MG - Chapter 384: Visiting Crimson (Patreon)

"That was kind of impressive. None of us knew what to say to comfort Laiya An's father, but a few words from you were enough to get him to stop crying?" Derek Su was still thinking about what had happened after they left Laiya An's room.

There was something strangely beautiful about the way Stella spoke. She ignored all the conventional approaches and somehow made her wild ideas work.

"Heh That's called emotional intelligence A dummy like you wouldn't understand, Master."

The Pineapple King strutted along in front with her arms folded across her chest. Her little ahoge bobbed with every step, and she looked extremely pleased with herself.

They were heading to Crimson's room.

Along the way, they saw many Mecha Girls already being transported to Resort Island. The reason they had not seen Dawnbreak earlier was that she had shown signs of poisoning and had been sent there first.

Derek Su had no idea how Torch planned to treat so many Mecha Girls at once.

The psychic-energy input had to be adjusted to each Mecha Girl's individual condition. Ordinary healing-type Mecha Girls genuinely could not handle that. They had no special skills, and their understanding of psychic energy remained superficial. They could not manipulate it as freely as Torch could.

Crimson's room was on the top floor.

When Derek Su and Stella arrived, a healing-type Mecha Girl happened to be walking out.

"Mr. Su." She saluted.

"How is Crimson?"

"Her injuries have completely healed. However, prolonged use of illegal modifications has severely reduced her Stability. Aside from that, we've monitored her mental state and found it to be very stable. She's already met the requirements for discharge."

"Her Stability went down..." Derek Su frowned.

That was exactly what had happened to Purple Lightning.

Purple Lightning's original Stability must have been high enough to support the full use of her special skill. It was only after Chloe Qin abandoned her and she spent a long time using illegal modifications in underground races that her condition deteriorated to the point where activating a single special skill could nearly tear her body apart.

"Is there no way to restore her Stability?" Stella asked.

"Well... some of the lost Stability can be recovered through rehabilitation training, but part of the damage is permanent. There's nothing we can do about that. Even the two Governors couldn't fix it."

The healing-type Mecha Girl looked deeply apologetic. It was obvious she genuinely felt ashamed that she could not restore Crimson completely to her peak condition.

"All right. I understand."

Derek Su nodded. "Go ahead. You have work to do."

He took Stella's hand and walked into Crimson's room.

When Crimson had first been rescued, he had caught only a brief glimpse of her through the window. That fleeting look had not been enough to inspect her stats panel.

Today, since he was already here to visit, he could finally take a proper look.

...

Crimson's hospital room was much larger than the others.

It was bright and airy. The curtains were fully open, yet the room did not feel hot. Sunlight spread across the windowsill and barely touched the wooden floor. Potted plants filled the area beside the window, and whenever the breeze passed through, flowers and green leaves swayed gently.

The entire room smelled of nature. There was not even a trace of disinfectant in the air.

Crimson sat quietly on the hospital bed reading a book. Pages turned beneath her fingertips. Sunlight made her face look as though it were surrounded by a sacred glow, while her waist-length hair was tied behind her head, giving her a clean, capable appearance.

If not for the worry and gloom hidden between her slightly furrowed brows, anyone who saw the scene would have called it perfectly peaceful.

"She's so beautiful!" Stella exclaimed.

It was not the first time she had said that.

There simply were no ugly Mecha Girls.

Every one of them looked like a top-tier beauty, flawless in a way that seemed possible only in a painting.

What set them apart was their presence. Even when their looks began on equally absurd footing, differences in temperament could still make one stand out over another.

Crimson was like Eden, Torch, and Luna. She was not only beautiful, but also possessed an exceptional presence.

Stella could not quite explain it.

Looking at Crimson simply made her feel comfortable.

At a glance, she seemed like someone gentle and deeply reliable.

"Ah, Boss Su! Stella!"

Hearing movement by the door, Crimson looked up from her book. The instant she saw them, she called out their names. Some of the gloom between her brows faded, and a smile appeared on her face.

Those two greetings practically saved socially awkward Derek Su's life.

Most importantly, they spared him the painful process of introducing himself.

Stella, on the other hand, had no such problem. The social butterfly shamelessly squeezed right in beside Crimson, calling her name every other sentence. In less than five minutes, the two Mecha Girls were already chatting like old friends.

Derek Su took the opportunity to check Crimson's stats.

[Drifting: 75]

[Acceleration: 89]

[Cornering: 70]

[Boost Charge: 78]

[Stability: 17]

[Impact Resistance: 69]

[Endurance: 88]

As expected of a Mecha Girl who had once competed alongside Julian Ziliang in national-level Advanced Races.

Those stats were genuinely fierce.

If her Stability had never been damaged, it probably would have been around 60, at least above the passing line.

But after so many illegal modifications and underground fighting races, only 17 remained...

No.

The truth might be even crueler.

Crimson had already undergone several rounds of rehabilitation training here, and the healing-type Mecha Girl had said that rehabilitation could restore part of her Stability.

In other words, when Crimson had first been rescued from the underground black market, her Stability might not even have reached 10.

Derek Su frowned as he looked at the smiling Crimson.

He felt sorry for her and admired how strong she had remained, but he inevitably thought of Purple Lightning as well.

If he and Stella had not noticed Purple Lightning back then, perhaps she too would have ended up shattering somewhere in the darkness...

It was time to sign a Core Contract with Purple Lightning.

The only question was whether she would agree.

...

Stella and Crimson talked at length about the provincial-level track.

They also talked about how Crimson had first met Derek Su and Julian Ziliang.

The first time Stella had been sold to the Conscience Recycling Yard, she had cried her eyes out right in front of Julian Ziliang. A little more than half a year later, she had already become a provincial-track champion.

Eventually, the conversation returned to Julian Ziliang.

The atmosphere in the room grew heavy.

"Have you... seen him again since then?"

"No." Derek Su sighed. "After I founded the Stella Club, I used every connection I had to search for Julian Ziliang, but there have been very few leads. I'm certain he's still alive, though. Every clue gets cut off for no apparent reason. That means someone doesn't want him to be found."

By now, neither Derek Su nor Zane believed that Julian Ziliang was living some carefree, comfortable life.

Perhaps, at first, Julian Ziliang's friends had blocked information about him in order to keep him safe.

But the people suppressing information now were clearly not the same people as before.

There was a good chance Julian Ziliang was currently under house arrest.

If Derek Su wanted more clues, he would have to enter the circles of those who stood above ordinary people.

In other words, he had to become a Techmaster.

A trace of disappointment flashed through Crimson's eyes.

But she forced a smile, took Derek Su's hand, and comforted him instead.

"Don't worry too much. The club's development is more important. Take care of your own life first.

"Don't force things when it comes to Julian Ziliang. Do only what you're capable of doing. And above all, be careful around the owners of the Crown Club. Whether it's the former owner, Ethan Yang, or the current one, Caleb Li, the Ansei Group stands behind them, and the Techmasters' Alliance stands behind the Ansei Group.

"Those people... are not easy to deal with!"