Yevenko briefly considered it—this plan seemed quite feasible.
After all, when it came to Tom…literally any plan might work.
Even if he didn't directly break through the "Dream of Tàiyī," solving the issue with Tom and Jerry was just a matter of time. But for Yevenko, the goal was making things simpler, even if just a bit.
"Jerry, Spike—follow me."
One man, one dog, and one mouse approached Tom. Jerry's paws itched mischievously as he moved towards Tom's head, eager to pop the snot bubble from the sleeping cat's nose.
But Yevenko swiftly grabbed Jerry by the tail and lifted him up.
He locked eyes with Jerry, shaking his head firmly.
After quietly instructing Jerry and Spike, Spike immediately stood upright from his four-legged stance, confidently patting his chest.
Then, gripping both sides of Tom's dreamy cloud speech bubble, Spike yanked it outward—
Rip—!
—but instead of stretching, the cloud-bubble tore cleanly in half.
Spike smiled sheepishly, instantly pulling a needle from behind his back and drawing a thread from his head that matched his fur color. He rapidly sewed the bubble back together.
Yet as he sewed, the fur atop Spike's head grew thinner and thinner. By the time he finished repairs, Spike's entire upper body was bald and fleshy-pink, stripped bare.
Spike scratched his now-bald head uncertainly, at a loss.
Jerry climbed atop Spike's head, a bright idea suddenly illuminating his mind—an actual glowing bulb popped above the mouse's head. Without hesitation, Jerry leaped directly into Tom's dreamy bubble world.
From inside, Jerry urgently gestured toward Spike.
Spike quickly understood Jerry's meaning, gripping the bubble's edges again, this time pulling gently.
Riipppp…
A faint tearing sound echoed as the bubble threatened to split again.
At that critical moment, Jerry desperately grabbed onto the center from inside the dream, holding the bubble firmly intact.
Spike carefully tugged left, then right, finally stretching it perfectly into a 75-inch, 16:9 rectangle.
Jerry nodded with satisfaction.
In the next moment, Jerry leaped out of the dream bubble, sprinting away instantly.
Seconds later, Jerry's massive mouse-face appeared abruptly in extreme close-up at the bubble's center, adjusting it like tuning a camera.
The image swung wildly up to the ceiling, down to the floor, and finally stabilized back in the middle, perfectly framing the entire Astral Express interior.
Jerry reached out, making minute adjustments in midair, shrinking the view precisely into position.
After a brief blur, the image sharpened again, exactly as before—except Tom and his dream bubble had vanished completely.
Jade, sitting nearby on the sofa, was first to notice Tom's disappearance.
"Eh?"
"Where'd Tom go? Wasn't he sleeping here just now?"
Raiden paused, startled. She'd been intently watching Yevenko, but upon hearing Jade, she glanced sideways.
Indeed, as Jade said, Tom had silently vanished. Raiden pondered a moment before softly replying:
"It's Tom… Nothing unusual there."
"But Yevenko…"
"What exactly were you doing just now, letting Jerry and Spike mess with Tom's dream?"
Yevenko himself was slightly confused. Hearing Raiden's words, he subconsciously answered:
"Just a little experiment."
"But honestly, even I'm unsure if it succeeded—everything looks unchanged."
At that instant—
Bang—!
A sharp noise erupted as the rear carriage door flew open.
Everyone turned instinctively.
Tom confidently strode in, eyes shut, wearing a white English-style hat, flicking a gold coin casually with his left thumb and smoking a cigar, while in his right hand—was Jerry, completely tied up.
Tom nonchalantly tossed Jerry downward, then yanked him back like a yo-yo, repeating this a few times for fun.
Toying smugly with Jerry, Tom struck the cigar against Jerry's tail, lighting it elegantly.
After placing the gold coin into his chest fur pocket, Tom opened his eyes proudly—and immediately noticed Yevenko and the others staring straight at him from the front carriage.
Tom froze. Jerry instantly escaped the ropes, dashed over to the Jerry already standing next to Yevenko, waved at him cheerfully, then pulled down a zipper running from head to foot behind Jerry's back, hopped inside, and vanished completely.
Witnessing this surreal scene, Yevenko was 90% certain now: even though he personally felt nothing, it was highly likely they were currently within Tom's dream world.
Yet with Tom and Jerry's bizarre nature, it was impossible to be completely sure without external verification.
To confirm for certain, he'd likely need someone at least on the level of an Emanator—or preferably an Aeon—to verify whether this cosmos was indeed Tom's dream now.
Yevenko stroked his chin, pondering which Aeon to harass—no, politely ask—for confirmation this time.
Bzzt—!
His phone vibrated gently. Thinking it might be Pom-Pom again, he quickly opened it—but found a private message from Stelle.
[Stelle]:Yevenko! Herta says she upgraded the Simulated Universe, and I—wait a sec.
[You have been added to Stelle's group "Tom Fanclub"]
[March 7th]:Hahaha! Stelle, caught you whispering to Yevenko!
