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===
'Ruan Mei' reflected on Zero-I's speech as recorded in the news.
She couldn't help but let out a smile of deep emotion.
The Giants of Light were growing up so fast.
In just a day or two, Zero-I was already capable of saying such things.
As for the name 'Hope'...
She didn't have any objections herself, whether she personally felt it was fitting or not. Because that was the decision made by the Giants of Light themselves.
'Ruan Mei' had always possessed clear self-awareness; she was just a common person. She wasn't as grand as a Giant of Light. Therefore, she basically wouldn't, and didn't dare to, blindly interfere with the decisions of Zero-I and her kin. She was afraid that her own ordinariness would affect them, leading to consequences she would despise—like the classic "bad plot" where a defense force accidentally creates its own nemesis.
If she truly messed things up like that, she'd be too ashamed to show her face.
Looking at her panel, the draw count was still 1, but the progress bar behind it was already over halfway full. The IPC's headline had brought her quite a lot of Emotional Value.
Time to draw!
'Ruan Mei' silently thought "Draw" in her mind.
The familiar train sped past. Then, from the carriage door, that familiar golden radiance burst forth once again.
"Heh."
'Ruan Mei' let out a small, resigned laugh.
Come then, do as you will. Even if you draw someone from Amphoreus for me today, I wouldn't be scared. Anyway, Great Herta's card has finished its cooldown, and the progress bar is already half-accumulated. This broken system can keep ramping up the intensity all it wants, but it won't stop my determination to give myself a vacation.
Just as 'Ruan Mei' was thinking this, a slight chill began to diffuse along with the golden light.
As the radiance faded, a white-haired woman wearing a blindfold appeared before her.
'Ruan Mei' was momentarily stunned, and then the expression on her face instantly became relaxed.
"Jingliu, huh? Isn't this one basically a walk in the park?"
Hmm, it seemed she had misjudged the system. Isn't this Jingliu card basically a free win? Baiheng isn't dead, and Shuhu was personally cut down by her. Jingliu is currently still happily serving as the Sword Champion. She could just go to the Luofu for a little vacation and call it a day; the draw progress bar would skyrocket.
[Character Impersonation System]
[Name: Baiming (Ruan Mei)]
[Lifespan: 300 Years (Paused) + 4 Days (Character Impersonation)]
[Available Transformation Characters: Great Herta (Ready), Acheron (Recharge: 87.1%), Star-shatterer (Recharge: 45.9%), Ruan Mei (Impersonating), Jingliu]
[Available Draw Count: 0 (50.1%)]
Just as 'Ruan Mei' lay back down to leisurely scroll through the news, while simultaneously pondering how to spend her vacation on the Xianzhou...
Bang—!
The room door was shoved open.
Madam Herta strode in and stopped right by the bed.
She looked down at 'Ruan Mei,' who was lying there looking completely lazy, and said with an air of disappointment: "At this stage, how can you still sleep?!"
"Ugh, I'm not sleeping? I'm wide awake, aren't I?"
"Lying here wasting time is no different from sleeping; you might as well actually sleep."
Herta was very blunt, attacking 'Ruan Mei' with a sharp tongue.
The attacked 'Ruan Mei' helplessly put down her phone and sat up with a yawn, still wearing the pajamas Herta had given her.
"Ah... so, does Madam Herta have something important to discuss so early in the morning?"
"There is something I need you to handle. You know Screwllum, right?"
Herta crossed her arms, satisfied that Baiming had stood up obediently instead of staying in bed. She didn't like waiting for people to dawdle.
'Ruan Mei' nodded upon hearing the name. "Genius Society #76, the ruler of Planet Screwllum, the Mechanical Emperor... what about him?"
To be honest, in her impression, Screwllum was the easiest to get along with among the geniuses who had appeared. Not that Herta was hard to deal with, but Herta had a sharp tongue and a penchant for holding grudges. Ruan Mei was cold and detached. Screwllum, however, was a true gentleman.
Although there were conspiracy theories suggesting Screwllum was secretly plotting something big, she had a very good impression of him from the game.
"He likely heard about our recent project and wants to have an exchange."
Herta lifted her head happily, looking quite proud. Because of this, another incredibly substantial entry had been added to her resume. Even Screwllum was coming because of her fame.
'Ruan Mei' nodded. Although she didn't know exactly what part Screwllum was curious about, still...
"Then go meet him. Haven't you always looked forward to exchanging ideas with other geniuses?"
"Tsk, that's exactly where the problem lies."
Herta snapped her fingers. "Ruan Mei said she had a sudden spark of inspiration and left early this morning. Meanwhile, I need to finish moving Herta City as soon as possible and can't focus. So, you! Go meet Screwllum for me!"
"Me? Meet Screwllum? Seriously?"
'Ruan Mei' glanced at her panel. She only had a few days left, and she had to work overtime to deal with Screwllum?
"What? Surely you haven't forgotten the things you created yourself, have you?"
"I wouldn't go that far. Everything I learned during the impersonation is still mine, after all."
"Then that's settled. Whether it's the Fire-source or the new Path, you were the lead. If you don't go, who will?"
Herta flicked her oversized hat, looking at her as if it were only natural.
'Ruan Mei' looked at her posture. It seemed she had no choice but to go. But Madam Herta wouldn't really just leave her to it, would she? Wasn't she always interested in other geniuses?
"What about you? I don't believe you have no interest in Screwllum."
"I'll open a chatroom and listen in. I'm having you go because I'm rebuilding Herta City and can't concentrate."
Herta poked 'Ruan Mei's' cheek with her finger, her tone saying, 'Why are you asking such nonsense?'
"Ah, fine, fine, fine..."
'Ruan Mei' swatted Herta's finger away. "When?"
"Right now! He said he wants to consult us regarding energy materialization technology."
"So soon?!"
"Duh. Do you think geniuses are like you, lounging around wasting time?"
Herta unceremoniously yanked 'Ruan Mei's' blanket away. "Get dressed and get ready, quickly."
"...Fine."
'Ruan Mei,' who had planned to slack off, was forced to get up and start her shift.
...
The exchange with Screwllum was very pleasant.
Screwllum acted even more like a gentleman than in the game, speaking with clear logic and avoiding the personal attacks Herta was fond of. He seemed to want to perform a major version iteration based on the characteristics of inorganic life, so he took an interest in the Giants of Light and the technology of energy materialization.
During the exchange, 'Ruan Mei' also thought of Amphoreus. She began to ponder whether to create some materialized digital lifeforms, similar to Digimon. Then she could shove them into Amphoreus to give Zandar a bit more of a challenge.
But that was definitely a matter for the future. Anyway, Baiming was determined to have a good rest for the next thirty days.
However...
When 'Ruan Mei' bid farewell to Herta and used the Phase Flame to travel, an accident occurred.
The Phase Flame didn't take her to the Xianzhou. Instead, she arrived in a strange world. Something hanging high in the sky looked exactly like a black hole, and it was terrifyingly massive.
This meant she had accidentally entered an extremely exaggerated gravitational field. Every second she spent here could mean months or even years passing in the outside world.
Ah, the problem wasn't just that. Approaching a black hole at such a close distance, yet the world beneath her feet hadn't been torn to shreds—it was simply inconceivable.
And, in front of her...
A figure wearing a strange robe, covered in symbols that were heavy with the imagery of Equilibrium, stood there.
"My respects to you, Excellency. I am an Arbitrator. My apologies, but following His will, I must detain you here for a period of time."
"..."
'Ruan Mei's' heart skipped a beat.
Ugh. Was she about to get elbowed by the Equilibrium?
===
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