The scene fell silent for a moment.
Only after quite a while did Boothill let out a sound. "Fine, you win."
Mobius smiled faintly, her gaze passing through the boundary between dream and dream, looking toward that moment where countless people's dreams converged.
Penacony's uniqueness destined it to produce strange phenomena under certain special influences.
Mobius had attempted to capture the memory-substance, but the result was not good.
This special property that could form another unique dream-world couldn't be properly measured without professional equipment, and even in Penacony's time-flow, the effect was weakened a lot.
However, she happened to know two professionals.
"Let's go. We'll head in and see what that guy really wants. I'm tired of looking at his precious bananas."
....
"Oh-ho ho ho, the Express Crew truly is swift. To think you managed to find the mastermind behind this matter in such a short time."
Oti Alfalfa's eyes flickered slightly as he spoke lazily.
Before the operation began, March 7th had already contacted Himeko, and it just so happened that everyone was around during this period.
With Aventurine's command, all IPC staff in Penacony with even a bit of combat ability and free time joined the blockade against the Slumbernana Association in various places.
Many members of the Slumbernana Association who hadn't even done anything yet were completely dumbfounded when they found themselves surrounded by IPC staff several times their number.
Himeko smiled faintly, then sighed. "It's a pity we didn't find any trace of Dr. Primitive. Someone as unrestrained as that Intelligentsia Arbiter hiding in the shadows… it's really unsettling."
Oti Alfalfa chuckled. "Though saying this might be a bit inappropriate, this old man thinks… not knowing Dr. Primitive's trail might actually be a good thing."
Everyone present understood what he meant.
With how firmly the IPC controlled Penacony now, if Dr. Primitive truly intended to stir up trouble here, it would be impossible for them to not notice.
Besides, if Dr. Primitive really appeared in Penacony, then that would no longer be their problem to worry about.
If one want to cause trouble, they ought to at least figure out whose turf this is.
They acknowledged that Dr. Primitive's Atavism experiments were terrifying beyond belief.
But opposite to de-evolution, there also existed evolution.
And coincidentally, Penacony's true boss possessed the strongest power of evolution in existence.
...
"What the bana, why are the IPC people working so hard? This makes no sense, banana!"
Flashing through the moment shaped by the dreams of Slumbernana Monkeys, Primon felt his head go numb.
He thought the IPC staff, aside from those annoying few, were all foolish monkeys who didn't even know the directions. And it was true: when avoiding Galaxy Rangers before, he had teased them many times. After coming to Penacony, many IPC employees couldn't detect him at all.
With that understanding, he had thought escaping would be easy this time.
'But… who uses fishing nets to catch a monkey?! You people are an interstellar mega-corporation! A mega-corporation!!'
'Couldn't you use some high-tech tools? At least then, if I got caught, I wouldn't feel so humiliated!'
Shaking his head, the researcher ape helplessly rubbed at his temples.
"Forget it. Now's not the time to complain."
Scanning the surroundings, he saw Slumbernana Monkeys in all sorts of shapes and forms.
Strange, bizarre, and numerous.
"Still not enough," he sighed. The numbers didn't match his expectations at all.
He'd planned to use the opportunity of the Paperfold University professors attending an academic conference to cooperate with his own brilliance and conduct proper tests of the Slumbernana Monkeys memetic virus.
But everything was ruined by those people from the Astral Express. No, not just them. That failure, too.
The Galaxy Rangers were drawn here because of her. But now wasn't the time to think quietly about that.
The people pursuing him had already arrived.
"The underling of Evil Ninja Osaru, you have nowhere left, surrender at once!"
With a flurry of messy footsteps, the group blocked off every escape route of the researcher ape.
"I've wanted to say this for a long time, bana, I don't understand a word you're saying."
A stress symbol popped on the researcher ape's forehead, utter helplessness.
He looked toward Rick, who was still fiddling with the camera, and felt his anger rise.
If not for this guy who had zero sense of contracts, he wouldn't have ended up here so soon.
Everything had been going so well. Even if he couldn't capture more, he wouldn't have been exposed this early.
