With Herta's departure, Kakamond, after several attempts, chose to give up for the time being.
She was convinced that the gathering of three geniuses must be for something major.
So she decided to wait until Herta made her move.
As for Amphoreus—though Irontomb was indeed dangerous, a few more days wouldn't make much difference.
She could afford to wait.
Zandar, too, breathed a sigh of relief once the offensive halted.
If Kakamond had truly been relentless, he would've had to divert energy to deal with the nuisance.
While the probability was low, the chance of other geniuses uncovering intelligence wasn't entirely zero either.
And if Kakamond were to actually learn something—well, just thinking about it was a headache.
As for the Interastral Peace Corporation—they had already begun evacuating residents from star systems near Amphoreus.
Whether or not they'd resort to the geniuses' super-weapons in the end, whether Amphoreus could be resolved in a short time—
The nearby star systems couldn't afford to keep so many people anyway.
Otherwise, they might well become fodder for the Destruction.
And so, several days passed.
All parties had set up camp on the scene at Amphoreus, looking ready for a protracted standoff.
Meanwhile, in Herta Space Station, Herta and Screwllum stared intently at 'Hertatomb'.
They had just input the newly iterated Anti-Irontomb Equation into 'Hertatomb's' system once more.
Though the viral overflow had long been purged by the Anti-Irontomb Equations and the infected puppet had long since broken free from 'Hertatomb's' control, when it came to 'Hertatomb' itself, the desired effect remained elusive.
Until now, 'Hertatomb' focused inward on the changes within its own body.
Compared to the beginning, when those frenzied, chaotic streams of information constantly tried to invade its consciousness, after ten iterations, the situation had clearly improved a great deal.
'Hertatomb' could feel that among the warring wills within this body, the maddened will of Irontomb was steadily weakening due to the equations, while the will originally belonging to Madam Herta was gradually gaining the upper hand.
It could be said that this version of Irontomb, even if released from Bai Ming's control and cast out as is, would definitely not become another Rubert III.
Though it wasn't entirely risk-free, of course.
Having reached this conclusion, 'Hertatomb' slowly opened its eyes and looked at the three geniuses awaiting the results.
"The three of you, we're halfway there. While we haven't completely eradicated Irontomb, its will has been suppressed."
"Conclusion: A highly productive research endeavor. Next, we may attempt to access Irontomb's data."
Even Screwllum couldn't help but remark.
With several geniuses collaborating, plus the active cooperation of the subject, the development of the Anti-Irontomb Equations had proceeded far more smoothly than anticipated.
Without Bai Ming's assistance, even if the three of them had gathered, they'd likely only have managed to infiltrate Amphoreus by now.
Dealing with Irontomb would've remained beyond their reach for some time.
But now, with the Irontomb virus suppressed by the Anti-Irontomb Equations, they could directly attempt to read Irontomb's source files and all system logs.
With that data, developing an equation capable of eradicating the Black Tide was practically within sight.
'Hertatomb' leaned down, its massive visage drawing close to the three geniuses.
"Indeed, but the virus hasn't been completely eliminated. Everyone must still exercise caution while accessing the data."
"Alright, alright, as if I need the reminder?"
Herta was already impatient, directing her puppets to haul out the supercomputer she'd prepared long ago.
"I originally built this thing to test that idea about simulating an Aeon, but since we have the chance now, let's put its performance to the test."
So saying, Herta patted the thick-as-anything cable beside her, then looked at 'Hertatomb': "Come on, plug this interface in. Let me take a good look at what's really going on inside you."
"Why do I feel weird about this…"
'Hertatomb' couldn't help feeling a bit odd hearing Herta's words.
But it still picked up the massive cable—which was only just appropriately sized for its current body—and connected it at the neck joint.
As for interface protocols… who cared about that with genius tech?
Soon, the automated scanning and reading program began to run.
And 'Hertatomb' was struck by a strange, subtle sensation, as if being peered into.
Screwllum, as if prepared, spoke up:
"Might Lady Bai Ming be feeling some discomfort? Please rest assured, this is a common reaction for inorganic lifeforms during data extraction."
"Alright, enough chatter, Screwllum. Get over here—I can't wait to dive in and see for myself!"
Herta's plan was simple and direct.
Use the machine to filter out the chaotic information streams, while the three of them, leveraging the computer's filtration, directly interface their consciousness into 'Hertatomb's' internal systems to investigate what they sought.
Herta wanted to locate the remnants of her other self's will.
Ruan Mei wished to observe the complete calculation process of the 'Prime Mover of Life'.
And Screwllum was curious about all the mysteries behind the Emperor's Scepter calculation project.
Each of the three geniuses had their own objectives.
"But then again, what about me? What do I do?"
'Hertatomb' watched the three, eager and ready.
The system helped isolate it from Irontomb's corruption, but it also prevented 'Hertatomb' from immersing itself directly into Irontomb's database.
Instead, it could only browse the data from an external, bystander perspective.
Not that it was unusable, but there was a subtle feeling of being the only one left out.
Herta shot 'Hertatomb' an annoyed look: "Could you not make that face while wearing my appearance? You can read the data yourself—don't hog my transmission bandwidth."
"...Herta, you've been so harsh with me lately."
"I might be nicer if you weren't wearing that face."
'Sigh…'
'Hertatomb' let out a sigh.
Screwllum then spoke up: "Conclusion: Lady Bai Ming's presence externally is necessary. Should our exploration encounter anomalies, only you possess the capability to forcibly eject us."
"Hah—see? So it's up to you, Madam Hertatomb!"
Herta was still hung up on the abbreviation Bai Ming had chosen, emphasizing the name with a deliberate stress.
Then she was the first to lie down and interface with Irontomb's database.
Screwllum followed closely after.
As for Ruan Mei, she lingered a step behind: "Bai Ming, in your eyes, what might the Prime Mover of Life be?"
"Are you asking me? I only know Irontomb's answer relates to Destruction."
"The answer to this question isn't fixed. And as the creator of the Giants of Light, I'm curious about your perspective."
"Uh… I might disappoint you then. I wasn't thinking about such profound questions back then."
"That's alright. We can discuss it together another time."
Ruan Mei didn't mind Bai Ming's response, simply lying down with a soft chuckle, letting her consciousness follow the other two into the depths of Irontomb's being.
--+--