Astro was weighing the high-tech giant hammer in his hand, wondering if he should find some more Void Rangers to test it on.
From the other end of the corridor, however, came the sound of leisurely footsteps and casual conversation.
"Oh? This area has been cleaned up quite thoroughly?"
A male voice, tinged with a bit of laziness and magnetism, rang out.
"The data stream shows there was a high-intensity energy burst here just now.
Strange, are there units with these characteristics in the Space Station's defense sequence?"
This was followed by a younger, seemingly confused boyish voice.
Astro (Herta version) felt his heart skip a beat. This voice... sounded a bit familiar?
Subconsciously dragging the giant hammer, he poked his small head out from behind the corner and peeked over.
Not far away, two men with vastly different styles but equally striking appearances were standing there.
One of them was tall and slender, wearing a well-tailored dark trench coat over a silk shirt, with a tie loosely knotted around his neck, exuding a sense of nonchalant elegance.
He had casually styled ash-purple short hair, a handsome face with a hint of wickedness, and a faint, lingering smile on his lips.
Those deep purple eyes were surveying the surrounding Ice marks with great interest.
The other appeared trendier, a teenager who didn't look very old.
He wore a hood, with a few strands of dyed gray hair peeking out from under the brim.
Wearing a hoodie with a pixel pattern, he was looking down and rapidly operating a light screen floating on his wrist.
His face wore an expression that was a mix of impatience and focus.
Kafka?! Silver Wolf?!
Astro instantly recognized these two... or rather, the gender-swapped versions of them in this world!
That man in the trench coat was clearly a version of Kafka who had been gender-swapped into a male!
And the boy playing with the light screen was a version of Silver Wolf who had been gender-swapped into a male!
Kafka tilted his head slightly and looked at Silver Wolf, his tone still lazy:
"It seems someone beat us to it? Little Silver Wolf, didn't you say this route was clear?"
The boy called Silver Wolf curled his lip, his fingers swiping across the light screen even faster:
"The data doesn't lie. There were indeed no Life signals here just now... unless the opponent has extremely sophisticated Information camouflage, or..."
He looked up, his gaze scanning the surroundings, finally settling on the corner where Astro (Herta version) was poking his head out.
"Hey, you over there, stop hiding."
Astro's heart tightened—he'd been spotted!
He hadn't expected to encounter the Stellaron Hunters so suddenly here, and gender-swapped versions at that!
He was currently in the form of Herta. If he was recognized... or captured as some kind of anomaly... He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
There was no cost anyway; at worst, he'd just have another fight or run away!
Dragging the giant hammer that was taller than he was, he walked out boldly and lifted his small face.
He tried his best to mimic Herta's arrogant tone and said:
"Who are you? What are you doing here?"
Kafka looked at this purple-haired loli carrying an exaggerated giant hammer with a "don't mess with me" expression.
A flash of obvious surprise crossed his eyes, and then that playful smile deepened.
Silver Wolf also froze for a moment, his fingers pausing on the light screen as he whispered to Kafka with some uncertainty:
"That fellow Herta is truly a deviant, actually making a Loli puppet of himself..."
Astro (Herta version) was stunned at first, and then he realized.
In this world, Herta was a man!
A male scientist creating a loli-shaped version of himself to use... that was indeed a bit deviant.
But he didn't care; anyway, Mr. Herta was the one taking the blame now.
He immediately followed the other's lead, pointing his small finger at Silver Wolf and retorting loudly:
"Insolent! How dare you slander Mr. Herta!"
Then he cleared his throat, put on a look of devout worship, and began to speak volubly:
"Mr. Herta is unparalleled in the world! Mr. Herta is brilliant! Mr. Herta is brimming with talent! Mr. Herta is exceptionally wise! Mr. Herta is top-tier intelligent! Mr. Herta is magnificent beyond compare! Mr. Herta is elegant in speech! Mr. Herta is ingenious! Mr. Herta is perfect in both talent and looks! Mr. Herta is a stunning beauty! Mr. Herta is naturally exquisite! Mr. Herta is a peerless grace! Mr. Herta is as lovely as a flower!"
Then he continued passionately:
"Let us sing for Herta! Herta's beauty is the greatest in the universe! Herta's knowledge will be remembered across a thousand stars! Herta's name echoes through the cosmos! Herta's power reaches heaven and earth!"
This string of nauseatingly sweet flattery...
Combined with that exquisite and cute loli face and a dead-serious expression, the scene was momentarily very bizarre.
Kafka: "..."
Silver Wolf: "..."
Even Kafka, who always maintained an elegant composure, had a smile that clearly stiffened at this moment.
Silver Wolf's mouth twitched even more, looking at Astro as if he were looking at some kind of non-recyclable trash.
"...It seems Herta isn't just a deviant; the personality he set for his puppet is also twisted enough."
Silver Wolf finally reached this conclusion and looked back down to continue operating the light screen.
He seemed to have no desire to deal with this mentally unstable puppet anymore.
Kafka chuckled softly, his gaze lingering on Astro (Herta version) with a hint of unfathomable depth:
"Indeed... quite the personality. However, we still have business to attend to, so we won't disturb you as you continue singing for Mr. Herta."
Then he gave Silver Wolf a look, and the two of them ignored Astro, walking straight toward the other end of the corridor.
Watching the backs of the two as they left, Astro (Herta version) finally breathed a sigh of relief and wiped away non-existent cold sweat.
Damn, I almost slipped up! But it seems Mr. Herta's reputation as a deviant is now set in stone!
He weighed the giant hammer in his hand and decided it was best to leave this place of trouble first.
However, just as he turned to make his escape, out of the corner of his eye, he seemed to glimpse something at the far corner of the corridor.
A petite figure in a Security uniform with long white hair was looking at him, dumbstruck.
Clearly, that entire session of singing praises had been heard... Astro: "..."
It's over; this is total social death.