The starting point of the Mermaid Bay Advanced Race.
DL-02 also entered deployed mode, transforming into an off-road vehicle that looked extremely similar to Imperial Scale.
Sitting in DL-02's cockpit, Richard Cheng felt his emotions surge.
A DL-model Mecha Girl. He was finally driving one.
In a certain sense, he had become someone many outstanding pilots would envy.
"Dilin, don't worry. We're definitely taking the championship this time!" Richard Cheng gripped the control stick, his confidence returning.
Who was afraid of whom? This time, he had spent a fortune equipping DL-02 with a gold Module, [Golden Holy Lance].
To buy this Module, he had fought with a group of pilots at the auction house until everyone was red-faced and nearly came to blows. In the end, he had relied on sheer financial power and spent a staggering 200 million to secure the gold Module. It increased Acceleration by a full 7 points, and more importantly, it barely lowered her other attributes while even increasing Endurance. It had practically been made for the Mermaid Bay Advanced Race.
But just then, he heard DL-02 cry out in shock.
"What is going on with Imperial Scale's form?!"
Richard Cheng glanced to the side and immediately understood why DL-02 was so surprised.
Because the form Imperial Scale was showing right now was not her first form, but her second form.
But as the second Mecha Girl of the DL model, did DL-02 really not know about this?
"This is Imperial Scale's second form." Richard Cheng looked at the eye-catching black sports car in the distance and explained, "Imperial Scale has two forms. One is a combat form, and the other is a speed form. They're suited for different types of races."
Hearing that, DL-02 secretly gritted her teeth.
Why?
They were both DL-model Mecha Girls created by absorbing the achievements from Derek Su and Stella's race footage.
So why did Imperial Scale get dual forms while she did not?
W-was there any justice in this?
"Dual forms? Then how fast is her speed form? Is she faster than I am now?" DL-02 asked.
"Uh, probably not." Richard Cheng was not entirely sure either.
However, the analysts at the ESW club had studied Imperial Scale's second form.
By analyzing her performance in that race, they had already gained a rough idea of her second form's special skill.
That special skill seemed to grant explosive Acceleration at the start of a race, then gradually weaken as the race went on. It was also possible that the more Mecha Girls there were around her, the faster she became. Since Imperial Scale had only used her second form in one race, there was far too little data, so they could only draw these somewhat imprecise conclusions. Still, they should not be too far off.
"Imperial Scale is faster at the start of the race, but then she'll slowly fall back, so you don't need to worry about us not catching up." Seeing DL-02's expression darken, Richard Cheng reassured her, "You need to have confidence in your own performance. Have confidence in the gold Module."
He did not dare say anything like "have confidence in my driving."
He knew DL-02 looked down on his skills. Saying that would only make her dislike him more. At least he had that much self-awareness.
"So she's only fast at the start of the race." DL-02 withdrew her gaze, took a deep breath, and stared at the track ahead as her thoughts settled.
Right now, she and Imperial Scale were both in the sixth row of the starting grid.
Almost the entire area ahead of them had already been blocked off by other Mecha Girls.
In theory, starting from the back did not have much effect. In reality, though, it did affect top-tier Mecha Girls like her and Imperial Scale, because their performance far surpassed that of ordinary Mecha Girls. The instant the race started, they could close the gap in position.
At that point, the Mecha Girls ahead of them became obstacles in their path.
They would drag down their speed unless they simply rammed through all at once.
That was exactly what DL-02 intended to do.
The first clash point of the Mermaid Bay Advanced Race was right here.
A total of 69 Mecha Girls across six rows would start at the same time, with 50 meters between each row.
She would rely on her powerful Impact Resistance and Stability to break straight through to the front.
Then what about Imperial Scale?
Second form, speed type. She probably did not have that kind of powerful breakthrough ability, right?
At that thought, DL-02 immediately felt balanced again.
So what if Imperial Scale had two forms? Try to do too much, and you master nothing.
[3, 2, 1!]
As she thought, the countdown rang out.
[Beep, beep—!]
"Boom—!"
The entire starting point was instantly swallowed by sand and dust.
It was a haze of tire smoke mixed with dust, burying the starting line almost at once.
Cheers surged from the stands, while the racers' figures flickered in and out of sight within the dust.
The first round of competition had begun.
Most competitors in the Mermaid Bay Advanced Race could perform launch control, though their level of mastery varied.
As a result, collisions began less than three seconds after the start.
A string of fierce crashes rang out.
Under Richard Cheng's control, DL-02 roared forward, her engine growling like a lion.
The Mecha Girls pressing in from both sides were instantly knocked away.
DL-02 narrowed her eyes and frowned, aiming straight for the Mecha Girls in the fifth row ahead.
Relying on the overwhelming Acceleration provided by the [Golden Holy Lance] Module, she slammed viciously into the fifth-row pack like a heavy black hammer. Before the Mecha Girls in the fifth row could even react, they were struck hard from behind and thrown into chaos.
DL-02, however, was completely unharmed. Her speed should have dropped because of the collisions, but under the protection of a deep-blue ionic vehicle film, her speed was not affected at all. She was practically an unstoppable brawler on the racetrack.
Special Skill: [Imperial Armor: When initiating a collision, if her Impact Resistance and Stability are higher than the opponent's, she gains Super Armor and receives a one-second burst of acceleration (Acceleration +5). If they are lower than the opponent's, she only gains Super Armor and suffers one second of abnormal deceleration (Acceleration -5).]
DL-02 had a clear understanding of her own abilities.
She knew exactly what her strengths were.
Collision. Fearless collision. Conquering through force.
The more she rammed into others, the faster she became.
In less than half a minute, she had already broken through from the sixth row to the third row, unstoppable all the way.
"Imperial Scale, what could you possibly use to defeat me like this?"
Feeling her speed climb higher and higher, the corner of DL-02's mouth curled up.
However...
BOOM—!
Bang!!
The roar of the engine and the sound of a violent collision erupted together right beside her!
That sound...
DL-02's mouth fell open.
At the edge of her vision, yellow sand shot into the sky as a Mecha Girl was actually scooped up and sent flying high.
The terrifying sight made goosebumps rise all over her body.
What kind of impact force could send a Mecha Girl flying right at the start of the race? After all, no one was moving that fast yet. Without speed, where could that impact force have come from?
The answer was soon revealed.
Beneath the Mecha Girl that had been launched into the air, a black shadow broke through the tire smoke and windblown sand, revealing a pair of murderous crimson headlights.
DL-02's breath caught.
That Mecha Girl was none other than DL-01, Imperial Scale!
...
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