"At the center of the cabin section, find a large cultivation tank, and then deal with the big trouble inside..."
Reading this short message from Ruan Mei, Stelle hugged two Cake Cats in her arms, another perched atop her head, and wore a thoughtful expression.
"Is this how geniuses communicate? So concise and clear… It's like that joke about how many steps it takes to put everyone in a fridge."
"Or maybe Ruan Mei just can't free herself right now." Lynelle spread her hands.
"Look, she didn't even give me access permissions for the central area of the Seclusion Zone—just told me to decipher it myself… But the good news is, at least she told us the whole story behind this 'big trouble' of hers—if that experiment log is correct, it should be a big bug."
"I read Lynelle's account too, Lynelle. Do you think… she might have actually recreated an Emanator-Level True Sting?"
"First, you have to trust the wisdom of geniuses." Lynelle raised one finger.
"Since she's Ruan Mei, we really should be prepared to face a true Emanator-Level True Sting."
"Second, you still have to trust the wisdom of geniuses." Then, Lynelle raised a second finger. "Even though Herta's access log was erased, that same record was also visited by Herta."
"Since Herta knew Ruan Mei was up to something big under the space station and didn't stop her, it proves it's not a huge problem."
"Reasonable deduction." Stelle immediately wore an expression of sudden realization.
"Then we shouldn't delay—let's deal with that thing quickly. If we drag it out, the Seclusion Zone might be crawling with bugs again soon."
"Don't rush, don't rush…" Lynelle stood up, thought for a moment, then scooped out her own Cake Cat—the one being smothered with affection by the others—and placed it somewhere higher up.
"Honestly, being too charming is also a kind of trouble…"
"Silly Lynelle, who do you think this Cake Cat takes after?"
"Definitely not me, right…"
Amidst their usual playful banter, the two had already passed through the docking bay and arrived at the central area of the Seclusion Zone.
However… Stelle suddenly noticed that ahead of them appeared to be a strange man wearing a plaster mask, playing chess against himself.
"Hmm?"
As Stelle and Lynelle spotted him, this odd man seemed to sense their gaze. He casually dismissed the chessboard, stood up, and scrutinized Lynelle and Stelle, his eyes lingering a bit longer on Lynelle.
"So that's how it is…"
A moment later, as if having solved some puzzle, the strange man let out a complicated sigh. Then, he snapped his book shut with a sharp clap and prepared to leave.
"Descend via the elevator—what you seek is there."
"Wait, who are you…?"
Seeing this suspicious person about to leave, Stelle immediately thought of the visitor log she and Lynelle had just found on the small robot storing Ruan Mei's experiment records—aside from Lynelle herself and the erased entry for Herta, there had also been a mysterious plaster-masked man.
"Have you considered whether the answer to your question will be of any relevance to our current predicament? If a question is of no help, then don't ask it. Time is clearly precious to the both of us."
"...Never mind. Allow me to clarify something. I—"
"Hello, might you be Dr. Ratio from the Intelligentsia Guild?"
"?"
"Oh, then that's confirmed." Lynelle nodded, glancing at Stelle beside her.
"He's Dr. Ratio from the Intelligentsia Guild, who takes it upon himself to cure the persistent disease named ignorance."
"He's quite famous in the IPC. I saw his name on the visitor list for the Herta Space Station this time, so I just, uh, did a quick background check… or rather, looked him up."
"As for why he's here… As an honored guest of the space station, he already has access to most areas. And for a scholar, after seeing an experiment log like that, whether out of curiosity or safety concerns, he'd definitely verify it in person."
Before Ratio could even finish, Lynelle had already recited his details.
"Interrupting others is impolite, especially when you've also gone and gathered my personal information."
The corner of Ratio's mouth twitched. He'd met strangers plenty of times, but someone who doxxed him within a second of meeting was a first.
"Still, since you've saved me the trouble of introducing myself, I'll give you a piece of advice."
With his nearly full-face plaster mask, Stelle couldn't see the man's expression underneath at all.
"My goals are roughly aligned with yours. Since you're here, I won't intercede... but should you fail, I will be forced to prevent some avoidable misfortunes."
"If I hadn't seen you… I'd probably be heading to Herta's office right now—after all, geniuses seldom leave room for ordinary folk in their vision, but I need to take responsibility for these mediocre lives."
"…" Lynelle's expression shifted slightly.
She had thought that even if Ruan Mei had added a bit of Abundance to the Starcrusher Swarm King, it would at most just extend its lifespan from the original 56 seconds.
After all, even if it was an Emanator-level being, with blessings from three Paths and fighting without holding back, Lynelle could roughly maintain a pseudo-Emenator level of combat power for a while—enough to hold out for a minute or two at least.
But judging by Ratio's attitude… the Starcrusher Swarm King was probably much trickier than she'd imagined?
"Thanks for the warning. Don't worry, if we can't handle it, I won't hesitate to call for backup."
Giving a slight nod to Ratio, Lynelle stepped forward and entered the elevator.
"Lynelle, wait for me!"
Watching the two swiftly enter the elevator, Ratio couldn't help but sigh.
"So her ability was the prototype for the Starcrusher Swarm King… Truly a genius's design."
"Ah well, might as well follow and take a look, just in case something really goes wrong. After all…"
Ratio didn't finish his sentence, merely walking to the edge of the observation deck and looking down.
On the other side, Stelle and Lynelle were about to reach the lowest level of the Seclusion Zone.
"That plaster-head guy? Don't worry, as long as you don't take his class, he's a thoroughly good person."
"Oh, I'm not saying anything bad about taking his class—it's just that, according to forum records, the proportion of students he makes cry is absurdly high. A classic case of 'metaphysics or drop out.' Being his student is probably a state of painful yet joyful learning."
"But you can rest easy." Lynelle patted Stelle's head as the elevator came to a stop.
"He's genuinely a good person in the truest sense. Even though he said he was leaving, he's probably still watching us from somewhere… But, with just us, it's not like we can't win, right?"
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.