[March 7th]: That banquet was awesome! I ate so much I didn't even notice you guys left. So, what's the plan now? Pom-Pom needs time, so let's go somewhere fun first!
Yevenko noticed this group chat had just Stelle, March, and himself—just how many group chats did this tiny crew have, anyway?
Maybe it was about time he created one for his own Astral Express team, too.
Once they reached Penacony, everyone could buy a smartphone. Though he mainly collected exploration points, he'd still accumulated plenty of money scavenging treasures. With everyone equipped, they'd have a main group, then one without Jerry for Tom, and one without Tom for Jerry…
Meanwhile, Stelle got straight to the point:
[Stelle]:Herta upgraded the Simulated Universe and asked me to try it out.
[Stelle]:Also, Ruan Mei and Screwllum are visiting the station—wanna come along?
[Stelle]:Herta's still weirdly fixated on Tom…
[Stelle]:Since Pom-Pom and Himeko have stuff to discuss, if we ride Yevenko's train back, we should return before heading to Penacony.
Initially uninterested, Yevenko reconsidered. With three Genius Society members at Herta Station, maybe they could collectively determine whether this cosmos was truly the same as before—providing clear confirmation.
Also, while Genius Society members' exploration values weren't as rich as Aeons', they still weren't insignificant. Aeons were rare; geniuses, less so.
And maybe…he'd even encounter Nous again for a real jackpot.
Thinking quickly, Yevenko typed immediately:
[I'm in!]
[March 7th]:Then count me in too! Three Genius Society members together—this is once-in-a-lifetime stuff!
[Stelle]:Bah, after meeting three Aeons, three measly geniuses are like cosmic dust.
[March 7th]:Got it, screenshotting that for Herta.
[Stelle]:Waitwaitwait—I'll kowtow if you just forget I said that!
Watching Stelle and March bicker, Yevenko left a simple message:
[When you're ready, just dock your train with mine.]
Not long after, Stelle and March appeared aboard Yevenko's Astral Express.
They immediately noticed the new arrivals.
Indeed, the enormous pack of wolves was impossible to miss.
Stelle, thoroughly accustomed, casually gestured toward them.
"Yevenko, are these new passengers you picked up? Seems there's a few extra this time."
March smiled brightly, petting Spike's head fondly. Despite his cartoonish look, being four-legged at least made him seem far more normal than Tom or Jerry.
Pulling beef jerky from her pocket, she tossed it playfully at Spike, planning a game of catch—but instantly, Tom zipped past, swallowing it whole. He licked his lips, immensely satisfied.
Spike's eyes blazed with rage. March stared in shock as Spike stood upright, strode over to Tom, grabbed Tom's throat with his left paw, pummeled him with rapid-fire punches, rattled him like a drum, then reached down Tom's throat to pull out the intact jerky, gulping it down himself.
Immediately returning to four legs, Spike wagged his stubby tail innocently at March.
March instantly revised her earlier assessment—this wasn't some normal cartoon dog. Clearly, he came from Tom and Jerry's crazy world.
Stelle watched, eyes glittering gold, sighing dramatically:
"Ah, yet another powerful big brother."
"With so many strong big bros, I'll accidentally dominate the cosmos just by association. What a problem!"
Hearing Stelle, Yevenko felt her shamelessness alone could dominate the cosmos.
Quickly texting Pom-Pom about their plans, he announced:
"Alright, let's not waste time. To Herta Station, before they wait too long."
The Astral Express transformed into a brilliant blue streak, instantly vanishing from its spot.
This time, Yevenko's Astral Express wasn't an unauthorized visitor to Herta Station, but officially invited.
...
Herta Space Station.
The Express smoothly docked. Yevenko kept the wolves onboard—too many to flood the platform.
With doors open, March suddenly grew nervous.
"We're about to meet Ruan Mei—the Genius Society's 81st member, a legendary expert in life sciences!"
Seeing March jittery, Stelle blinked:
"But you always see Herta—why weren't you nervous then?"
March scowled:
"That's totally different!"
Yevenko pointed out gently:
"You weren't nervous earlier—and you actually knew quite a bit about Ruan Mei. That's not like you, March."
March laughed sheepishly:
"I secretly looked her up online earlier. Think this expert can study something about Tom?"
Stelle shook her head.
"Even Aeons couldn't. Can Ruan Mei?"
They stepped off the train, chatting.
Herta and Asta had urgent matters elsewhere, so no one greeted them—but Yevenko's Express was registered officially now, allowing smooth passage.
Stelle glanced at her phone, sighing:
"Herta said Ruan Mei's unpredictable. Who knows if we'll find—"
But Stelle bumped into Yevenko's back. Hearing him say quietly:
"I think we already have."
Looking up sharply—a pair of serene, sky-blue eyes stared at them. Ruan Mei's emotionless gaze briefly landed curiously on Stelle—but quickly shifted, locking intently onto Tom.