Ruan Mei possessed a delicate, captivating beauty—her nose petite and refined, her lips cherry-red. Her jet-black hair was gently swept up, adorned subtly with plum blossoms, accentuating her elegance and serenity.
She wore a dark blue qipao patterned like ink-wash painting, its high slit revealing slender, snow-white legs as graceful as lotus stems. Between the qipao's parted fabric, smooth, fair skin rose upward, highlighting the rounded fullness hidden beneath, the pinnacle of biological perfection.
At this moment, Ruan Mei's clear, sky-blue eyes reflected the starry cosmos, silently observing a planet spinning majestically before her.
Yet to her, life itself was far more fascinating.
And even life was merely a form of value.
Holding a pastry offered by someone else, she delicately took a bite, crumbs briefly lingering at the corner of her lips, though she paid them no mind.
Hearing voices behind discussing her, she turned slightly, glancing sideways. Her gaze landed on the arriving Astral Express, and the lifeforms stepping off it.
Naturally, her first interest was the Stellaron-containing girl that Herta had mentioned.
But almost immediately, amidst the numerous animal companions present, her attention was captured by Tom, whom Herta had specifically described before.
Previously, when Tom was fighting, Herta had only observed through her puppet avatar and saw just a portion of the battle. She initially concluded Tom was a creature blessed by multiple Paths, yet sensed something more peculiar beneath the surface.
But when Yevenko refused Herta's requests to study Tom, she let it go temporarily. Still, the more Herta reflected, the stranger Tom seemed. Not being a specialist in life sciences herself, Herta passed along her observations about Tom to Ruan Mei, who instantly memorized the details.
Now, at a glance, Ruan Mei confirmed Tom indeed possessed extraordinary qualities.
Due to her expertise in life forms, she immediately noticed Tom wasn't actually aligned to any Path—his powers were innate, similar to those colossal cosmic beasts roaming the galaxy.
However...
Ruan Mei then shifted her gaze toward the small brown mouse in Yevenko's pocket and the white bulldog by his feet. From her perspective, these creatures shared the same inexplicable qualities as Tom, despite Herta never mentioning them.
As Ruan Mei quietly studied them, they were simultaneously studying her.
March 7th excitedly called out:
"Wow! A living Ruan Mei! Should I snap a photo and ask for an autograph?"
Hearing March's comment, Ruan Mei imperceptibly furrowed her delicate brows, her gentle voice utterly devoid of emotion as she softly corrected:
"My name is Ruan—Mei. When pronouncing it, please pause briefly between the syllables."
Realizing her mistake, March's rainbow eyes immediately filled with embarrassment, her voice shrinking:
"I-I'll remember that next time."
Ruan Mei shook her head gently, stepping forward until she stood before Stelle. Her fingertips began glowing faintly between her index and middle fingers.
Curiosity about life forms overtook any social etiquette, revealing the straightforward, unrestrained behavior of a genius.
Ruan Mei placed her fingers against Stelle's neck, touching carefully at several points. After a brief pause of consideration, she withdrew her hand, lowering her gaze momentarily in contemplation.
Yet in mere seconds, her analysis was complete.
Facing Stelle's bewildered expression, Ruan Mei calmly explained:
"Hello. I hope I didn't startle you."
"This is simply my work habit—through touch, I activate perception, allowing minute details about life forms to flow directly into my mind. It helps me understand your biological structure."
"It is fundamental to my research on restructuring. Please relax."
"You're remarkably healthy, a perfect experimental specimen. I adore perfect specimens."
Stelle conversed naturally with Ruan Mei, unaware.
But Yevenko sharply detected hidden implications. Clearly, from Ruan Mei's familiar manner toward Stelle, coupled with calling her a mere specimen, and factoring in his knowledge from the original game, it seemed Ruan Mei had already studied Stelle in secret.
Yet during casual conversations before arriving at Herta Station, Stelle had shown no prior knowledge of Ruan Mei.
Clearly, Ruan Mei had wiped Stelle's memories of earlier interactions.
This implied Stelle truly was nothing more than a specimen in Ruan Mei's eyes.
Compared to Herta, Ruan Mei seemed far more devoid of humanity—perhaps even dangerously so.
After finishing her analysis of Stelle, Ruan Mei's gaze shifted to Tom, who had run next to Stelle, pulling a tiny pink flower from behind his back and offering it with a charming flourish.
Ruan Mei hadn't yet closed her perceptive touch. Crouching gracefully, she accepted Tom's flower, politely responding:
"Thank you."
Yet upon sensing the flower's unique life energy, her usually placid eyes rippled faintly with genuine confusion.
Next, she gently placed her two fingers atop Tom's paw. Immediately, the information flowing back to her caused Ruan Mei to murmur subconsciously:
"This isn't truly alive..."
"No—it absolutely is alive."
"I've never encountered a creature so paradoxically peculiar."
In her perception, Tom was full of contradictions. On the surface, all signs pointed to a living being. Yet slightly deeper, only chaotic confusion greeted her, making even Ruan Mei's reasoning falter, unable to fully comprehend it.
Yet this only ignited Ruan Mei's scientific curiosity further.
She stood back up, softly addressing Yevenko:
"May I borrow this cat temporarily? I can offer generous compensation—anything you desire can be arranged."
Hearing this, Yevenko immediately stepped forward, firmly grasped Tom by the scruff, lifted him onto his shoulder, and responded clearly:
"You intend to slice Tom apart for research, don't you?"