"All along the way, there were shocking sights, civilians twisted into monkeys! Such wicked methods chill the heart! Evil Ninja Osaru's underling, reveal the whereabouts of the Evil Ninja Osaru at once, otherwise I must act!"
"I told you I don't understand!!"
Bang!
A sudden gunshot shook the entire scene.
Stelle's ears twitched.
"Still trying to stall with nonsense? Look at the situation you're in now."
Boothill twirled his revolver in his left hand, with zero awareness that a revolver trigger can jam.
He parted his lips slightly, revealing a shark-toothed grin.
"I've been waiting for you, baby. Ready to be loved to death by me?"
"Silver-Gun Shura!" Rappa looked at Boothill with joy.
"Yo, Rappa. Causing such a huge commotion the moment you show up. I was just about to hit some idle IPC fools outside."
Both being Galaxy Rangers, Rappa and Boothill had a good relationship, good enough to entrust their backs to each other the moment they met.
He'd even come specifically to help her. Part of it was also because of Dr. Primitive.
"Boothill…"
"And this is…?" Dan Heng glanced at Mobius, whose presence and temperament didn't match the scene at all.
"This lady is someone I just met. She's pretty capable, if I hadn't found her, I'd still be tanning in that sunlight-simulation chamber."
"Hii~ Hello there." Mobius smiled softly, raising her hand beside her ear as she greeted them.
"…," Dan Heng felt uncertain. He couldn't shake the feeling that her gaze toward him was slightly strange.
Not wrong, Mobius did indeed have a tiny bit of interest when looking at these few.
A naturally long-lived species, undergoing rebirth across lifetimes.
A universe-drifting beauty freed from six-phase ice.
A vessel holding within a terrifying object known as a Stellaron.
Her tongue lightly touched her pink lips. She was very interested.
But she pressed down her excitement, reminding herself of her situation.
She absolutely could not touch these three. Her good relationship with Godzilla was one factor.
And with her current strength, she couldn't beat them.
Mobius wasn't a combat-specialist Flame-Chaser, she could at most bully weaker beings. If a real fight broke out, the fully-grown Hua would flatten her without preparation.
And Godzilla definitely wouldn't sit and watch her lay a hand on little grey-hair.
Then there was only one path left.
Scamming and trickery… ptooey! It's friendly negotiation and mutual development.
As countless thoughts surged in Mobius' mind, the objective of this operation suddenly felt a bit lonely.
"Hey! What are you all doing here!! How dare you ignore me!" The tense atmosphere was interrupted by everyone catching up with each other.
Professor Primon burst up in anger.
'Weren't you all here to find me?! How can you act like I'm invisible??? I put in so much effort for this experiment, it was so hard to get approval…'
He shouldn't have spoken. The moment he did, all those pairs of bright eyes focused on him.
"…Rules are meant to be broken!"
...
In the vast universe, Screwllum starship.
Watching the defense robot spinning endlessly in circles, Screwllum helplessly shook his head.
"Miss Fu Hua, please refrain from using your abilities on these defense units. Their consciousness levels are already at the bare minimum allowed by the mechanical design."
Artificial intelligences do have awareness. Otherwise, where do you think all those wandering Mechanical monsters in Penacony came from?
And this lady who appeared on his ship just happened to have an ability specialized exactly in this area, and paired with her playful personality… sigh.
"Tch, then make this thing stop circling around me and beeping nonstop. If not, next time I'll make it run from one end to the other, for a whole day."
The Herrscher of Sentience hopped off the top of a robot, lightly tapping the spinning defense unit.
The endlessly rotating robot suddenly showed a pair of clear, human-like eyes.
It lifted its head slightly and made eye contact with the great Herrscher of Sentience for one second.
Visual system shutting down.
Sleep mode activating.
Route set.
Entering sleep mode.
All done in one go.
Bonk bonk.
Her fair hand tapped against the robot's shell, making dull thuds. The Herrscher of Sentience narrowed her eyes and waved her hand quickly.
"I'm saying this in advance, don't blame me if anything happens."
"…He just overused his energy. He'll recover after a short rest."
"That's good."
'You didn't actually care at all, did you…'
Screwllum fell silent.
He now had a basic understanding of the girl who had slammed into his starship out of nowhere.
