It was a leather suitcase.
Inside were twenty modules in total, every one of them glowing purple.
It was not that gold modules or diamond modules were unaffordable. The real problem was that they were simply too rare.
Gold modules were usually bought the moment they appeared. Many module shops still had gold modules in stock, but most of them had bizarre stat bonuses. Add in the outrageous prices, and once drivers and clubs did the math, they often found that a gold module gave less improvement than a purple one. Naturally, they passed on them. That was why only those particular gold modules had remained, slowly turning into prized display pieces in the shops.
"Gray Castle, I've thought it over. The final stage has narrow roads, fewer corners, and a few more slopes. Your speed is higher than Imperial Scale's, so once you use that speed to seize the track, I'll install this module for you." Richard Cheng took out the module in the center of the case and said with a smile, "Eye of Repose! A module specialized for stability and collision resistance. Once you equip this, your stability and collision resistance should definitely surpass Imperial Scale's!"
Gray Castle frowned. "But this module lowers acceleration, doesn't it?"
"It does." Richard Cheng smiled as he said, "But that doesn't matter. As long as you grab the track first, and your stability and collision resistance are practically maxed out, what can Imperial Scale do to you? She won't be able to budge you. And you can still keep using your special skill to affect her."
"My endurance is running low, Master. I won't be able to keep using my special skill for long in the next stage," Gray Castle said.
"It's fine, it's fine." Richard Cheng waved a hand. "It doesn't matter whether you use it or not. Better if you can, but it's no big deal if you can't. Trust me, this plan is flawless. Guaranteed win!"
At that point, Gray Castle naturally nodded along with Richard Cheng.
But she still felt faintly uneasy inside.
It was already known that she was faster than Imperial Scale, while Imperial Scale had the edge in collision resistance and stability.
So as a top-tier driver, would Derek Su really not adjust his strategy in the third stage around those facts?
If even Richard Cheng could think of this, how could a top-tier driver fail to?
It might take only one small module to neutralize Richard Cheng's secret weapon.
She also had no idea whether Imperial Scale had installed any modules before.
Imperial Scale's starting position was right beside hers. Looking at the vicious-looking black Mecha Girl next to her, Gray Castle's gaze gradually hardened.
Why bother thinking about all that pointless stuff?
No matter what, she had to defend the honor of the HB-model Mecha Girls!
...
While Gray Castle was secretly observing Imperial Scale, Derek Su was secretly observing Gray Castle too.
The upcoming third stage was crucial. He had to find a way to seize the track.
But Gray Castle had five more points of acceleration than Imperial Scale, and that stat would not be easy to make up for. If he gave Imperial Scale a module that increased speed while lowering collision resistance and stability, the tradeoff did not seem worth it, because then Imperial Scale's special skill would no longer work perfectly. And if Richard Cheng gave Gray Castle a module that boosted stability and collision resistance, Imperial Scale would become very passive.
Derek Su had always been the type to plan before making a move.
In that short pause while waiting for the start, he had already discarded a whole stack of ideas in his head.
"Master, are you thinking about what to do next?"
Imperial Scale's cool voice suddenly came from the front.
"Uh, yeah. I'm thinking about that, because I don't know what module Richard Cheng is going to give Gray Castle."
Imperial Scale was silent for a moment, then said calmly, "The key to the third stage is taking the track, so I do not think you need to consider too much. No matter what module Richard Cheng gives Gray Castle, we only need to do one thing."
"What thing?" Derek Su froze for a moment.
Imperial Scale lifted her eyes. Her rose-red gaze met Derek Su's in the rearview mirror, and her red lips parted slightly.
"Use my second form."
If Imperial Scale had not brought it up, Derek Su really would have forgotten that she had a second form.
Back when Imperial Scale first showed him that second form, he had already felt that its activation conditions were rather strict.
The special skill that came with it was:
[Imperial Sword. One Million Fallen Corpses: The more Mecha Girls there are within 100 meters, the faster the acceleration becomes. +1 acceleration for each Mecha Girl, up to a maximum of 10 points. If there are more than 2 Mecha Girls within 50 meters, gains the Breakthrough effect.
Breakthrough: Activating it grants an explosive acceleration boost equal to +20% acceleration, temporary +10 collision resistance, and knocks away all Mecha Girls along the route. Breakthrough lasts 10 seconds.]
To trigger Imperial Sword's effect, multiple Mecha Girls had to start at the same time.
And was not that exactly the situation in the third stage right now?
Counting Imperial Scale and Gray Castle, there were fourteen Mecha Girls total within one hundred meters of the starting point, so the One Million Fallen Corpses effect would instantly max out.
They would also get the active skill Breakthrough.
On top of that, Imperial Scale's second form had 85 stability and 85 collision resistance. With Breakthrough active, her collision resistance could rise to 95.
At the same time, she would gain a ten-second acceleration burst with acceleration reaching 102.
In other words, as a speed-type Mecha Girl, she could still face any clash without fear. It was fair to say that Imperial Scale's second form was perfectly suited to the third stage of Brana Ruins.
More importantly...
If Imperial Scale switched to second form right now, the surrounding Mecha Girls, especially Gray Castle, would definitely be stunned.
"Master, what do you think? Should I enter second form?"
Seeing that the race had entered the thirty-second countdown, Imperial Scale gave him a reminder.
"Switch at ten seconds. Give them a little taste of what a cheat looks like." A sly grin spread across Derek Su's face.
"Understood. But what is a cheat?"
"You can ask Stella when we get back. Stella knows."
[10 seconds until launch!]
The instant the announcement rang out, all the Mecha Girls stared at the track ahead, poised to move, the atmosphere heavy with tension.
Only Derek Su and Imperial Scale were suddenly covered in warped photons, while a humming sound echoed through the entire field and drew the attention of the surrounding Mecha Girls and drivers.
Then they watched in shock as Imperial Scale, who had originally been in off-road form, transformed into a sleek black sports car.
"What the hell? What happened? Did they swap Mecha Girls?"
"No, that's impossible. You can't swap Mecha Girls during the launch countdown."
"Then how...?"
Just as Derek Su had expected, the surrounding drivers and Mecha Girls had no way to understand what they were seeing.
Inside Gray Castle's cockpit, Richard Cheng stared at Imperial Scale beside him, his jaw practically dropping onto the control stick.
"Gray Castle, y-you're a Mecha Girl. Do you know what's going on?"
Gray Castle fell silent for two seconds, then took a deep breath. "This is an extremely rare dual-form type. Only some top-tier Mecha Girls have dual forms. From the looks of it, Imperial Scale's second form is a coupe, a speed type, which is more suited to this final stage... Master, we may be in trouble."
"Dual form... speed type..."
Richard Cheng muttered blankly, his eyes gradually going vacant.
The regret in them was like a surging river.
If he had known, he should have clung on shamelessly and bought Imperial Scale at the auction no matter what.
And if that failed, he should have bought her from Derek Su directly. At worst, two billion. Just throw money at it.
Now all he could do was drool while staring at her from the side.
[3 seconds until launch!]
Gray Castle stared coldly at the track ahead.
Imperial Scale's sudden move really had caught her off guard.
But...
Speed-type Mecha Girls had poor collision resistance and stability, right?
Which meant she still had a chance!