The strong never complain about their circumstances.
If there's no launch pad, then you create one.
Thanks to Mr. Xavier's thorough explanation of the Greenfield Advancement Race course the day before—including the terrain along the riverbank—Derek Su had memorized this cliff located upstream. The slope rose at roughly thirty degrees, with a twelve-meter height difference to the opposite bank. In an emergency, it could function as a makeshift launch pad.
But Derek Su wanted more than a simple jump.
As the cliff drew closer, he glanced at Stella's speedometer—481 km/h, and still climbing steadily. This was the first time he had fully unleashed Stella's straight-line acceleration without activating the Sovereign Engine. The throttle had been pinned to the floor the entire time.
What awaited him and Stella was going to be a spectacular flight.
"Stella, are you scared?"
"Not scared, d-d-d-d…"
"If you're not scared, then why the hell are you shaking?!"
"M-Ma-Master, this is my… my unique engine warm-up method…"
Derek Su couldn't help but laugh.
What he was doing was undeniably crazy—but he would deliver both himself and Stella safely to the finish line.
That was the confidence of the Track Emperor.
Everything was already calculated.
...
"Ladies and gentlemen, witness the birth of a new king!"
"Dawnbreak and her partner Laiya An have successfully seized the optimal launch pad! As expected of a top-tier Mecha Girl—"
Derek Su's lane change happened in an instant.
So fast that Taimei was still praising Dawnbreak.
So fast that the cameraman's lens was still locked onto Dawnbreak.
Until the screech of drifting brakes rang out—aimed straight at the cliff.
Taimei's eyes flew wide open. Her microphone nearly slipped from her hands, the words she was about to say freezing in her throat. The cameraman instinctively tried to track Stella, but even he struggled, unable to keep the silver blur centered in frame.
Too fast.
A phantom speed—like a bolt of silver lightning.
But ahead… was a cliff!
"V-viewers…" Taimei stammered, suddenly snapping back to reality. This was no longer the time for commentary. She hurriedly set down the microphone and shouted at the stunned staff beside her, "What are you standing around for?! Call the medical team—now!"
Derek Su was the King of Knox, a genius driver who had pioneered countless racing techniques.
Even if he never became a Techmaster, his contributions to racing technology alone were enough to earn the respect of every driver and Mecha Girl. Without exaggeration, he was already becoming a star among all ordinary drivers and Mecha Girls beneath the Techmaster level. If such a star were to fall during the Greenfield Advancement Race…
Taimei didn't even dare think about it. The aftermath would be unimaginable—and for her personally, suspension or unemployment would be the least of her worries.
The staff finally snapped out of it and rushed to notify the medical team.
But it was already too late.
Derek Su and Stella had already blasted past the cliff's edge and launched into the air!
The cameraman's shot finally managed to lock onto Stella.
As the silver streak soared through the sky, the entire grandstand fell dead silent.
Many people unconsciously stood up, leaning forward, as if doing so would let them see the scene more clearly—more completely.
Purple Lightning stared blankly at the big screen, the pineapple in her hand slipping from her fingers and falling to the ground.
In a corner of the stands, Leon Li and Snowpeak were also staring at the screen. On faces that were usually calm and unreadable, ripples finally appeared. Leon Li's pupils contracted slightly, shock filling his eyes, while Snowpeak tightened her grip on his hand, her lips parted.
On the track, Lumina stared at the soaring silver phantom, her heartbeat skipping a beat as she forgot to breathe.
At the finish line, Zane and Lingwind leaned against the guardrail, their faces pale as they watched Stella fly off the cliff.
Inside the prison, Mr. Liang craned his neck, drenched in sweat, staring fixedly at the television. The bottle of iced red tea in his hand had been crushed into a wad. On the floor, the remote control lay shattered, while nearby, several inmates with bruised faces huddled in a corner, trembling.
Time seemed to slow to a crawl in that instant.
Everyone understood one thing with absolute clarity.
The young driver known as the Magician was dancing on the very edge of death.
...
"Master… am I going to die?"
"No."
"Then before I die, can you grant me one wish?"
"I already said you're not!"
Three seconds of airtime.
Stella's speed held at 482 km/h.
The jump distance—roughly 400 meters.
Stella turned to look at Derek Su, her eyes glistening with emotion. Derek Su stared straight ahead, his mind filled with precise calculations. His hands moved faster than those of a surgeon mid-operation. Air resistance constantly altered Stella's posture in midair, every millisecond bringing new variables, and he adjusted her landing angle without pause.
When the silver streak aligned with the sun—
The arc reached its apex, and Stella began to descend.
Derek Su's gaze passed over the hairpin turn.
His target was the finish line.
"Ma-Master, actually, I… I li—"
Stella shut her eyes, bit her lip, clenched her fists, her face burning red.
In the instant she thought she might truly be finished, an overwhelming courage surged within her.
At that moment, every protective system in Stella's body reinforced the cockpit.
"Boom—!"
The front of the vehicle slammed into the ground at roughly a forty-five-degree angle, perpendicular to the straight that led from the hairpin to the finish.
Laiya An and Dawnbreak, who had just cleared the hairpin, could only watch as Derek Su and Stella landed directly in front of them.
Inside the cockpit, Derek Su remained expressionless as he snapped the control stick.
Screech—!
The tires screamed against the asphalt, sparks and black smoke bursting outward.
Stella's speed display jumped wildly like an electrocardiogram.
Tap brake. Shift. Throttle released for a split second—then slammed down again.
Stella's body spun sideways through a full 180 degrees, aligning perfectly with the track and facing the finish.
Roar!
The engine's howl tore through the entire circuit.
Just before the finish line, Derek Su hit the brakes once more. Stella drifted smoothly, coming to a steady stop right on the podium.
Derek Su rested one arm on the window frame, twisting open a bottle of mineral water with the other. He raised it toward the late-arriving Dawnbreak and Laiya An and downed it in one gulp.
"Sorry about that," he said casually. "Flew a bit too far."
A routine bit of psychological pressure on his competitors.
Only then did Derek Su remember that Stella seemed to have said something the moment they landed.
"Stella, what were you saying just now? The suspension was too loud—I didn't hear it."
Stella stared blankly at her surroundings.
How had she ended up at the finish line already?
What… had just happened?
At his words, she finally snapped back to her senses. Her face flushed visibly, the redness spreading all the way to her ears until they turned deep crimson.
"N-nothing…"
"Really? If you're not feeling well, you should say so~"
"R-really, it was nothing!"
"Alright then~" Derek Su tossed the empty bottle out the window. It landed perfectly in the trash bin.
Stella covered her burning face and took a deep breath.
"Master, you big idiot!!"
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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