Lucy Luo glared at Derek Su, her face full of resentment.
Derek Su gave an awkward laugh and turned to look at Imperial Scale.
Imperial Scale hugged the briefcase and shook her head firmly.
"Boss, this is what we deserve! Since they're the uncrowned kings, let them keep the champion's honor. We'll take the prize money. Everyone gets what they need."
Tunbao stepped forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with Stella on either side of Imperial Scale like a mother hen shielding her chick.
Stella nodded solemnly. "That's right. Everyone gets what they need!"
GPC Club clearly wasn't short on money.
They probably didn't care about a mere five million.
Derek Su felt Lucy Luo was just being polite.
But he really wanted that five million.
So he deliberately avoided Lucy Luo and Eternity's gazes and looked up at the sky instead.
"Ahem… well… you have to admit, the moon over the desert tonight is really big and round…"
…
"Where's the rescue team? Where's the medical team? It's been half an hour! The tornado's almost died down—why aren't they here yet?!"
Howard Wang was on the verge of exploding.
This wasn't his first time hosting a competition.
Whenever Chloe Qin took part in a training race, he would more or less provide sponsorship support, just to give his fiancée a bit of an edge during the event. For example, quietly arranging a middle starting position in the draw so she wouldn't end up too far forward and become the pace-setter.
He swore the Maratela Training Race's rescue and medical teams were the slowest he'd ever seen.
"Boss, the call's connected!"
His secretary hurried over with the phone, looking relieved.
"Ask them why they're not here yet! What the hell are they doing?!" Howard Wang roared.
The call was on speaker.
An apologetic voice came through.
"Sorry, Mr. Wang. The helicopter's rotor has malfunctioned. We're repairing it."
"Repairing my ass! Don't you have vehicles?"
"The tire's punctured, Mr. Wang."
Howard Wang froze.
The medical and rescue teams were equipped with functional Mecha Girls. Even if the transport vehicle's tire was punctured, what about the functional Mecha Girls? Not a single one was anywhere to be seen.
"Then send your functional Mecha Girls to rescue them!"
"Huh? Mr. Wang, the wind's too loud, I can't hear you clearly… Oh? You're saying they've already been rescued? I see, I see. As expected of you, Mr. Wang. Thank you for easing our workload. We won't disturb you further."
Click.
The line went dead.
Smash!
Howard Wang hurled the phone to the ground, shattering it to pieces. His face trembled with fury.
"Damn it! This is deliberate, isn't it?!"
"Boss… what do we do now?" the secretary asked cautiously.
"Investigate. Find out which company sponsors the medical and rescue teams!" Howard Wang took a deep breath as he watched the tornado gradually subside. "Forget counting on them. Send our own people from the Group. Search for Chloe Qin immediately."
"Boss, both teams are handled by Longteng Group," the secretary said.
"Longteng Group…"
The four words hit like a bucket of cold water over his head, instantly cooling his rage.
"How is it Longteng Group?"
He paused.
"Even if it's Longteng Group, I still want to know why they deliberately refused to send rescue!"
Howard Wang pulled out another phone and made the call himself. As the president of a corporation, he naturally had contact information for other CEOs.
The founder of Longteng Technology, Beto Ming.
They'd met once at a gathering and exchanged numbers.
Howard Wang didn't know much about him, only that Longteng's business was highly diversified—strong in cardiac drug research, high-tech racing suit development, and with a solid foothold in the nutrient solution market. It was a giant even larger than Colossus Group . He had an only daughter named Vanessa Ming. Rumor had it that the company's drug research began for her sake.
The call connected quickly.
But it wasn't Beto Ming who answered.
The voice was young, smooth, polished in the way assistants and secretaries often were.
"Mr. Wang, our boss knew you would call. He asked me to pass on a message."
"What message?" Howard Wang's pupils contracted.
"Changing a tire is simple. Changing a fiancée is simple too."
The line went dead.
Howard Wang's face drained of color. A bead of sweat slid down his temple.
Without realizing it, his back was already soaked in cold sweat.
So that was it.
Because he had deliberately sabotaged Stella's tire to target Derek Su, Longteng Group had retaliated against Chloe Qin. When she was swept into the tornado, the rescue and medical teams found excuses not to come.
So…
Stella Club's backing was actually Longteng Group?
But there hadn't been the slightest sign.
Wait.
Howard Wang suddenly thought of something. He quickly pulled up a photo on his phone and zoomed in.
