…
After the silence, there was an uproar.
This was a Modifier Core!
One of the most important resources for Mecha Girl!
Although it was just a white Modifier Core, for Wang Tingting and Xing Meng, who had just graduated from the League Academy, a white Modifier Core was already very good equipment, especially since this white Modifier Core's attributes were top-notch. If it were to be sold, it would start at a minimum of twenty to thirty thousand transfer yuan.
Those who could attend the League Academy usually had a bit of money.
But asking a graduate to spend tens of thousands of transfer yuan to buy a Modifier Core was still too extravagant.
After all, the various maintenance and upkeep expenses for Mecha Girl were not small, and wanting to save a little money meant having to tighten their belts and live a hard life with their Mecha Girl. Most drivers would not bear to see their Mecha Girl looking miserable every day.
But now, such a Modifier Core was crushed right before their eyes.
Xing Meng felt her heart skip a beat as the core shattered, thinking that Su Chen had suffered heavy losses. However, she didn't know that because he lacked a license, Su Chen's Modifier Core couldn't be sold at all.
"No, what are you doing!" Wang Tingting broke down, pointing at Su Chen: "Is it necessary? You wouldn't sell it even for money, is it worth doing this for her? Is she worth you doing this? You're not her driver!"
Su Chen looked directly at Wang Tingting: "I am Xing Meng's driver."
His voice wasn't loud, but it was firm and resonant, subtly carrying a hint of pride: "And Xing Meng signed a bond contract with me!"
Wang Tingting was struck by lightning, standing still in a daze, unable to comprehend.
After a long while, she finally snapped back to reality and scoffed, "No, buddy, what are you after? She's just a D-class car, she doesn't even qualify for the City Championship. Even if you put a Modifier Core on her, her attributes would barely make it to C-class. Why would you contract her?"
Wang Tingting's words were like cold water pouring over Xing Meng, making her lose her composure, shrinking her shoulders, and retreating step by step. She nearly stumbled but was steadily supported by a warm, large hand.
"Who says Xing Meng can't participate in the City Championship?"
Su Chen's cold gaze pierced Wang Tingting's swollen face: "There are no naturally SSS-class Mecha Girl. Even a D-class Mecha Girl can be outstanding if properly nurtured. I am going to take her to the City Championship!"
As a chief Modifier, he saw no scrap cars.
It was simply a matter of whether the money, technology, and materials were in place.
As long as the money and materials were in place, he could even modify a rocket.
"Good, good, good!" Wang Tingting was also exasperated, speaking a little incoherently: "I'm really looking forward to meeting you all on the track, but don't let Xing Meng fail to advance to C-class, and then you'll only be able to watch from the stands!"
"We will compete."
Su Chen's tone was firm, as if stating a fact.
Xing Meng tightly held Su Chen's fingers and slowly looked up. Through her blurry, tear-filled eyes, his tall figure appeared like a towering tree shielding her from wind and rain. An unprecedented emotion surged in her chest—guilt, guilt for her timidity, guilt for her retreat.
Master had already unhesitatingly stood in front of her, shielding her from all malice.
Was she still going to retreat?
Was she still going to be afraid?
She no longer trembled.
For the first time, she looked directly at Wang Tingting with the eyes of an opponent.
There was no humility, no fear.
In her eyes, there was only a raging fire fueled by shame.
"Wang Tingting, you bad guy!"
"We'll see each other on the track!"
She said each word distinctly.
After speaking, she hoisted the bewildered Su Chen onto her back:
"Master, let's go!"
…
Until the two disappeared from the entrance of the Mecha Maintenance Association.
Wang Tingting finally recovered from her humiliation.
She clutched her swollen cheek, muttering curses: "Damn it, isn't he just a broken Modifier? What's with the attitude? He'd better really be able to take that broken car to the City Championship!"
Originally, she only wanted to achieve a decent result in the City Championship. Now she didn't think that way anymore—she wanted to aim for a top-three finish in the City Championship.
The status of an ordinary driver was not as good as a Modifier, but once she was among the top three in the City Championship, then a Modifier who could only produce white cores would be nothing.
Modifiers also needed to live and needed racers and Mecha Girl to advertise for them. Otherwise, with so many Modifier shops, why would a racer take their Mecha Girl to your shop?
"Brother Lin, you have to help me! Help me get a ranking in the City Championship, otherwise, otherwise I won't have the face to live…" Wang Tingting shook the arm of the yellow-haired man beside her, her eyes looking pitiful.
She was very displeased with Lin Haijun's cowardice just now, but thinking that she still needed Lin Haijun, she could only pretend not to see and bury her dissatisfaction in her heart.
"Help you, I will definitely help you!" Lin Haijun felt guilty and quickly said: "Tingting, don't worry, I will definitely help you solve the matter of the flowing flame star essence. When the golden eagle upgrades to C-class, I'll arrange a green-grade Modifier Core for you. We don't care for that white trash Modifier Core!"
