Now that the curio has been given and everything that needed to be said has been said, I can finally go and rest.
Bai Luan took out his accumulated leave slips, ready to use them for their original purpose: to get some rest.
However, just as he held the leave slips in his hand, before he could even speak, Herta's playful, amused gaze swept over him lightly.
"Oh? You want a reward, do you?"
Her tone rose slightly, carrying a hint of knowing teasing.
Bai Luan waved his hand, just about to explain:
"No, I wanted to..."
Before he could finish, Herta had casually tossed the bag of precious curio gold coins in her hand to the Herta Puppet waiting beside her.
Immediately after, she stepped forward, and with one hand, precisely grabbed both of Bai Luan's wrists simultaneously, pressing him gently against the cabin wall behind him with a slight exertion of force.
His back against the cool metal wall, his wrists confined by a warm, firm grip, meeting Herta's eyes, Bai Luan instantly understood one thing.
She wasn't unaware of what he wanted to do.
She just... simply wanted to give him a reward.
"...Alright."
Bai Luan gave up his futile struggle, his tone resigned.
"I want..."
He couldn't even fully articulate the word "reward."
Herta, with a triumphant smile, leaned in and kissed him directly.
After some time, Herta finally released him, satisfied, and casually pulled the leave slip from his hand that he had originally intended to use.
She looked at Bai Luan, nodding contentedly:
"Now, this genius approves your rest."
Bai Luan smiled at her, a mix of helplessness and indulgence, then turned and left.
Herta watched him leave, then stretched out an arm, grabbing the Herta Puppet by the back of her collar as she tried to silently follow, pulling her back.
"He's going to rest."
Herta narrowed her eyes slightly, staring at the puppet who was always trying to find loopholes.
"Why are you following?"
The Herta Puppet looked up, her face still expressionless, but her tone was remarkably self-righteous:
"Ms. Herta, I want to photograph Mr. Bai Luan's sleeping face. Don't you want to see it?"
Upon hearing this, Herta scoffed, with a hint of "I know your little tricks" understanding:
"You're honest, at least."
Then, with one hand on her hip, her gaze scanned the quick-witted puppet from head to toe like a scanner, mercilessly exposing her:
"However, this genius suspects what you want to do is probably not as simple as just taking pictures, is it?"
The Herta Puppet immediately shook her head upon hearing this, denying flatly:
"I did not."
—Unfortunately, her words sounded completely unbelievable.
Herta stared at her.
One person, one puppet, began a silent standoff in the empty corridor.
Herta completely distrusted the Herta Puppet, while the Herta Puppet was determined to play dumb and adamantly refuse to admit anything.
This eye-to-eye confrontation quickly yielded a result.
Herta elegantly raised her hand and wrote a new program into the Herta Puppet.
It forcibly locked her behavior patterns, ensuring she couldn't do anything extra beyond using the camera to take pictures.
The little Herta Puppet was easily handled.
Bai Luan slept incredibly soundly and deeply, making up for all the energy he had overdrawn and the sleep he had missed.
He sat up on the soft, comfortable bed, subconsciously stretching his arms, letting out a satisfying yawn, feeling every joint emit a contented click.
There's nothing more comfortable than a solid sleep after finishing a big project... Just as he was halfway through his yawn, he heard an extremely familiar "click" sound by his ear.
His movements stiffened, and he slowly turned his head, indeed seeing the Herta Puppet holding a camera, its lens precisely aimed at him.
Herta Puppet: („•֊•„)੭
She held the camera, looking innocent, as if saying, "I'm just documenting a beautiful moment."
Bai Luan: ...The Herta Puppet is cute...
This thought uncontrollably popped into his mind.
Wait, no, no, don't let Herta control your brain yet.
Bai Luan shook his head and looked at the Herta Puppet again.
You've been a bit too rampant lately.
Before long, Bai Luan finished washing up, feeling refreshed and ready to start a new day.
Behind him was a Herta Puppet holding a camera, her face clearly displaying the words "unhappy."
She felt her puppet life was full of hardships—first, her freedom of movement was forcibly restricted by Herta herself with a program.
Now even Mr. Bai Luan was "aiding and abetting," adding more behavioral restrictions for her!
So angry, so cold!
I just want to use my camera to record a beautiful life, what did I do wrong?!
I just made the same mistake every Herta Puppet makes!
No, I can't tolerate it at all!
Even if I'm just a puppet, I will never succumb to these broken programs!
Thinking this, the Herta Puppet abruptly stopped her automatic follow mode.
She turned sharply and walked towards a laboratory.
Hmph! A mere program, let's see how I overcome you!
Bai Luan noticed the footsteps behind him disappear and looked back at the retreating figure of the Herta Puppet.
Bai Luan wasn't surprised by this; the Herta Puppet would occasionally disappear for a while, mostly to process photos.
He walked through the bright, quiet corridors of the Space Station, planning his day's itinerary as he went.
After handing those critical life-saving curios to Herta, a huge weight had finally been lifted from his heart, and he felt much more at ease.
So, next... shouldn't he start preparing the 'Light Cone' to exchange information with Black Swan?
Herta's collection contains these Light Cones; perhaps he could study them?
With some time, he might be able to figure out how to create a Light Cone.
It's just... which memory should he choose to make into a Light Cone?
Bai Luan fell into thought, beginning to recall his experiences.
For him, every memory was precious, but using these memories to exchange for information with others meant his own words wouldn't count.
Bai Luan was so immersed in his thoughts that, unconsciously, his footsteps followed the muscle memory he had long developed, passing through familiar corridors and pushing open familiar doors.
"Rested well?"
A lazy yet familiar voice sounded.
Bai Luan subconsciously responded:
"Mhm."
Then he suddenly realized something was wrong—unbeknownst to him, he was already standing in Herta's office, right beside her.
He made this trip almost every day, a habit long formed, all his actions subconscious.
Coupled with the fact that his mind had been completely engrossed in thoughts of the Light Cone, he hadn't noticed the change in environment at all, only snapping back to reality when he heard Herta's voice.
Oh no!
Alarm bells rang in Bai Luan's mind.
The reason he hadn't been utterly Super-Shattered by the Shatter Divine Utterance yesterday was largely because he was in poor spirits, mentally weary, and they were discussing serious matters at the time, creating a relatively solemn atmosphere.
Herta probably took these factors into account, which was why she temporarily let him off the hook and didn't immediately unleash that move.
But now... the situation was completely different.
He had rested well, was energetic and in good condition, and... had automatically delivered himself to her doorstep.
Wasn't his current predicament exactly like a lamb walking into a tiger's den?!
"Ms. Herta."
Bai Luan smiled, his feet subtly shifting back half a step.
"I suddenly remembered I have some urgent business to attend to..."
Herta, with her arms crossed leisurely, watched his obvious attempt to slip away, a conclusive curve on her lips as she spoke:
"Put it aside."
She leaned forward slightly, her gaze locking onto him, with an undeniable implication.
"Stay with me first."
She had been holding back for an entire day, so it was naturally impossible for her to let him go now.
"..."
Bai Luan looked at Herta's eyes, which seemed to say 'you can't escape,' and his Adam's apple unconsciously bobbed up and down as he swallowed.
This is bad...