MG - Chapter 380: No Way? No Way?? (Patreon)

By the time Derek Su climbed out of the vertical-takeoff fighter jet, his legs were trembling.

His face looked absolutely terrible.

The main problem was that this trip had been even longer than the last one. The more time he spent aboard that kind of fighter jet, the more miserable he became. Thankfully, he had barely eaten that morning. He leaned against a streetlight and dry-heaved for a long time while Stella kept patting his back, but in the end, nothing came up.

"Master, taking a helicopter would've been fine too. Didn't Luna say the toxin was still in its early stage? A few hours wouldn't have made a difference."

Seeing Derek Su suffer made Stella feel miserable too. She even regretted not dragging him off the fighter jet earlier.

"I'm fine!" Derek Su waved dismissively. "It's just a vertical-takeoff fighter jet... Ugh—!"

"Well, well. Isn't this Mr. Su, our provincial-track champion? Fancy meeting you again."

A teasing voice came from beside Derek Su and Stella.

Derek Su forced himself to raise his head.

Long hair blended burgundy with silver-white, and a pair of crimson-gold eyes resembled Eden's. What they lacked in Eden's imposing authority, however, they made up for with a mischievous glint.

It was Torch.

Today, she was not wearing a bodysuit. Instead, she had on a researcher's white coat over a beige sweater and a fitted black skirt. Black stockings covered her long legs, and below them...

Hmm.

A completely casual pair of flip-flops.

The entire atmosphere vanished in an instant.

Still, Torch did have nice feet.

Derek Su took one look and immediately averted his gaze.

Things were different now.

He was already the pile of manure lucky enough to have a flower planted in it.

He could not go around staring at other flowers.

Stella had never asked that of him, of course.

But what did that fool know?

She probably did not even understand jealousy. If he somehow ended up with three wives and four concubines, Stella might clap in delight and start finding even more women for him herself.

So when it came to principles, self-discipline was everything.

"Governor Torch!" Stella immediately stood straight and saluted.

"What a good girl. I know you. Stella, the Speed Queen. Hehe."

Torch flashed a toothy grin. Derek Su could not shake the feeling that she looked like a Big Bad Wolf plotting something unpleasant.

She continued, "By the way, I'm an X-series Mecha Girl, model X-01. The XC models are one of the branches derived from the X series, except they pushed Acceleration to the extreme. So you don't need to be so formal with me. We come from the same line. Just call me Torch."

"Oh!" Stella accepted that immediately and called out sweetly, "Torch~"

"Good, good." Torch grinned.

"Since we're from the same line, how about letting your pilot ride me for a bit?"

Stella: ???

Derek Su: "..."

What was wrong with this Governor?

She and Eden held the same rank, yet their personalities could not have been more different.

And what was with, "let your pilot ride me"?!

Was he the kind of scumbag pilot who casually drove other Mecha Girls?

"Sure!"

Stella shoved Derek Su toward Torch. "Then I'll leave my Master in your care, Torch~"

Derek Su: "..."

Damn.

Forget it.

This was not the time to argue about that.

Derek Su cleared his throat and got back to the point. "Governor Torch, I brought Stella here because I wanted to ask you to remove the toxin from her body."

"I know." Torch nodded. "Come with me. Eden and I have already figured out what happened. The Armed Forces Department's test report shows that the spatial collapse bombs used in the attack contained a large amount of toxin-bearing shrapnel. That means even Mecha Girls who were only grazed by the blast could be infected. The toxin isn't contagious, though, and it has no effect on humans. It was designed specifically to target Mecha Girls."

Derek Su's expression darkened.

Wasn't that basically the same idea as a fragmentation grenade?

Adding something like that to a spatial collapse bomb was vicious even by the Void's standards.

Then again, this was war. Once both sides were fighting for survival, there was little point complaining about dirty tactics. As a pilot on the Mecha Girls' side, all Derek Su could do was become more careful than ever. He could never underestimate any Void race. If playing dirty and staying hidden kept him alive, then he would gladly become the sneakiest bastard on the battlefield.

Derek Su silently made up his mind.

He had no idea that this passing thought would eventually shape his entire future combat style.

...

Torch led Derek Su and Stella into the laboratory.

She very much wanted Derek Su to "ride" her again so she could collect more data, but she knew what mattered most. Stella's treatment came first.

Torch tapped the examination table. "Take everything off and lie down."

Without waiting to see their expressions, she turned away and began adjusting the equipment beside her.

"Take... everything off?!" Stella's face turned bright red. "Why do I have to be completely naked...?"

"For the treatment, obviously." Torch looked back at her in surprise. "Why are you embarrassed? It's only me and your Master here. Unless I'm mistaken, you two have a Core Contract. Otherwise, I would've told him to leave."

"But..."

"Then should I send Derek Su outside?"

Torch did not need to say anything else. Derek Su had already started turning toward the door.

"Ah, no." Stella bit her lower lip and refused to look in Derek Su's direction. "He doesn't need to leave..."

"Even better. He can help me."

Torch pushed the machine up to the examination table and lifted her chin toward Stella. "Go on."

"Actually, I think I'll step outside after all."

Stella had already begun unzipping her silver bodysuit on the examination table, exposing more and more pale skin. Derek Su felt as if someone had struck him over the head. His thoughts went blank, and heat rushed all the way to the top of his head as though he had been shoved into a steamer.

"Oh? You're surprisingly innocent." Torch looked even more amused.

Her gaze moved between Derek Su and Stella, who had lowered her head in embarrassment. Torch narrowed her eyes, and a teasing smile curled across her lips.

"Tsk, tsk. Don't tell me... our provincial-track champion is still a poor little virgin?"

Derek Su instantly lost his composure.

So what if he was a virgin? What was it to her?

Did she think he had chosen this? He was respecting his Mecha Girl! Respecting their relationship!

Stella had been terribly embarrassed a moment ago, but when she saw Derek Su's dark expression, she could not hold it in and burst out laughing.

Unfortunately, Torch's barrage was not over.

"You already have a Core Contract, and your Master is still a virgin? Seriously?! That's all you've managed?!"

Torch looked Stella up and down and snickered. "Your Master is innocent enough, but what about you? Are you completely clueless, or are you just too scared to do anything?"

She leaned closer. Her sharp sense of smell easily picked up Derek Su's scent on Stella.

"Tsk, tsk. Don't tell me you two sleep wrapped around each other every night and still do absolutely nothing. How pitiful~"

Stella: "..."

Stop talking.

That one really hurt.

Her fists were already clenched.

If Torch were not a Governor, Stella would have headbutted her on the spot.