Herta's reaction was even bigger than 'Ruan Mei' had expected.
But that was only natural.
Herta stared daggers at 'Ruan Mei', looking like she wanted to strip her down to the bone, flesh and all.
Even the real Ruan Mei, standing off to the side, tilted her head curiously, eavesdropping quietly.
"Genius Society #4, the Lord of Silence—she wants to kill anyone who might breach the Knowledge Singularity."
"Why? And how has she managed to stay so undetected?"
Herta furrowed her brow. She didn't dismiss 'Ruan Mei's' words, but she was questioning how it was even possible.
"I don't know all the details, but if I remember right, it's something about… if the universe becomes omniscient, it might avoid its own end?"
'Ruan Mei' tilted her head, trying to recall.
Since it was side-story material, she'd mostly skimmed through it back then—her memory wasn't that sharp.
"Tch."
Herta clicked her tongue, though her emotions were hard to read.
"As for how she does it… she has an ability called 'Knowable Domain'…"
"Got it."
She didn't need to hear the rest. The moment "Knowable Domain" was mentioned, Herta instantly realized where all those "unforeseen accidents" she'd encountered had come from.
Nearby, Ruan Mei nodded thoughtfully, as if something had just clicked for her.
Who knows what she was thinking.
Meanwhile, Herta mentally filed the Lord of Silence's name away in her little black book of grudges.
She was already brainstorming how to deal with this sneak attacker.
As for 'Ruan Mei'…
She took a glance at her interface:
--+--
[Role-Playing System]
[Name: Bai Ming (Ruan Mei)]
[Lifespan: 100 years (paused) + 20 days (role-playing)]
[Transformable Roles: Big Herta (Charge: 90.6%), Acheron (Charge: 58.8%), Celenova (Charge: 17.3%), Ruan Mei (Active)]
[Available Draws: 0 (80.2%)]
--+--
Big Herta's charge was getting closer.
The gacha progress bar below had also passed 80%.
But honestly, after days of burying herself in work, 'Ruan Mei' hadn't paid much attention to the Emotion Value collection.
The progress bar was more or less in line with earlier predictions—some minor fluctuations, but generally on track.
After that brief exchange, Herta erupted with an almost unbelievable enthusiasm.
That was just how she was—when faced with an obstacle, she'd just kick it aside with her super-intellect.
With Herta's help, 'Ruan Mei' and the real Ruan Mei worked together, attempting to construct a self-regulating logical framework inside the Light Being's body.
Their goal was to achieve the Path balance they wanted, and through it, guide the desired Imaginary Energy transformation.
But if an individual possesses self-awareness, it will almost always lean toward a certain inclination—it's nearly impossible to hit the exact state 'Ruan Mei' was aiming for.
So…
Eventually, 'Ruan Mei' circled back, focusing again on that very first Light Being.
Every subsequent Light Being had split off from this one, which operated on pure instinct.
You could even call it the origin of all Light Beings.
And so, the experiment began.
The three geniuses once again entered a state of all-consuming focus.
'Ruan Mei' continuously tested ratios, tweaked parameters, again and again, searching for that perfect balance.
And throughout this cycle of experimentation, 'Ruan Mei' also probed her own heart:
What exactly did her "light of hope" look like?
If it was just retaliation, the Galaxy Rangers had that covered.
If it was pure protection, Preservation was already a thing.
No matter the trait, some Aeon had already claimed it.
Yet something always felt missing—something essential to the concept of "hope."
A sliver of light tearing through the darkness—it couldn't just be about revenge.
Nor could it be only about protection.
It had to give those in despair the courage to stand up again.
It had to guide people, even after reaching the end of vengeance, to live on—hopefully.
The arrival of light doesn't guarantee problems will melt away.
It's not some convenient trouble-erasing tool, and it shouldn't be a god.
It should be what guides the desperate to rekindle hope, to find the courage to face their struggles.
And after this continuous soul-searching, 'Ruan Mei' gradually slipped into a kind of indescribable focus.
Soon enough, this state of hers caught the attention of both Herta and the real Ruan Mei.
"Is she… in the zone?"
Herta raised an eyebrow.
The 'Ruan Mei' right now gave off a very familiar vibe—it reminded her of that atmosphere she herself embodied whenever she seized an inspiration, as if crossing a threshold.
"Seems like it."
A flicker of envy passed through Ruan Mei's eyes.
In the field of biology, it wasn't her, but this mimic, who had entered that state first.
The real one's feelings were… complicated.
At the same time, on an interface Bai Ming wasn't paying attention to, the progress bar jumped up again:
--+--
[Role-Playing System]
[Name: Bai Ming (Ruan Mei)]
[Lifespan: 100 years (paused) + 20 days (role-playing)]
[Transformable Roles: Big Herta (Charge: 94.6%), Acheron (Charge: 63.2%), Celenova (Charge: 21.3%), Ruan Mei (Active)]
[Available Draws: 0 (91.2%)]
--+--
Of course, 'Ruan Mei', now fully immersed, wasn't going to notice it for a while.
Herta studied 'Ruan Mei' for a moment, then turned and grinned at the real Ruan Mei, trying to read something from her expression.
"Ohhh? How are you feeling right now, Ruan Mei?"
She didn't believe Ruan Mei had no thoughts watching this unfold.
If Bai Ming were impersonating Herta right now and grasped that spark of inspiration right in front of her, Herta was confident she wouldn't take it calmly.
The real deal being outshone by a copycat?
That's just turning the natural order upside down!
Hearing this, Ruan Mei pursed her lips into a faint smile.
But she said nothing.
She withdrew her attention and returned to the experiment.
"Tch, boring."
Herta scoffed.
Why was Ruan Mei's personality so dull?
At least Bai Ming could banter with her a little. But thoughts aside, the experiment still needed doing.
Since Ruan Mei was in the zone, naturally, they'd support her fully.
At the same time, they had to stay guarded against the Lord of Silence possibly causing trouble.
Although… the real Ruan Mei had never faced an assassination attempt, which suggested biological research might not meet the Lord of Silence's threshold for intervention.
But Herta didn't dare take that for granted.
She just quietly stayed alert.
This state continued for over ten more days.
Then, at a certain moment, the monitoring device beside them suddenly let out a series of beeps.
All three of them jolted, looking up at the readings at the same time.
Their eyes met, and each saw the same excitement reflected back:
"A new property shift!"
--+--