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"Ruan Mei's attitude seems a bit off," Herta remarked thoughtfully, stroking her chin.
Screwllum pondered for a moment.
Looking in the direction Ruan Mei had left, he said, "Ruan Mei's reasoning was clearly rushed and inconsistent with her usual meticulous approach to details. Conclusion: The upcoming events will reveal a secret she doesn't want others to know."
"If that's the case, I'm even more eager to see what happens next."
Herta's face lit up with excitement.
"Then let's not wait for her and continue watching."
On the screen.
Ruan Mei in the game explained, "When I arrived at the space station, I borrowed 29 Sicar's creation, the Phase Flame, from Herta, hoping to gain some inspiration from the research achievements of other members."
"I did get a bit of Inspiration, so I attempted to cultivate life at the space station."
"In my imagination, this would be a new life form... born as geniuses. I planned to name them after the Genius Society's 8 Lambda..."
"But something went wrong somewhere. They developed their own consciousness, yet it had nothing to do with genius."
"Moreover, my hands-off education seemed to have backfired. The other day, during a leak, a few newly cultivated little creatures escaped and are now roaming the space station."
"I don't want Herta or Asta to get involved in this matter, so... I hope you can help me retrieve these little creatures."
Soon.
In the following mission.
Perform a mysterious summoning ritual—cover all the places Ruan Mei has passed with hearts.
After spraying enough hearts, a mysterious creature appeared.
Seeing this milky-white little creature, Herta's mouth twitched.
"This... this is the trouble Ruan Mei was talking about?"
"A self-aware dumpling?"
"Tch... I thought it would be something big."
Screwllum was also momentarily speechless.
The light in his eyes flickered, indicating he was engaged in some deep thinking and calculations.
"No."
"Hypothesis: If it's just these little creatures roaming the space station, it's not worth Ruan Mei leaving in such a hurry."
"She must have another reason."
"Or rather, another [trouble]."
Herta, who had already stood up, now seemed to find it uninteresting and sat back down on the sofa.
At the same time, she accessed the surveillance of the sealed compartments.
While watching, she said, "What other trouble could there be? Now the sealed compartments are full of these living pastries."
"Huh?"
"Why is the surveillance here malfunctioning..."
...
Master Control Zone.
The staff members were overjoyed when they saw the creatures Ruan Mei had cultivated.
"Are these the little creatures Ruan Mei cultivated?"
"They're so adorable! Ruan Mei's creations!"
"Dumplings!"
"They really look like dumplings..."
"Molten Cheese Tart dumplings, I hope they're savory."
"Simply amazing! As expected of Ruan Mei, she can even give life to pastries! They've even developed their own emotions, thoughts, and will."
"In the field of life sciences, this is already creator-level technology!"
"So this is what Ruan Mei has been researching at our space station."
"This is quite an achievement, isn't it?"
And then.
As per Ruan Mei's request.
The [Molten Cheese Tart] was flushed through a toilet-like dimensional transfer device.
After sending it to the containment compartment.
Ruan Mei sent another message.
Inviting Stelle to join a gathering with Herta and Screwllum.
This plot.
Was incredibly captivating for the space station staff!
They watched with utmost seriousness.
Wishing they could travel into the game and replace the Trailblazer to attend.
The gathering was set in the Simulated Universe.
Herta and Screwllum were discussing the possibility of bringing in a fifth genius to collaborate on the development of the Simulated Universe.
Herta proposed a candidate.
"What about Yu Qingtu? Ruan Mei, do you still keep in touch with her—is she even alive?"
"If we're going to discuss this, perhaps she should leave first? Because the process will be lengthy... and tedious. No need to waste others' time."
"Oh, of course. She was your guest to begin with. It's your call."
Outside the game.
The staff members were not pleased.
"Don't stop now! I haven't heard enough!"
"Future collaborators for the Simulated Universe! How could it be long and boring?"
"Yu Qingtu from the Genius Society 55? She's a legendary figure too."
At that moment.
Ruan Mei, who was seeing them off, added, "My lifeform retrieval... isn't complete yet. There's more than one. Some are stored in a sealed compartment."
"Herta uses that place to receive guests from across the galaxy or members of the Genius Society. But due to the Legion's invasion, it's no longer open to the public."
"Now, it houses my big trouble."
"Stelle, be careful. If you encounter a danger you can't handle, give a signal. I'll intervene personally, regardless of the consequences."
"Remember, in the center of the compartment, there's a massive... Incubator. That's where my big trouble is stored."
The space station actually has a hidden secret compartment?
Through Ruan Mei's words, another related secret was revealed in the plot!
For other players, this might just mean a new map being added to the space station.
But for the many staff members here.
This was a solid piece of juicy gossip!
At this moment.
In the live broadcast.
Stelle had already boarded the descending elevator.
At first, the elevator shaft was quite bright.
Soon.
Only the light from the elevator itself remained.
As it continued to descend, the depth had already exceeded the usual limit.
"Click—"
Finally.
They reached the destination.
When Stelle stepped out of the elevator.
Outside was a darkness as thick as ink.
Walking through this part of the space station, the only sounds were the friction of her heels and metal accessories.
Suddenly.
A broken robot appeared out of nowhere.
As it turned around.
Its body jerked.
Then.
It started convulsing as if it had a short circuit.
Its recognition eye glowed with an eerie red light.
And behind it.
Red lights suddenly flickered on.
The elevator actually started moving upward on its own.
When Stelle turned back.
The broken robot had already disappeared.
Stelle bit her lip.
The vast, tightly sealed compartment now had only her in it.
She couldn't help but show a frightened expression.
Fortunately.
Emergency lights lit up along the path ahead.
Although they couldn't fully illuminate the dark space, at least it wasn't pitch black anymore.
Not to mention the onlooking staff members.
Even the players watching the live stream were startled!
...
"So the space station has such eerie places too?"
"What was that reheated robot just now? Scared the hell out of me."
"If it were Sushang, she'd have fainted by now."
"The space station's secrets are indeed more than imagined."
"With this atmosphere, it's a shame there's no ghost."
"Any space station friends watching? Is this place really that terrifying?"
...
At this moment.
The space station staff had no mood to chat in the live stream's comment section.
The appearance of this sealed compartment in the plot left all the staff members astonished.
"So there really is a hidden secret compartment!"
"I remember reading about this in the Space Station Ghost Stories, didn't I?"
"Adler wasn't lying to me!"
"Is there any brave soul willing to join me at the elevator to investigate? Let's see if the sealed compartment in reality is as eerie as it is in the game!"
"Your head is really hard, isn't it? Yu Ling already hinted that this place is dangerous, and Ruan Mei only allowed the Trailblazer to handle it..."
Asta, standing nearby, immediately cleared her throat.
"Ahem... everyone, have you forgotten about me?"
"I won't let you just casually enter such a restricted section."
"This is... the station master's responsibility."