"Hehehe…"
"Ah, why does it feel like my daughter is a bit of a scatterbrain…"
Stepping out of Ruan Mei's laboratory, Lynelle couldn't help but wear an utterly weary expression.
Although a newly "born" child was basically a blank slate, little ones like Corruption-chan and Stelle couldn't entirely be lumped into that category.
At the very least, while brimming with curiosity about her surroundings, Corruption-chan also held an easily satisfied, clingy affection for Lynelle—even just being led around the space station for a stroll like this had her happy enough to be practically glowing.
"I'm not scatterbrained at all!" Corruption-chan protested immediately. "Actually, I was thinking about something just now."
"Oh? What were you thinking about?"
"I was thinking…" The girl pondered for a moment, then looked at Lynelle with utter seriousness.
"Since we're investigating, why don't we go find the space station's Security Department first and ask about the situation?"
"Alright, I'll grant you that much thought went into it." Lynelle patted Corruption-chan's head with a chuckle.
"But we really don't need to go to all that trouble… Still, since you mentioned it, a visit wouldn't hurt. Good chance to get a sense of how far things have progressed."
With that, Lynelle led Corruption-chan straight off in another direction.
Sure enough, it wasn't long before the two of them bumped right into another pair—Arlan, head of the security department, trailed by one of his subordinates.
Speaking of Arlan, he and Lynelle actually had quite a bit of history.
After all, the very first character card Lynelle ever used came from him.
Of course, given the young woman's current strength, things like character cards had pretty much become auxiliary, situational tools.
"Hey, Arlan!"
Seeing that the two were so engrossed in what seemed like an intense discussion that they hadn't noticed her and Corruption-chan's approach, Lynelle gave Arlan's shoulder a light tap.
"Oh, it's you, Lynelle…"
Clearly, these two had been completely lost in their own world, oblivious to everything around them.
After Lynelle tapped each of them, they both startled in near-perfect, copy-paste unison.
"What… are you two up to? So engrossed in your chat?" Lynelle asked curiously.
"Er, I'm walking the dog."
"I… I'm just out for a stroll."
Having found different excuses almost simultaneously, the two exchanged a faintly awkward glance.
"I mean… could you at least get your stories straight?"
"I'm walking the dog."
"I'm the dog."
This time, their previously scared-off synchronization was back—though maybe their brains hadn't quite caught up yet.
"Pfft—" Corruption-chan couldn't help giggling beside them.
"Ahem…" Seeming to sense the lingering awkwardness, Arlan cleared his throat, trying to shift the topic.
"Lynelle, at this hour, are you… out for a walk? And this young lady who looks a lot like you is…"
"I'm walking the Starcrusher Swarm King."
Arlan and the security officer beside him turned their gaze in unison toward little Corruption-chan nearby.
Without hesitation, Corruption-chan nodded. "I'm the Starcrusher Swarm King."
"Sigh… don't tease me, you two." Arlan sighed in frustration.
"Sorry, Lynelle. We actually are dealing with some trouble, but it's just… the situation is still a bit hard to define. Handling it might get complicated, so I was hoping to keep it under wraps from you for now."
"However, you are Madam Herta's assistant. In theory, nothing on this station needs to be kept secret from you. If you really want to know…"
"Actually, I already know, you know?"
"Huh?"
Lynelle revealed a mysterious smile. "Aren't you currently investigating those space station staff who've inexplicably gone missing?"
"As expected of Miss Lynelle…" The security officer beside them leaned back in a tactical retreat. "I thought our confidentiality measures were pretty solid…"
"?"
Considering the rumors flying all over the station right now, Lynelle had serious doubts about whether any real confidentiality measures existed here…
Though if they did, they were probably about as effective as MI6's.
"Alright, enough small talk. Give me a copy of the missing persons list."
Lynelle directly held out her hand.
"Are you getting involved in this too, Lynelle?" Well aware of Lynelle's capabilities, Arlan handed over his own terminal without hesitation, letting her access the data.
"Is it… because one of Madam Herta's dolls also went missing?"
"Huh?"
Now Lynelle was wide awake.
She'd thought she was intervening early enough, but had the plot really progressed this far already?
"Wait, so you didn't know, Lynelle?"
Seeing Lynelle's baffled expression, Arlan was also taken aback.
"Not long ago, one of Madam Herta's dolls disappeared just like those staff members, vanishing without a trace. Though Madam Herta herself doesn't seem too concerned about it."
"At first, we thought maybe you or Stelle had secretly made off with another doll…"
"Wait, wait, wait!" Lynelle hastily made a big 'X' with her arms. "I already have my own dedicated Herta doll, I wouldn't go stealing another!"
"Er… Is that really the point you're focusing on?"
Arlan paused, then continued. "But we quickly ruled that possibility out. At the scene where Madam Herta's doll vanished, we found traces of the same fire-protection program activation as at the other staff disappearance sites. So, it's likely the work of the same person."
"Right, got it."
After copying the case data from Arlan's terminal into her own mind, Lynelle nodded. "Don't worry, leave this to me. Just be ready to receive the missing personnel."
"No, I think pursuing the perpetrator for accountability shouldn't be overlooked either…"
"Ah, that…" Lynelle's tone shifted oddly. "I'm afraid… that might not be so easy to explain."
After all… Duke Inferno probably wouldn't be staying in this world much longer.
Lynelle added the second half silently in her mind.
While Lynelle had already begun to move, on another front, Stelle had successfully entered the main storyline as well.
Only… she'd been dragged into it quite passively.
After her vision inexplicably went dark, Stelle found herself in a meeting room on the space station.
Surrounding her were Screwllum, a worried Asta, and… that Dr. Ratio she'd briefly met before.
