MG - Chapter 407: [Wushou Mountain] Holy Crap! Holy Crap!! (Patreon)

“Holy crap, holy crap... Will you stop yelling that and tell me what you saw?!”

Falcon's irritated voice crackled over the radio.

“P-Psychic energy...” Vulture stammered. “I saw psychic energy coming from Stella.”

“She's a top-tier Mecha Girl! Of course she has psychic energy!”

“No, it's different.” Vulture swallowed. “It's not Stella's psychic energy. The fluctuations belong to her pilot!”

Two distinct patterns were visible on the detection equipment in front of her. One was a circular field centered on Stella. The other was a narrow stream extending from Wind Blade's cockpit.

The instant that narrow stream touched the circular field, it vanished into it, swallowed so completely that nothing remained.

Vulture knew these were fluctuations from Techmaster skills rather than the Mecha Girls themselves because the instrument used different colors. A Mecha Girl's psychic energy appeared as blue curves, while a pilot's appeared in red.

And right now, two red patterns were plainly clashing across the U-shaped bend.

“What? The pilot's psychic energy?” Falcon stared at Stella and Wind Blade, who had already cleared the bend and were racing on as though nothing had happened. Her immediate reaction was disbelief. “Don't tell me Derek Su has become a Techmaster! He hasn't even taken an Awakening Serum!”

“I... I don't know how to explain it,” Vulture admitted with a sigh. “Derek Su and Stella don't appear to be in danger anymore. I'll send you the psychic energy readings so you can see for yourself.”

The file arrived moments later. Falcon opened the folder, muttering, “Let's see what the hell's going on.”

Then the image appeared on her screen. Her eyes widened.

“Holy crap!”

Absolute Shadow leaned over to look, confusion written across her face. The moment she saw it, she exclaimed too.

“Holy crap!!”

The readings left no room for doubt. There really was psychic energy originating from a pilot inside Stella's cockpit, and it was that energy that had intercepted Ethan Yang's Techmaster skill.

“When did Derek Su become a Techmaster?!”

Absolute Shadow covered her mouth, utterly stunned.

The difference between an ordinary human and a Techmaster was enormous. Humans might not notice it at a glance, but a Mecha Girl could sense the faint psychic energy a Techmaster gave off.

And Absolute Shadow knew one thing for certain. Before the Wushou Mountain race, she had personally accompanied Derek Su and Stella onto the course. At that time, she hadn't sensed the slightest trace of psychic energy from him. He had been an ordinary pilot.

Could Derek Su have awakened on his own?

The thought was almost impossible to accept. There had never been a recorded case of a human awakening into a Techmaster without help.

Human beings lacked the natural aptitude to become Techmasters, which was precisely why Awakening Serums were needed to alter their bodies. Nanofiber-Ω worked by transforming a human body into a vessel capable of accommodating psychic energy.

Not everyone absorbed Nanofiber-Ω equally well. The substance enhanced the mind as well as the body, and people's capacity to absorb it differed. In theory, an ordinary human could eventually become a Techmaster by continuing to take it.

But production of Nanofiber-Ω remained extremely limited, and the substance put a tremendous strain on the body. For most people, taking a dose of the Nanofiber Awakening Serum once a month was already the limit. Taking it more frequently was practically suicide. Not even modern medical technology could save someone whose organs began failing all at once.

“Absolute Shadow, you've been hiding quite a secret!” Falcon hooked an arm around Absolute Shadow's shoulders and gave her a sly smile. “Come on, tell me where you got an Awakening Serum for Derek Su. You went and awakened him before the official distribution without telling anyone? Don't let the Techmasters' Alliance or the Human Federation hear about it, or those old fossils will raise hell!”

Absolute Shadow answered with a helpless smile. “Do you really think I have the authority to obtain an Awakening Serum from the Governor?”

“I can't explain what's happening to Derek Su. But let me make one thing perfectly clear. He became a Techmaster on his own. He didn't take any Awakening Serum.”

“On his own?!” Falcon stared at her as if to say, You don't expect me to believe that, do you?

“I know it's hard to believe, but it's the truth.” Absolute Shadow nodded earnestly.

When Falcon saw how seriously she was speaking, and the complete lack of deceit in her expression, her own smile disappeared.

She picked up her radio and issued an immediate order to the Armed Forces Mecha Girls aboard the helicopters.

“Vulture, not a word about this to anyone. Make sure everyone under your command keeps their mouth shut. That goes for Gray Falcon's team too. If this gets out, you'll be the first people I hold responsible!”

“Y-Yes, ma'am!”

Vulture was so startled by Falcon's stern tone that she reflexively saluted, even though her commander couldn't see her.

“Um, Commander... should we shoot Ethan Yang?”

“Not yet. Stay on alert.”

“Understood!”

Falcon gathered herself, then turned to Absolute Shadow. “What do you think of how I've handled it?”

“That's fine for now. Everyone should keep watching.” Absolute Shadow gave a small nod.

They had arranged three layers of protection for Derek Su during this race. The first was the logistics Mecha Girls secretly positioned below Wushou Mountain. The second was the mobile logistics and medical teams following the racers. The third was the Armed Forces unit keeping a constant watch on Ethan Yang.

Now Derek Su had apparently awakened as a Techmaster and gained a skill that could counter Ethan Yang's [Teleportation]. That made four separate layers of protection. With all four in place, there was no need to cause the Governor any more trouble.

Falcon turned her attention back to the racetrack.

Absolute Shadow watched her calm, impassive expression with growing admiration. Falcon really was one of Eden's longest-serving senior officers. Her composure was remarkable.

Absolute Shadow herself felt as though her heart might burst out of her chest after learning Derek Su had probably become a Techmaster.

What she didn't know was that Falcon's calm expression was entirely misleading.

Inside, Falcon was practically screaming.

[Holy crap! What do I do? What do I do?!]

[Can somebody tell me what the hell I'm supposed to do when a human awakens on his own?!]

[Do we capture him and dissect him? Or pretend we never saw anything?]

[Damn it! I can't even get through to Boss on the phone...]

[Being a public official is way too hard! When can I finally retire?!]

...

There was no point panicking over possibilities. Until she saw Derek Su in person, nothing could be confirmed.

But Falcon was certain of one thing. If the world learned that Derek Su had awakened into a Techmaster by himself, the news would cause an uproar. Whether the consequences would be good or bad, she couldn't begin to judge. That decision had to be left to Governor Eden.

Derek Su's importance would undoubtedly increase as well. Someone who could awaken without assistance was fundamentally different from every other human Techmaster. He was as rare as a giant panda. Sooner or later, he would surely become involved in Eden's plans.

Those who slay dragons become dragons themselves in the end. The more extraordinary someone is, the harder they are to control.

Falcon watched the silver blur streaking along the track, worry weighing on her heart.

Whether Derek Su's awakening would prove a blessing or a curse, she couldn't yet say.