"I've said this to Herta once already—I refuse. Tom will not become your specimen."
Although Yevenko indeed wanted verification whether the cosmos was currently Tom's dream—and he knew Tom would likely survive even an Aeon's attack—he still refused the idea of subjecting Tom to invasive experimentation. They were entirely different matters.
Moreover, watching Ruan Mei's reaction earlier, it seemed even she hadn't discerned that reality might be Tom's dream, indicating her perception wasn't yet sensitive enough.
Ruan Mei didn't insist further, simply lowering her eyes thoughtfully until Stelle's phone suddenly vibrated.
Stelle quickly showed the message to Yevenko:
[Herta]: You've arrived, right? Come meet me at this location along with Ruan Mei—it's time for a Simulated Universe upgrade!
After exchanging nods, they headed toward Herta's location.
Yevenko quietly watched Ruan Mei's graceful legs swaying elegantly as she walked ahead, feeling a growing unease.
Considering Ruan Mei's temperament, she certainly wouldn't abandon her obsession with Tom. Moreover, remembering her questionable experiments on Stelle—on "himself"—in the original game made him increasingly uncomfortable.
Maybe...it's time to introduce Ruan Mei to the corrective power of Tom-style humanity!
Though Ruan Mei seemed to lack fighting ability, as a genius, she surely had hidden defenses. If Tom handled the correction alone, Yevenko's exploration points would suffer a major cut.
And with his own pathetic strength, being corrected by Ruan Mei instead would be utterly embarrassing.
Thinking this, Yevenko drew a[Transformation Stone (Empty)]from behind him.
Since death wasn't a risk this time, there was no need to rely solely on Tuffy's form. He directly injected exploration points into the stone, leaving the outcome random.
Tom, perched comfortably on Yevenko's shoulders, glanced at the stone, memories flashing back: He fondly recalled that snowy planet, when Yevenko had transformed into him, and they joyfully wreaked havoc together.
Later, Yevenko became Tuffy—it wasn't fun anymore, especially when Jerry kept stealing his friend. Tom wished fervently: please let it be me again…
As Yevenko infused more exploration points, the [Transformation Stone] shimmered dimly. Tom's shadow gradually appeared inside.
—[Transformation Stone (Tom)].
...
Simulated Universe.
When everyone finally appeared, Herta casually greeted them with her usual irreverent cheerfulness:
"Hi, Ruan—Mei. Hi, Tom."
"…?"
Herta stared curiously at the brown mouse in Yevenko's pocket and the white dog nearby, puzzled:
"Yevenko, have you become some kind of animal whisperer?"
"Initially, I thought only you and Tom would come, yet now more strange creatures have appeared, further burdening the Simulated Universe's computing power."
Herta's arrogance as a genius was evident: people either had value or they didn't.
Originally, this was supposed to be a private genius gathering. Only after hearing Yevenko and Tom would join through the station's comms did she invite everyone else. After all, Tom was impossible to resist.
Ruan Mei quietly added:
"My preliminary observations indicate the mouse and dog share Tom's anomalous traits."
Even through mere visual analysis, Ruan Mei could sense their similarity to Tom.
This startled Herta visibly, even through her puppet form:
"Oh?"
"You're saying there are now three creatures as absurdly unique as Tom?"
"This just got way more interesting."
Unlike Herta or Ruan Mei, Screwllum—despite being least human in appearance—showed more genuine warmth and humanity, greeting Stelle courteously:
"Good to see you again, Ms. Stelle. Observation: our reunion occurred sooner than calculated."
Screwllum nodded politely at March as well.
Crossing her arms proudly, Herta continued:
"Though Stelle was just a bonus, you're welcome anyway."
"Remember this historic moment: three Genius Society members meeting—when was the last time? And how long before it happens again?"
March pouted indignantly, cupping her hand to whisper mockingly into Yevenko's ear:
"So smug! What's three geniuses? We saw three Aeons at Xianzhou—and even they got totally wrecked by Tom and Jerry! …Wait, I'm a lady, I shouldn't say such crude things."
Yevenko nodded solemnly in full agreement.
Herta swiftly resumed:
"Alright, down to business."
"I think it's time for the Simulated Universe to gain another partner."
Screwllum queried:
"Question: You're introducing a fifth collaborator to the Simulated Universe?"
Herta nodded decisively.
"You all know clearly—besides the Answer, nothing gathers Genius Society members faster."
"No one can resist Aeon secrets. Someone will respond soon."
"If only I had more 'photos' and if powerful weapons worked on them, I'd have cracked Aeon secrets ages ago."
Ruan Mei interjected softly:
"I have a suggestion—let Tom enter the Simulated Universe. Perhaps we can glean some biological secrets from the computations."
Herta paused briefly, intrigued by the potential overlap of Aeons and Tom's mysteries, then smiled at Yevenko.
"Not invasive—just data analysis. Agreed?"
Yevenko considered briefly, then nodded.
"Alright."
Herta waved her hand. Tom vanished, reappearing instantly on-screen inside the simulation—
But immediately the screen flickered chaotically:
"Haha—!"
Laughter burst out as the screen went dark and Tom reappeared beside Yevenko, accompanied by roaring laughter:
"Hahahahahahaha!"
Colorful streamers burst forth. A masked figure emerged, grabbing the mask—
Then the simulation overloaded:
BOOM!
The Simulated Universe exploded.
---
T/N: no more updates for this one! perfect ending i picked lmao