And then, the agony began.
To prove that the disappearance of the dark puppet had nothing to do with her and to uncover the mystery of the missing station staff, Stelle was forced into playing a twisted courtroom drama here.
She struggled to recall memories blurred and distorted by her unconsciousness, all while trading barbs with Dr. Ratio, each calling the other's bluff with a muttered 'what a load of crap!'
At this moment, Stelle deeply missed Lynelle, who was now far away in the laboratory.
If Lynelle were here, she could've just used her authority to read Stelle's memories directly—no need to rack her brains piecing together clues from hazy recollections.
However, right then, a slight change occurred.
"…"
Just as the debate reached its midpoint, Dr. Ratio suddenly paused in a rather strange manner, a subtle shift flickering across his expression.
Meanwhile, a faint, almost imperceptible smile touched the corners of Screwllum's lips.
"What is it, Dr. Ratio?"
Asta asked, puzzled.
"Nothing. I just recalled something urgent." Dr. Ratio frowned slightly. After a moment's consideration, he decisively stood up.
"At present, Stelle likely requires more time to recall the details of the entire incident. I believe… there is little further purpose in me remaining here. Please excuse my temporary absence."
With that, Dr. Ratio rose and walked straight out the door.
"Uh…" A thoroughly bewildered Stelle glanced helplessly at Asta beside her. "Did I… say something wrong?"
Asta shook her head in confusion.
"Now, ladies," Screwllum spoke up. "Rest assured, there was nothing improper in either of your words."
"Dr. Ratio's sudden departure is merely due to an unforeseen variable entering the equation of this event. However… it bears little relation to our progress here. For now, the two of you need only focus on reconstructing the previous situation."
"Huh? Someone as capable as Dr. Ratio still has oversights?"
"It seems you are quite perceptive," Screwllum smiled slightly.
"Even the First of the Genius Society, Zandar, who created Nous, likely had his share of unconsidered missteps, let alone the rest of us. Moreover, Dr. Ratio's predicament stems solely from a lack of information."
"So, strictly speaking, the cause should be attributed to Herta… She has protected a certain friend's information a little too well."
"Mmm…"
Stelle and Asta exchanged a look of confusion before resuming their previous discussion.
So then… why did Ratio leave so abruptly?
The answer was simple: his home base got raided.
In this entire incident, if there were two individuals pulling strings behind the scenes from the start, one was undoubtedly Dr. Ratio.
He had long seen through Duke Inferno's plan: to use the properties of his Phase Flame to erase the space station's personnel, while letting rumors stemming from their disappearances tear the station apart from within.
Moreover, Ratio had preemptively used a lost strand of the Phase Flame—picked up from Ruan Mei—to rescue those missing individuals.
Then, he allowed the situation to develop, intending to both ensure the station's safety net and test whether the station could overcome the crisis without relying on the geniuses' direct power.
The other person who grasped the full picture was Screwllum…
However, he evidently had no objections to Ratio's actions.
Thus, he remained largely inactive throughout the event, only stepping in at the end to retrieve the lost Phase Flame from Ratio on Herta's behalf.
The reason for Ratio's sudden departure was a sudden sensation he received—the space station staff, who should have been dumped into outer space by the Duke Inferno and then intercepted by Ratio's Phase Flame in a secure area of the station, had suddenly lost contact with him.
To be precise, that entire region had gone completely dark.
No matter how Ratio tried to activate the Phase Flame, he could no longer obtain spatial access to that area.
This put Ratio in a bind. Because the Duke Inferno himself was also a descendant of the Phase Flame, sharing the same origin as the strand Ruan Mei had lost—the one now in Ratio's possession.
In other words, while there might be some disparity in power between the two, their authority over space should have been comparable.
But now, this spatial lockdown clearly overpowered his own flame.
This proved that unless the Duke had suddenly caught the gaze of Nanook and ascended to become an Emanator on the spot, the one interfering with his perception was someone else entirely.
Therefore, for the safety of those staff members, Ratio could no longer afford to leisurely guide Stelle toward uncovering the truth.
He made an excuse and left the scene, intending to see for himself just which formidable being had intervened in this matter.
And then… a few minutes later, Ratio was at a loss.
"To think it would be you again, Miss Lynelle…" Ratio sighed, removing the plaster head he had intended to use for disguise.
"However… compared to a few days ago, your hair seems to have taken on a purple hue, and your stature has shrunk somewhat toward a more youthful form…"
"Might I interpret this as the cost of utilizing this ability?"
"Cost isn't quite the word; it's merely a temporary transformation."
Lynelle, floating in mid-air, twirled a strand of her cascading hair around her finger.
She had now activated the character card from Sirin, obtaining the authority of the Herrscher of the Void.
While it might not necessarily surpass the perfected Phase Flame invented by that genius, when it came to this kind of flame that could only manage short-distance teleportation without crossing dimensions, the Herrscher of the Void's authority could completely overwhelm it.
But speaking of costs… From Lynelle's personal experience, a certain little 'Corruption-chan' who had been so overwhelmed by cuteness that she got a nosebleed, then proceeded to hug, grope, and fuss over Lynelle, could probably be counted as part of the "cost" of this transformation.
"It seems I may have truly underestimated the space station's depth. At the very least, I never imagined there existed someone like you here… You wouldn't happen to be some humanoid Curio collected by Herta, would you?"
"Then again, with you present on the station, Madam Herta truly would have no need to worry about her puppets being stolen."
"I just examined the area; all nearby electronic information channels seem to bear traces of embedding. Calling you the station's 'all-seeing eye' would hardly be an overstatement."
--+--
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.