"What! The Simulated Universe is shutting down?"
Stelle, who had just entered Herta's office to search for clues about Silver Wolf, overheard the conversation between Herta and Screwllum. She then watched as Herta stormed out of the office, her face a mask of fury.
"What in the world is going on here....."
---o---
Meanwhile, in a hidden corner of the space station, Silver Wolf, who had just taken control of the entire station's surveillance system, was still wondering why no one had come to apprehend her. Then, she heard the news that the Simulated Universe was about to be shut down.
"What? Shut down the Simulated Universe? No, if that happens..."
Silver Wolf bit her finger, a thousand thoughts flashing through her mind.
The backdoors she had left in the space station weren't meant to help Herta clean up a mess!
Although she had been planning to stir up trouble at the space station for a while, teach Herta a good lesson, and then take the Aether Cartridge, it was only after putting her plan into action that she realized there were so many variables... that person from the Astral Express, and now Screwllum...
"Damn it, if I had known, I wouldn't have made a move when Herta's data was in disarray. Then I wouldn't have had to come here myself!"
The Simulated Universe was a crucial pathway for her to obtain the Aether Cartridge of that "legend." Herta had extracted the cartridge's data and placed it inside the simulation. Her last hack was an attempt to collect that data amidst the chaos...
Silver Wolf shut her eyes in regret. But a moment later, her frustrated expression shifted back to one of confidence, her gray eyes filled with a new sense of challenge.
"Still, this makes it more of a challenge! Don't underestimate the spirit of Punklorde!"
She was a hacker among hackers! How could she be defeated by such a minor setback?
---o---
"Miss Stelle, are you prepared to enter the Simulated Universe again? This experience will be somewhat unusual. I will assist you in locating the Aether Cartridge within the Simulated Universe through a different method."
Screwllum addressed Stelle.
Just a moment ago, he had informed her of the root cause of the conflict between him and Herta and pointed out the objective of the hacker known as "Silver Wolf."
This was the last chance before the Simulated Universe was sealed. Whether they could seize this opportunity all depended on this one attempt.
Screwllum's electronic eyes gazed silently at the contemplative Stelle. Though he was not an organic lifeform, one could usually perceive a distinct intelligence in the light that emanated from his eyes.
The office's surveillance camera was pointed directly at Screwllum, relaying his every word.
If all went as expected, this would be a contest between three top-tier geniuses, and the arena for their struggle would be mediated through one person: the footsteps of Stelle.
"Okay, I'm willing to help."
As the official protagonist, Stelle nodded decisively. Although she was still utterly confused, she could vaguely foresee the consequences if the Simulated Universe were to shut down...
At the very least, this space station would probably be ruined... Wouldn't all of Asta's hard work, along with the jobs of so many staff members, go down the drain?
Stelle couldn't be sure. She was now entering the Simulated Universe with a sense of apprehension. Perhaps... this would be the last time?
---o---
Reality
"What! The Simulated Universe is closing? Then where am I supposed to get my nutritional supplements... uh, I mean, my Stellar Jades!" Haihai shouted, getting way too into the plot.
"Be that as it may, our almighty Trailblazer will definitely save our beloved Simulated Universe from its fiery ordeal! To stop our dear Miss Herta from crying and throwing a fit! Trailblazer, use Fire Punch on Screwllum!!!" Sister Guoguo, standing next to Haihai, roared with righteous passion.
"And after you're done fighting, remember to throw Screwllum onto my bed. I have absolutely no interest in him! I'm just very curious about his charging method and wish to investigate whether he has all the necessary modules installed, such as... a bio-sensory module, for example!"
[You there? I can hear you scheming from a mile away! Are you planning on starting a percussion band with that abacus of yours!?]
[What happened to you people? At first, you thought men were hot. Then you moved on to small animals. Have you now evolved to the point where you won't even leave the robots alone?!]
[I'm scared to even imagine what you'll find hot next!]
[I mean, to be fair, Screwllum really is hot! Why is his voice so good! Ahhh♂!]
[Correction: Robots don't have genders, so it's not gay to be into him.]
[You guys just had to find a loophole, didn't you!]
[I'm gonna go into the Simulated Universe and absolutely wreck that little gremlin Silver Wolf! That'll teach her to cause trouble!]
[Silver Wolf: ???? It's not my fault the SU is closing, why are you coming after me!]
[How'd you know I got Silver Wolf in 20 pulls after winning the soft pity?]
Although they knew the Simulated Universe wouldn't actually be shut down, the hearts of most players still skipped a beat during this part of the story. After all, the Simulated Universe wasn't just a source of rewards; it was a source of endless fun!
But as a permanent game mode in Star Rail, this version's Simulated Universe even had new events added. How could miHuyou bear to, or even possibly, shut it down?
This plot point caused quite a stir among the players, not just because of Silver Wolf's appearance, but also because a brand-new "satellite" had once again appeared in the cosmos.
That satellite was Screwllum.
It was hard to imagine that miHuyou had the ability to turn a robot into something that catered to the players' kinks, and it was even harder to imagine just what strange tastes today's players had.
That being said, there were always players who liked to slack off, running around aimlessly after accepting a quest.
As they wandered, they discovered Wende stationed in the Support Zone of the space station. Why was Wende here? The story never mentioned it!
And so, the slacking players began searching for evidence of why Wende was on the space station. They finally found a note in Asta's office listing some items to be purchased and preparations to be made, signed with Wende's name.
Considering Arlan had mentioned at the beginning of this storyline that a distinguished guest was coming to the station, these items were likely for hosting said guest, right?
With the reason for Wende's presence found, the players shifted their curiosity to whether or not Screwllum could eat.
Meanwhile, Wende, who had already set everything up just to make the process seem more logical, had begun rallying the station's staff to start playing games.
What else could he do? He was idle, and so were they.