---o---
"In any case, let's go in and confirm the situation first."
Screwllum felt that standing around outside talking and guessing was pointless compared to entering the Simulated Universe and seeing it for themselves.
Herta nodded and began to activate the main console. She then had Screwllum prepare to link up, but not without turning her head to look at Fu Zhu.
"You haven't forgotten how to connect to the Simulated Universe, have you? We'll go in first. You wait outside for a bit. We need to confirm why the Simulated Universe can't operate normally without you."
Fu Zhu nodded. The procedure for connecting to the Simulated Universe wasn't complicated; Herta had already demonstrated it for him once, and he still remembered it.
Seeing that Fu Zhu remembered, Herta finally relaxed. This time, she was determined to uncover the secrets surrounding Fu Zhu!
A minute later, Herta had finished debugging all the machinery. She gave Screwllum an "OK" gesture, and Screwllum took the lead, linking his consciousness into the Simulated Universe.
"Screwllum link successful."
Herta confirmed that Screwllum had indeed entered the Simulated Universe, then she surreptitiously turned her head to once again look at Fu Zhu.
Seeing Herta suddenly turn to stare at him, Fu Zhu asked in confusion, "Aren't you going in?"
He was still hoping to see what these two geniuses, Herta and Screwllum, could figure out.
Herta coughed lightly, then pointed a finger at her own fair cheek. "Don't you have anything you want to say?"
Fu Zhu glanced at Herta's pretty face, then turned to look at the running Simulated Universe console. He offered some earnest advice, "Remember this key point: to get rich, first chop trees. Then dig three blocks down, place one block above you, and run."
The corner of Herta's mouth twitched uncontrollably. With a sharp "tch," she turned away with a cold expression, placed her hand on the Simulated Universe console, and linked her own consciousness into the world within.
Seeing her leave, Fu Zhu finally let out a sigh of relief.
It was actually quite stressful trying to say irrelevant things to Herta's pretty face. But for the sake of the Totem of Undying, he had to persevere!
If he gave in to Herta's wishes now, no matter how he tried to please her later, her emotional threshold would be raised. It was better to lower her mood first, then cheer her up all at once.
When the time came, who knows, maybe Herta would be so happy she'd just let him take any of the puppets on the space station.
But for now, the priority was to complete the task Herta had given him. Otherwise, if her affection rating dropped too low, his Totem of Undying would be in jeopardy.
Worse comes to worst, he'd have to see if the system could give him a new skin, then turn into a raider and plunder the space station.
Fu Zhu took out his phone and started a timer, preparing to enter after ten minutes. That should be enough time for Herta and Screwllum to conduct a brief investigation.
Ten minutes later, Fu Zhu walked up to the Simulated Universe console and placed his hand on it. In the next moment, his entire body vanished from before the machine.
A few seconds after Fu Zhu disappeared, a pixelated rift suddenly opened in the office. Silver Wolf poked her head out furtively, looking left and right, her gaze focusing on the physical bodies of Herta and Screwllum, who remained outside while their consciousnesses were linked to the Simulated Universe.
"Phew... I've been hiding for so long. Herta finally started the Simulated Universe!"
Silver Wolf raised her hand and pressed a button on her wrist-mounted device, her entire body turning into a translucent, azure silhouette.
This was a little gadget she had developed herself, specifically for concealing her tracks. Although she wasn't sure how long this device could fool two geniuses like Herta and Screwllum, Elio had said that this Simulated Universe would be a world she would enjoy.
All of Elio's past predictions had come true, so there was no way she was going to miss this one!
There was, however, one thing that piqued Silver Wolf's interest. While Herta and Screwllum left their bodies behind when they linked to the Simulated Universe, why did Fu Zhu's entire physical body disappear?
Could his actual body have entered the Simulated Universe? Was such a thing even possible?
Silver Wolf frowned, cautiously circling the console, confirming that there were no special mechanisms nearby.
This only puzzled her more. "That's weird... Ah, whatever. Forget him, I'm just here to play!"
With excitement, Silver Wolf carefully took a small device out of her pocket and installed it on the console. Then, she opened another rift and ducked inside.
---o---
Within the Simulated Universe, Herta and Screwllum stood in a pitch-black space. There was clearly nothing under their feet, yet they could feel solid ground. The surroundings, however, were an endless expanse of darkness.
Herta, who had entered after Screwllum, turned her head to look at him standing just ahead and to her right. She asked with a smile, "Well? Screwllum, with all your wisdom, have you seen anything?"
Screwllum shook his head regretfully. "It's a pity. I have been in here for four minutes, but I cannot detect the slightest anomaly. It is as if this place is supposed to be this way. But this is a simulated universe; even a void like this should, by all rights, be producing some data. Yet there is none. Was it the same for you before?"
Herta nodded. After Fu Zhu had left the space station, she had entered the Simulated Universe several times, but all she ever saw was this empty, endless black space.
"Don't worry. If we calculate the time, Fu Zhu should be arriving soon. When this simulated world starts to change, we might be able to discover something."
The moment Herta's voice fell, Fu Zhu's figure appeared beside her.
Screwllum was about to greet him when he suddenly saw that, in the instant Fu Zhu's feet touched the ground, grass and dirt began to expand outwards from him at an incredible speed.
In almost a single second, everything within Screwllum's field of vision had transformed into a vibrant green landscape, no longer the non-existent black void from before.
This scene unfolding before his eyes caused Screwllum's pupils to contract, the sheer shock of it leaving him momentarily stunned.
Even Herta, who had been mentally prepared for this, couldn't help but let out a "tsk" of admiration. But in the next second, she had a new theory.
"Hold on, I'm going out to check something."
Herta immediately exited the Simulated Universe, and a message popped up in the bottom-left corner of Fu Zhu's vision.
[Player Herta has left the game]
This caused Fu Zhu to raise an eyebrow. It seemed this Simulated MC was even more interesting than he had imagined!
---o---