"Don't you know you're supposed to respect your elders and look after the young?!"
After dodging yet another ram from Snowpeak, Laiya An furiously grabbed a megaphone and shouted at Snowpeak and Leon Li beside her, "I only just came of age!"
Dawnbreak gritted her teeth, looking thoroughly annoyed.
Normally, Snowpeak shouldn't have been able to catch up with her at all. But Dawnbreak was currently weakened after using her special skill, and in this state, she really wasn't a match for Snowpeak.
Leon Li refused to back down. With a perfectly blank expression, he switched on the car's loudspeaker and called out to Dawnbreak beside him, "I just turned eighteen~"
Then he promptly drove Snowpeak into Dawnbreak again.
This time, Dawnbreak failed to dodge and was knocked off her line. Laiya An barely managed to wrestle her back under control.
Purple Lightning quietly followed behind them, watching the drama unfold.
Inside the cockpit, Derek Su calmly took a sip of water and let out a contented sigh. "Young people really are full of energy. Unlike an old-timer like me. I've already lost the will to fight anyone on the track. Heh heh~"
Purple Lightning's skill ended, and her speed gradually began to drop.
Before it could fall too far, Derek Su pulled the same trick as before and started building up her skill gauge again.
He had Purple Lightning weave back and forth across the track, pulling all kinds of flashy maneuvers as her tires screeched against the asphalt.
Laiya An and Leon Li had been busy fighting each other when they suddenly heard the piercing sound of tires.
Both glanced into their rearview mirrors.
Derek Su was driving Purple Lightning behind them, swaying left and right across the track.
It looked as though the two of them were fighting tooth and nail up front while Derek Su and Purple Lightning danced behind them.
Leon Li's mouth twitched.
He had actually had a pretty good impression of Derek Su and Purple Lightning until now.
Was this supposed to be blatant mockery?
"I can't believe my idol broke through those two sneaky bastards' back-to-back blockades too. As expected of the man I've set my sights on!"
Laiya An immediately became interested when she saw Derek Su and Purple Lightning.
Derek Su was indeed her idol, and one of the reasons she had entered racing was to surpass him.
"Tch, they actually got through... What ridiculous luck!" Dawnbreak had just been rammed by Snowpeak and was still grimacing in pain. But the moment she saw Derek Su and Purple Lightning, then heard Laiya An call him "the man I've set my sights on," she instantly perked up, murderous intent filling her eyes.
"Master, should we block Derek Su and Purple Lightning?"
Dawnbreak openly displayed her aggression.
Laiya An rubbed her chin and thought for a second. Out of the corner of her eye, her gaze met Leon Li's.
In that instant, they reached an understanding.
"Block them!" Laiya An waved her hand decisively. "We absolutely have to! My idol is so strong. If we're going to be stumbling blocks on his road to the championship, then we should at least do a proper job of it!"
Dawnbreak nearly blacked out.
Who called themselves a stumbling block?
Still, Laiya An had actually agreed to target Derek Su for once?!
It felt like the sun had risen in the west.
Laiya An had finally grown up!
"Master, just leave it to me!" Dawnbreak's lips curled into a sinister grin as she locked her gaze on Purple Lightning. "We can't beat them in skill, but when it comes to blocking someone's line, we're professionals."
"We can team up with Snowpeak."
Dawnbreak froze and instinctively looked to the side.
Snowpeak's headlights were flashing repeatedly, her laser lamps projecting a strange sequence of pale blue symbols onto the road ahead.
[·---,---,··,-·,····,·-,-·,-··,···]
The symbols flashed rapidly, beginning a second cycle in less than three seconds.
Even after watching the second cycle, Dawnbreak was still completely baffled.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Morse code." Laiya An chuckled. "Leon Li is sending us a message.
J: ·---
O: ---
I: ··
N: -·
H: ····
A: ·-
N: -·
D: -··
S: ···
Put together, it spells 'JOIN HANDS.' He wants us to team up."
Dawnbreak immediately understood.
Humans really knew how to scheme. Mecha Girls were far too innocent for all these little tricks.
"Who wants to team up with that dump truck?" Dawnbreak muttered, pouting unhappily.
Snowpeak had just rammed her, and she was still annoyed about it.
But she also knew that she alone had no chance against Derek Su and Purple Lightning.
"Fine. I'm a generous person. With a common enemy in front of us, I suppose teaming up makes sense."
Seeing that Dawnbreak had agreed, Laiya An raised a hand and gave Leon Li an "OK" gesture.
Leon Li nodded slightly.
And just like that, Dawnbreak and Snowpeak formed a temporary alliance against Derek Su.
Purple Lightning, still weaving back and forth behind them, also noticed the flashing lights and symbols.
She frowned, uncertainty flickering in her eyes.
"Master, have you ever seen people communicate with symbols and headlights before?"
"Sure."
"How?"
"What do you mean, how? Aren't those two right in front of us doing it?" Derek Su spread his hands, cunning and insight glinting in his dark eyes.
"Those two youngsters are already planning to team up against this kind and harmless old man."
The moment he finished speaking, Snowpeak and Dawnbreak suddenly slowed down.
In an instant, they boxed Purple Lightning in from both sides.
A corner was coming up directly ahead.
Laiya An and Leon Li knew that Purple Lightning's Impact Resistance and stability were poor. They intended to teach Derek Su a lesson at the corner.
Out of respect for him, they hadn't used the far more dangerous tactic of squeezing him between them on a straight.
"Purple Lightning, if your opponents completely block off every line through a corner, what would you do?"
Purple Lightning looked confused by Derek Su's question.
Cornering was what she was best at, but that was when she was taking the corner alone.
If she had to enter it alongside Snowpeak and Dawnbreak, she would have to slow down and yield. Otherwise, she was bound to collide with one of them.
She didn't know whether Snowpeak or Dawnbreak would be fine afterward, but she knew for certain that she herself would lose control.
"Let them go first?" she asked timidly.
"But what if they block you at every corner after that?
"What happens to your victory? Your glory? They'll keep you from ever reaching either one."
Purple Lightning bit her red lip.
The pressure from Snowpeak and Dawnbreak on either side strained her nerves.
Frustration, helplessness, and resignation swirled in her chest.
Then Derek Su's firm voice cut through those emotions.
"Always trying to please others and giving way to them won't get you anywhere.
"That's true in racing, and it's even more true in life."
As he spoke, the three Mecha Girls entered the corner almost side by side.
Snowpeak occupied the inside lane, Purple Lightning the middle, and Dawnbreak the outside.
The outcome seemed obvious.
Snowpeak had the greatest collision force, and because she was on the inside line, she would begin drifting first with a wide swing of her rear. She was bound to hit Purple Lightning.
Once Purple Lightning was knocked outward, she would immediately collide with Dawnbreak, whose drift would begin a moment later.
Caught between two Mecha Girls with excellent stability and Impact Resistance, being battered back and forth between them, Purple Lightning would have no room to escape.
Purple Lightning knew that perfectly well.
"Don't be afraid."
A warm, powerful hand rested against her waist.
Derek Su's steady, commanding voice sounded behind her.
"Watch me."
...
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