In the later part of the plot, Leon quickly locked onto the mastermind. After a fight with Stelle, they rescued Asta without any major incidents.
Duke Inferno directly abandoned that wisp of fire and fled.
Aside from being a bit frightened, Asta's body was fine. She was currently recovering in the medical room.
It seemed that clump of flames could only perform spatial transfer and couldn't do anything more.
During the process of them tracking the enemy, the Defense Department found the missing victims. None of them were in life-threatening danger either.
The matter thus came to an end—or so Screwllum said.
The remaining aftermath could be resolved internally by the space station. Only one major question remained unsolved.
However, Screwllum did not explicitly state what it was.
Leon did not come together to meet Screwllum. His current whereabouts were unknown.
Stelle opened her phone to contact him and discovered new activity in the Herta Inspection Squad group chat.
[Bill Geva: Did you hear?]
[Tirelessly Ruining Lives: Yeah, Station Head Asta was also attacked.]
[Martian Robot: This Duke Inferno, his heart is truly detestable! Truly detestable!]
[Tirelessly Ruining Lives: Throughout history, attacking the heart has always been the most terrifying!]
[Bill Geva: Indeed. It seems the Annihilation Gang isn't just the brainless madmen who only know how to fight and kill as the rumors say.]
[Bill Geva: If Station Head hadn't been rescued in the end, that black pot would've been carried for sure.]
[Unlicensed Spaceship Pilot: Not necessarily. What if this was also her own self-directed act? A bitter-flesh scheme to turn the tables from a disadvantage.]
[Martian Robot: That's not entirely impossible…]
[Tirelessly Ruining Lives: Come on, that's enough. Think about it carefully. Is it worth it? To go through all this trouble just for some keyboard warriors who only dare to type from afar.]
[Martian Robot: Indeed.]
[Bill Geva: Speaking of which, where's that Cha Li Cha Qi who was yelling the loudest earlier?]
[Tirelessly Ruining Lives: Right. When he pulled me into the group, he spoke so righteously.]
[Bill Geva: Let me check.]
[Bill Geva: …Hiss. This person quietly left the group without a sound?]
A round of chat content left some players unable to hold back their laughter.
It was too in line with the current state of the internet.
Those who yelled the loudest were often the first to run the moment the truth came out and contradicted their statements.
Ah Xian felt the same way and thought of those black fans who slandered her.
If she hadn't already been using her real name online, who knew how big of a public opinion storm she would have been dragged into.
That kind of public opinion was enough to destroy a person's entire life.
The moment this part of the plot settled, she felt quite deeply and could strongly empathize with Asta's situation.
The position of space station head was not an easy one.
Esc closed the group chat interface. She thought a quest completion pop-up would appear, but the camera suddenly shifted to a dim passage instead.
A clump of dark blue flames drilled out from the wall and drifted toward a certain direction.
Suddenly, the flames seemed to discover something. They fled in panic but failed to escape and were sealed inside a strange square glass device.
Then—Dr. Ratio's face was revealed.
Seeing this, quite a few players were stunned.
What did this mean?
The next second, they were even more stunned.
"I've been waiting for you for a long time, Mr. Ratio."
The words came from Screwllum.
Dr. Ratio looked somewhat surprised and slightly tilted his head.
"The aftermath of the incident hasn't settled yet. Shouldn't you have many things to handle? Or does the safety of the space station have nothing to do with you?"
Screwllum: "Answer: I am here precisely because of this. After all, the true protagonist of the incident—is right here."
"Heh…"
Dr. Ratio's gaze sharpened.
"Since when did you start suspecting me?"
Screwllum: "People engaged in academic research often find it difficult to believe something. On the contrary, questioning it is much easier."
"From the very beginning, Mr. Ratio, I also share your bad habit."
Dr. Ratio: "I am deeply honored, Mr. Screwllum."
"But since you and that man called Leon both saw through my scheme long ago, why did you remain silent?"
Hearing this, several big question marks appeared above Ah Xian's head.
Wait…
How are these people's scheming minds as full of holes as a sieve?
On the surface, there didn't seem to be much, but underneath, undercurrents surged as they saw through layer after layer of truth.
This was getting ridiculous.
Dr. Ratio showed a thoughtful expression and spoke to himself: "Leon didn't expose it, probably because he only listed Stelle's safety as the top priority."
"As long as Herta Space Station hasn't reached the point of facing destruction, people like him won't take action."
"Then what about you, Mr. Screwllum? As a Genius, could it be that you are also interested in this clump of Phase Spirit Fire in my hand?"
Screwllum: "Out of curiosity. Logic: I made the same decision as you—accompany, observe."
"In this regard, Mr. Leon's behavior is not much different from yours and mine."
"No, no, no, it's different."
Dr. Ratio shook his head, his gaze shooting straight at Screwllum's face.
Unfortunately, he could not guess the other party's inner thoughts by observing inorganic life.
"—Leon saw through my plan but still issued a warning. You couldn't possibly have failed to think of the reason behind it."
Screwllum: "Naturally. Mr. Leon was killing the chicken to warn the monkey, and I am that monkey."
"I knew your plan but did not stop you from taking action against Lady Stelle. Therefore, I understand why he did so."
"Essentially, Mr. Leon treats you and me equally. The difference is that he only targeted you on the surface."
"Setting aside that deeper meaning, the conclusion remains unchanged: Mr. Leon also chose to accompany and observe."
Dr. Ratio narrowed his eyes slightly. "Then let's change the question. When exactly did you become certain?"
Screwllum: "In terms of results, aside from minor mental damage, no staff member suffered substantial harm in this attack."
"This does not match the Annihilation Gang's style. Logic: A third party saved them—that is, you."
Dr. Ratio's lips curved slightly.
"If I hadn't accidentally obtained the Spirit Fire seed and intervened in the Inferno's transfer, those missing people would have already become space junk floating outside the window."
Screwllum: "You are more candid than calculated."
"But ultimately, it was still within your calculations, wasn't it?"
Dr. Ratio neither confirmed nor denied it.
"Final question: Screwllum, as a Genius, can you calculate the reason I did this?"
Screwllum shook his head. "I cannot be certain. I can only make an inference: saving the weak is the benevolence of a doctor."
"Afterward, standing by and watching the situation ferment is the severity of a scholar."
"And controlling the overall situation from behind the scenes—is a challenge sent to the Genius."
Dr. Ratio was silent for a moment, his gaze turning toward the window.
"The monarch of Screwllum Star indeed understands the human heart. It's just a pity that, like the Genius, he is also far removed from the masses—you are still wrong about one point."