It was a close-up of Derek Su in his racing suit. On his chest was a small portrait of a little girl. Though somewhat blurry, she bore a resemblance to Beto Ming.
If he wasn't mistaken…
That portrait had to be Beto Ming's daughter.
A meteor streaked across the dim sky.
Howard Wang didn't bother to admire it. He only let out a bitter laugh.
He'd thought Stella Club was soft clay, easy to squeeze. Turns out they'd long secured a powerful backer—and an unshakable one at that. No wonder Longteng Group had inexplicably competed with them during the club acquisition. It had all been to pave the way for Derek Su.
"Boss, should we keep urging the rescue team?" the secretary asked nervously.
If they delayed any longer, Chloe Qin might already be beyond saving.
"No need. They're not coming. Call our people. Tonight's search depends on us."
Howard Wang sighed.
He had already prepared himself for the worst.
Just as Beto Ming warned, he might really have to change fiancées today.
…
In the endless desert.
Blazing Wind finally couldn't hold on.
The tornado had lasted too long, and Chloe Qin's punches and kicks had inflicted serious damage.
What made it worse was that she had wet herself in the cockpit. The polluted fluid contaminated Blazing Wind's core, compounding her suffering.
The burning pain spread from her bones to her skin.
In the end, she passed out from the agony.
Once she lost control, her already depleted endurance completely gave out. Deployment mode disengaged automatically, and Chloe Qin was flung from the cockpit. Though the tornado had weakened by then, both of them were still blown across the sand, rolling over and over.
When the tornado finally subsided, Chloe Qin was nowhere to be seen.
Blazing Wind lay gravely injured and unconscious on the sand. Her pale face was mottled with bruises. Her racing suit was torn to shreds, and the exposed skin beneath was covered in cracks.
Imperial Scale's collision had caused considerable damage.
But the greater harm came from Chloe Qin.
Not only physically, but mentally.
The destruction of Blazing Wind's AI Core was the result of both.
Inside her body, the azure core was now shattered.
She had been loyal.
From the day she was born, she carried expectations and love for the track and her driver. She had wanted to support her driver, to fight side by side. Even if they never reached the world stage, she hoped to leave their mark. And when one day her driver grew old and reached the end of his life, she would disassemble alongside him. Her AI Core would be buried with her driver, and they would sleep together forever.
But even the most loyal Mecha Girl could not endure the torment of a driver like Chloe Qin.
Blazing Wind's AI Core began to separate from her chest.
Once fully separated, her human form would disappear completely, leaving only a vehicle shell and a dim core in the cockpit.
The wind still howled.
Sand slowly buried her body, and the core at her chest grew dimmer.
"Am… am I going to die…"
Blazing Wind couldn't tell whether the images in her mind were hallucinations of her final moments or what she was truly seeing.
She felt no pain. She couldn't hear the wind.
The world seemed muted.
She couldn't even feel her eyes.
A meteor streaked across the dark sky.
They say meteors represent the passing of life, carrying final blessings and lingering attachments as they cross the heavens.
The elders of Mecha Island once said that if you make a wish upon a meteor, it will surely come true.
Real or not, she pressed her lips together.
Two clear tears slid down from the corners of her eyes.
"I hope… if I can come to this world again…"
"…I can have a driver who loves me…"
The meteor's light seemed to grow brighter.
As if responding to her wish.
Blazing Wind closed her eyes peacefully and waited for her consciousness to fade.
…
…
Boom!
A massive mechanical structure crashed down near her.
It was a mechanical arm seven or eight meters long, its end smooth as if severed cleanly at the root.
Electric arcs crackled at the fracture, and a large amount of pale red fluid sprayed out.
The fluid splashed over Blazing Wind.
The AI Core soaked in the pale red liquid suddenly lit up, vitality flooding back into it.
It absorbed the liquid rapidly. The cracks across its surface healed at astonishing speed before the core finally withdrew back into her body.
As the pale red liquid drained away completely, the mechanical arm began to rust and age at an eerie pace.
Like… a rotting limb.
Before long, a gust of wind reduced it to scattered debris.
The yellow sand buried everything, erasing all traces as though nothing had happened.
Only the girl lying on the sand remained, her breathing gradually becoming steady.
…
In the distance, more than a dozen vehicle headlights cut through the sand and dust.
The rescue team from Colossus Group had followed the path carved by the tornado for quite some time.
At last, they found this place.
...
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