Her carefree personality was truly without the slightest sense of restraint.
Aside from that, she seemed to care a lot about the name Fu Hua.
Maybe that's exactly why she'd earned Godzilla's favor?
The image of the Express crew's Stelle flashed through Screwllum's mind…
Not exactly heartless, but most of the time, both Himeko and Welt probably wish she were a bit more heartless. Because when she gets serious, the pressure she brings is terrifying.
As for how he determined she came from Godzilla, no need to ask. Anyone with a functioning brain could tell from the way she kept cursing Godzilla nonstop.
To avoid angering this seemingly furious young lady further, Screwllum actually stood there for half an hour.
"Where exactly is that doctor-whatever you mentioned? How long have we been searching already?"
Leaning on the windowsill with her chin in her hands, the Herrscher of Sentience stared at the starry expanse, utterly bored.
"The Dr. Primitive is extremely skilled at concealing his whereabouts. Tracking him requires a considerable amount of time."
"Tch, if you ask me, just grab two of his subordinates and torture them until they talk. And besides, you have me, don't you? As long as you bring him here, I guarantee I can make him spill everything that Dr. Primitive has been hiding."
As she spoke, her eyes were filled with impatience.
It's well known that countless civilizations in the universe have suffered under the Dr. Primitive.
Many collapsed entirely; others were indirectly affected.
And his infamous reputation was earned through real atrocities.
So those willing to confront him head-on either don't care… or are unaffected by him. There aren't many.
Aside from the Galaxy Rangers, who actively hunt him, his life is as comfortable as ever.
Seeing the Herrscher of Sentience cracking her knuckles in anticipation, Screwllum recalled the message he'd just received from Penacony.
After a moment's thought, he spoke.
"Miss Fu Hua, may I ask, can your abilities affect memetic viruses?"
"Memetic virus? What's that?" The Herrscher of Sentience blinked, confused.
Even after searching her memory, she came up empty.
Screwllum briefly explained the basics of memetic viruses and their connection to erudition materials, then circled back.
"I don't know. Never tried. But I can give it a shot."
A memetic virus… sounds like something related to consciousness?
Her gaze shifted slightly as she pondered.
After "figuring it out," she placed her hands on her hips, thumped her chest, and declared proudly: "No matter what virus it is, if it dares mess around with consciousness, I'll show it what real skill looks like!"
Seeing her confidence, Screwllum nodded slightly.
He planned to let her try out some simple, already-contained memetic viruses first.
With him around, even failed tests would not cause real harm.
...
Leaning against the large floor-to-ceiling window, her pupils unfocused as they followed the streaking stars outside, over and over again.
When she first arrived, the Herrscher of Sentience had thrown a fit about going home, even thinking of using her power to force Screwllum to take her back.
But Screwllum simply said:
"I'm sorry, miss. Even me and the IPC's starmaps do not contain the coordinates of your home. The universe is vast, flying blindly would likely mean never arriving."
Using her powers, the Herrscher confirmed he wasn't lying.
Well then. She got here fine, but going home was impossible.
She deflated instantly.
"Ahhh!! That stupid fat Godzilla!!!"
But she quickly bounced back.
"The Astral Express belongs to the Trailblaze path. They've visited many unrecorded worlds. Because of them, the universe is connected. Perhaps you can ask them."
Astral Express? The Herrscher blinked.
That name sounded… familiar? Her eyes sparkled instantly.
She found a way home!
After that, in her good mood, she asked Screwllum how she could help, consider it paying him back for the "ride."
With her powers and Screwllum's curiosity, she easily learned his objective: Find a universe-threatening criminal and stop him.
This kind of dangerous task was just… too awesome!!
"I am Fu Hua! Fighting Honkai is my duty! I can't fight Honkai right now, so I'll reluctantly help you instead. Villains like that deserve to sleep in trash cans!"
That's what she told Screwllum.
A flash of light passed by her vision, it was a comet.
Her unfocused pupils instinctively sharpened, watching the magnificent comet trail stardust as it brushed past her, sprinkling light across the cosmos.
"The stars… are so beautiful…"
The gray-haired girl whispered softly looking at the endless cosmos thought the starship's window.