"Mmm-hmm, Brother Lin, you're the best~"
Wang Tingting nestled in Lin Haijun's arms, her heart secretly hardening.
Just wait!
Once she wins the City Championship, once she becomes a Bincheng celebrity driver, once she joins the Star Crown Club… then she will definitely find that modification shop and make it close down and disappear completely from Bincheng!
…
…
Impulse is a momentary pleasure.
After uttering those harsh words, Xing Meng felt as if the sky had fallen.
"Master, I'm sorry, I've implicated you…"
On the sky rail, Xing Meng kept bumping her forehead against the window, utterly dejected: "Saying such things without being prepared will surely bring a lot of pressure and trouble to Master, right? If we can't get on the track, we'll be laughed at for a lifetime… And I even made Master waste a Modifier Core."
"What are you saying sorry for!" Su Chen rolled his eyes, pressed Xing Meng's shoulders, turned her to face him, and met her gaze: "Excuse me, who am I?"
"You, you are Master…"
Xing Meng wasn't used to staring into Su Chen's fervent eyes and quickly looked away, blushing.
"No! What I mean is, what is my profession?"
"Your profession…" Xing Meng blinked her big eyes and hesitated: "Is, is a driver? Oh no, you are my Master, meow!"
Su Chen: "…"
"I am a Modifier." He cleared his throat and said solemnly: "As a Modifier, do you think I would lack something like a Modifier Core? If it's ruined, it's ruined. I'll make you another one back at the shop.
As for the pressure of the competition, there's no need to worry. Where does motivation come from without pressure? Comrade Xing Meng, now we both need to work hard together! Go for it!"
"Oh! Go for it!" Xing Meng felt genuinely encouraged and, mimicking Su Chen, clenched her fists and waved them twice, then tilted her head in confusion: "But Master, can Modifier Cores just be made casually?
I heard that Modifiers don't have a high success rate in making Modifier Cores. If they keep failing, wouldn't it be a huge waste of materials? Materials also cost money to buy, right?"
"Well…" Su Chen froze.
He didn't seem to fail when making Modifier Cores.
After all, his method of creating Modifier Cores was completely different from that of Modifiers in this world, and not all Modifiers could even create Modifier Cores.
Most Modifiers in this world were merely Modifier Core dealers with Modifier certificates and knowledge. True Modifiers who could actually create Modifier Cores held a higher status. Previously, he primarily lacked a certificate and hadn't awakened this ability, otherwise, he certainly wouldn't have been in a position where he couldn't even afford rent.
"You don't have to worry, I also have a lot of materials."
Su Chen lied through his teeth.
Actually, there weren't many materials left.
If manufacturing Modifier Cores truly had a probabilistic element, then he would likely mess up.
But he had always maintained an optimistic attitude that there would always be a way forward.
He didn't care about anything else for now; he just needed to coax Xing Meng back first.
…
As a pure Modifier, the happiest moment is probably when the racing car he personally modified shines brightly in a race, leaving all others in the dust.
Su Chen enjoyed this moment.
So when Xing Meng became his Mecha Girl, his mind was full of various flashy maneuvers, determined to get Xing Meng onto the track and make all those drivers who looked down on her drop their jaws.
But ideals are plump, and reality is bony.
Currently, the most authoritative and official intermediate competition worldwide is called the <City Championship>. This competition is held in every main city, and the track difficulty is strictly controlled to ensure that the track difficulty in each city is almost completely consistent.
Just talking about taking Xing Meng to the City Championship is useless. Now there's a problem—only C-class Mecha Girl are eligible to participate in the City Championship.
Xing Meng is D-class, strictly speaking, a D-minus class Mecha Girl.
So he had to upgrade Xing Meng.
And the condition for upgrading from D to C requires one performance attribute to reach the passing line, as well as an intermediate star essence corresponding to the star crest attribute… Xing Meng's star crest is 'radiance', so she needs a radiance star essence.
At this moment, Xing Meng was happily drinking a can of orange-flavored high-energy nutrient solution, her two small feet dangling and gently swaying as she sat on the stool.
Noticing Su Chen's gaze, her cat ears twitched, and she tilted her head, giving a soft 'meow'.
"Amitabha, form is emptiness, emptiness is form." Su Chen silently recited three times, withdrew his gaze, feeling a bit troubled.
If the passing line was 60, then all five of Xing Meng's attributes were failing, and not by a small margin. The only one relatively close to passing was cornering performance.
He tidied up his scattered thoughts, organized the sequence of tasks to be done, jotting them down on paper while muttering to himself:
"Hmm… First, it's best to prepare multiple modification plans, one of which must raise Xing Meng's cornering attribute to 60.
Then, check the racing network for any recent open competitions that reward intermediate star essence. Use Modifier Cores specifically tailored to the track format of those open competitions to ensure we can win the intermediate star essence reward. This should steadily help Xing Meng upgrade to C-class."
"And the most important point—"
Su Chen sighed, drawing a crude steering wheel on the paper.
"I've transmigrated, and I still have to get a driver's license, damn it!"
…
…
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