While Swain Li was secretly observing Derek Su, Derek Su was also sizing up him and his Mecha Girl.
Mostly, he was observing Silver Mirror.
At that moment, Silver Mirror's stat panel appeared in his field of vision.
[Drifting: 73]
[Acceleration: 85]
[Cornering: 62]
[Boost Charge: 82]
[Stability: 59]
[Impact Resistance: 57]
[Endurance: 84]
Her special skill was not visible.
But judging from her stats alone, Silver Mirror could only be considered average. She had the typical stat distribution of a speed type Mecha Girl. According to Absolute Shadow and Leon Li, Swain Li's driving skills were also quite good.
Assuming his technique was on par with Leon Li's, then with Silver Mirror's performance, getting into the top ten of this race would be no problem. He would not even need to activate her special skill.
But since he had come specifically to target Derek Su, he would definitely use that special skill.
The only question was when.
Time passed quickly as they waited.
[Contestants 17, 23, 51, 54, and 66, please prepare for the start!]
The sudden announcement broke the silence.
Purple Lightning, whose nerves had been tense the entire time, entered deployment mode without a word, revealing her dazzling bright purple body. Seeing this, the other Mecha Girls around her also began deploying one after another.
Derek Su got into the cockpit.
He could hear Purple Lightning's rapid breathing and the violent pounding of her heart.
"Purple Lightning, take a deep breath. Relax a little."
There was still some time before the start, so he leaned over and gently patted Purple Lightning's back. This was Purple Lightning's first official race, and he knew exactly how nervous she was.
The girl had not slept at all last night.
When he got up at five in the morning to drink some water, he had seen Purple Lightning curled up on the sofa, wide eyed and still in the same position she had been in during the meeting the night before.
"Master, th-this is the Advanced Race," Purple Lightning said, her voice trembling.
"I know. But I've already qualified for the Panlong Mountain Circuit, so you can relax for this race. Remember the performance upgrades I gave you? Our goal this time is to adapt, to get used to the performance you have now."
"But... you won all your previous Advanced Races, didn't you?" Purple Lightning murmured. "The other Mecha Girls could all help you become champion, but if you race with me and don't get a good ranking, we... no, I'm definitely going to be laughed at."
"No one laughs at someone who gives it everything they have," Derek Su said calmly. "Purple Lightning, don't overthink it, and don't be afraid. When you close the door of fear behind you, you'll find that the door to success in front of you opens even faster."
"More importantly, everyone in Stella Club and I are standing behind you."
"You can collapse when you're exhausted. All you need to remember is that winning is simple. You just have to stand up one more time than you fall. That's all."
Just stand up one more time than I fall...
She had fallen countless times before.
During the training race, she had stood back up.
This time, in the Advanced Race, she would finish standing no matter what.
Purple Lightning took several deep breaths, and her emotions gradually calmed.
"I understand, Master. Just like I said yesterday, no matter what the result is today, I'll give it everything I have!"
Seeing the resolve in Purple Lightning's eyes, Derek Su smiled faintly.
He knew Purple Lightning had recovered from her nervous state.
And just then, there was a sudden hum.
Purple Lightning's expression changed, and she looked sharply to the right.
Dawnbreak, Cloud Leopard, and Hurricane all looked to the right as well.
It was a violent surge of psychic energy, the kind of interference produced when a top tier Mecha Girl activated an active skill. Since everyone was still stationary at the starting line, the sudden burst of psychic energy felt even more abrupt.
Silver Mirror's mirror like body began to twist, gradually shifting into Purple Lightning's form. Aside from the fact that her body remained silver, every other detail looked as if it had been carved from the same mold as Purple Lightning.
"Holy shit! Two... two Purple Lightnings?!" Cloud Leopard was stunned.
She never could have imagined that the unremarkable Mecha Girl beside her was a top tier Mecha Girl capable of using a special skill. Even more absurdly, after activating that special skill, she had turned directly into another Purple Lightning.
Miles Wang, Laiya An, and Justin Kim all looked shocked and uncertain. This was the first time they had ever seen a special skill that transformed a Mecha Girl into another Mecha Girl.
Inside Silver Mirror's cockpit, Swain Li's lips curled upward.
He could feel their gazes. The surprise and horror in the eyes of those who had never taken him seriously before. But this was only the beginning. He would keep grinding down their pride and arrogance.
Still, that first shift from contempt to shock had already given him a rush.
Next, it was time to see exactly what kind of Mecha Girl Purple Lightning was.
"Silver Mirror, tell me. What are Purple Lightning's strongest attribute and special skill?"
Silver Mirror was silent for a moment, then spoke with a hint of surprise in her voice. "Master, Purple Lightning's strongest attribute is Cornering. It has already reached SSS rank."
"What?! SSS rank?!" Swain Li was also surprised.
Based on Silver Mirror's experience copying other Mecha Girls in past races, SSS rank meant the opponent's cornering performance had reached the very top. On a hundred point scale, SSS rank meant above ninety. Mecha Girls like that were exceptionally rare. They were either terrifyingly strong, or they had a huge flaw in some other area.
Recalling Purple Lightning's data, Swain Li immediately knew what that flaw was.
Speed.
Purple Lightning's speed performance was terrible.
And now, Silver Mirror's special skill would also copy Purple Lightning's strongest performance attribute.
In other words, Silver Mirror's Cornering had also become SSS rank, and her speed was definitely above Purple Lightning's.
Was there even any need to race?
Even if The Magician had three heads and six arms, he would still lose power here.
Suppressing the excitement of crushing his opponent, Swain Li asked again, "What about her special skill? What is Purple Lightning's special skill? Tell me!"
"Each perfect corner increases her Acceleration attribute, but lowers Stability and Impact Resistance. When her Acceleration attribute reaches SSS rank, she can activate a special state that allows her to ignore terrain."
Swain Li's pupils constricted.
"A godlike skill! Hahahaha! Silver Mirror, Purple Lightning's special skill is godlike!"
He abruptly turned his head and looked through the window, past Cloud Leopard, straight at Derek Su inside Purple Lightning's cockpit. The fighting spirit hidden in his eyes was no longer concealed at all. It flashed out like a blade drawn from its sheath.
Derek Su, the only driver who had truly looked at him.
That alone was enough reason for Swain Li to use his full strength and take him seriously.
"The Magician? An emperor? ... Check."
...
Inside Purple Lightning's cockpit.
Derek Su withdrew his gaze from Silver Mirror.
This time, after observing Silver Mirror, he found that only her Cornering had changed, becoming the same as Purple Lightning's 92 points. Everything else remained unchanged.
From this, it seemed Silver Mirror could only copy and inherit a single Mecha Girl's strongest attribute.
"In that case..." Derek Su narrowed his eyes.
He immediately used 10 MP points to create one attribute point and raised Purple Lightning's Cornering to 93.
At the same time, he turned to look at Silver Mirror again.
He found that Silver Mirror's Cornering attribute was still stuck at 92.
"Very good." Derek Su let out a breath.
Silver Mirror's copying of Mecha Girls did not include the attributes he had enhanced for them.
In that case... things were steady now.
What else was there to say?
Keep the music playing. Keep dancing.
Time to get wild!
Stella
Tomorrow is the college entrance exam.
But remember this, everyone!
In this life, the only KPI you need to complete is being yourself! No regrets in your youth!
Go all in, damn it!!!!!
...
...
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