reached out.

In a flash, his fingers stopped less than a centimeter from Derek Su’s eyes.

Between two of his fingers was a mosquito.

The sight stunned Derek Su. His mouth fell open as he stared at Zane in disbelief.

“Derek Su, you think training nerve reflexes is easy, don’t you?”

Zane pulled out a tissue and wiped his hands, speaking calmly. “If you want to become a Techmaster, you have to put in far more effort than ordinary people. Your goal is to do exactly what I just did—fast, precise, and ruthless—while blindfolded. Only then will your nerve reflexes be considered up to standard.”