Sylvia dragged Mei along, running full-speed through the long, narrow corridor.
Because it ran right alongside the massive cargo bay, this entire hallway was the most severely melted and damaged section of the area.
The walls were warped and shattered, and every single automatic door had broken down from the extreme heat. It got to the point where Sylvia had to step up and force the doors open with raw strength.
They made their way all the way to the laboratory right next to the Cat Cake containment room, only to find that most of the equipment inside had also sustained varying degrees of damage.
It looked as though some force had leaked in from another side door, turning the entire lab into a total mess.
The only saving grace was that the main door leading to the Cat Cake containment room remained intact.
Swiping the keycard to unlock the door, they stepped inside. The glass capsules used to contain the test subjects had toppled over and were scattered across the floor.
The adorable little creatures were shivering, huddled together tightly in the corner of the room.
It was a stroke of luck that the containment doors had automatically locked down when the alarm triggered, preventing these little things from escaping.
Sylvia walked over and picked up a greyish-green Cat Cake that seemed to be shaking the hardest.
"Meow~"
The moment Sylvia lifted it up, the little creature instinctively burrowed into her embrace, letting out a cute little cry.
Meanwhile, Mei walked over, casually lifting a white creation that looked remarkably like a siomai dumpling by its scruff.
"Are all of these Ruan Mei's creations?"
Mei gently patted the white creature's belly, earning a soft, rhythmic purr from it.
Sylvia simply sat down on the floor, scooping up the rest of the Cat Cakes and piling them onto her lap, petting one after another. Seeing them in real life wasn't nearly as bizarre as she had imagined.
They just seemed like oversized cats with strange shapes, sporting stubby little legs underneath that were far better suited for hopping around like rabbits than actual walking.
"Yeah, every single one of them."
"...Well, her sense of style is certainly unique."
For a moment, Mei didn't quite know how to evaluate the genius named Ruan Mei. While creating entirely new species out of thin air was undoubtedly impressive, choosing to code their appearance so casually into the shapes of pastries and desserts really highlighted her obsession with sweet treats.
"Hehe, they're pretty cute anyway, and really smart too. I'm thinking of raising a few of them on the Express later."
"You're cuter."
"Cough..."
Sylvia choked on her breath, shooting a glaring look at Mei. Are you seriously comparing my cuteness to these little things?
Smiling, Mei completely ignored Sylvia's silent complaint. She blinked, smoothly shifting the subject. "Are these little guys really that smart?"
"...Your topic-changing skills are absolutely terrible!"
Sylvia complained loudly, though she still went on to explain, "Of course they are. Ruan Mei originally created them in an attempt to clone geniuses. Even though they didn't quite meet her expectations, their intellect and emotions are incredibly rich."
Sylvia reached out and pinched the tiny paws that the Cat Cake loved to keep tucked against its chest.
When they weren't moving around, these creatures seemed to love just lounging like this, completely motionless. The irritation from Mei's teasing quickly melted away under the comforting presence of the little creature.
Seeing Sylvia so relaxed, Mei followed her lead and sat down on the floor, placing one of Ruan Mei's creations onto her own lap. Her shoulder leaned in gently, resting against Sylvia's.
She even tilted her head, pressing her cheek against Sylvia's and nuzzling her slightly.
It was almost as if she were competing with the Cat Cakes for attention...
"Honestly, you're not actually jealous of a Cat Cake, are you?"
The moment Sylvia said it, Mei visibly stiffened against her. She immediately pretended she hadn't heard a thing.
This classic ostrich-act reaction almost made Sylvia burst out laughing. Actually, scratch that—she couldn't hold it in and let out a sudden snort of laughter.
Mei's earlobes flushed a delicate shade of pink. She quickly spoke up to break the tension, "When are we heading back up?"
"Let's comfort these little guys first."
Sylvia wasn't in any particular hurry. To be completely honest, she was mostly worried that Herta would come storming down here, throwing a massive tantrum.
After all, even when the Antimatter Legion invaded last time, the space station hadn't suffered this much damage. Today, she had practically torn the entire Seclusion Zone apart.
Granted, more than half of the blame belonged squarely to Ruan Mei. But that wouldn't stop Herta from lumping Sylvia into the mess and chewing them both out together.
"Come to think of it, these little guys don't seem to fear your aura at all."
Sylvia looked down at the 'siomai' that was practically melting into a puddle of contentment on Mei's lap. If she remembered correctly, this specific little guy was supposed to have a rather arrogant personality, whereas the one in her own arms was... pretty pessimistic?
"Is that so?" Mei murmured, looking down briefly without giving it much thought.
By the time March 7th and Stelle anxiously made their way through the ruined corridor and finally tracked Sylvia down, this was the exact scene they stumbled upon: Sylvia and Mei sitting side by side on the floor, leaning comfortably into each other, completely surrounded by a sea of adorable little creatures.
"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, what are those?!"
March 7th immediately let out an unidentifiable, high-pitched squeal of delight, throwing herself forward toward Ruan Mei's creations.
Stelle, on the other hand, looked far more composed.
She wasn't exactly a typical teenage girl and rarely cared for cute trinkets or accessories, so she clearly found it hard to relate to March 7th's overwhelming excitement.
Mei didn't say a word as the two arrived. She merely raised her head from Sylvia's shoulder with smooth, practiced nonchalance. Her face remained perfectly calm, her heart rate steady, acting as if absolutely nothing out of the ordinary had just happened.
As for Sylvia, she narrowed her eyes and shot Stelle a knowing look before asking, "What are you two doing down here?"
"Ehehe~ You're so cute~"
March 7th scooped up a Cat Cake, burying her entire face into its soft form to take a deep breath. She had discarded her bow to the side without a care. However, hearing Sylvia's question, she managed to claw back a shred of her sanity.
"The space station suddenly started shaking like crazy! Asta asked us to come down and look for you. What on earth happened down here?"
Seeing March 7th settle onto the floor so naturally, Stelle looked left and right, thought about it for a second, and finally sat down beside March 7th with her legs tucked politely to the side.
"Why would Asta send you two down here? It's way too dangerous... Oh wait, never mind. By the time you got here, the danger was probably already gone."
Sylvia frowned slightly, but quickly realized the truth. Even with the extra lifespan she had artificially granted it, the Swarm King had only survived for about sixty seconds in total.
If they timed it from the moment the space station first shuddered, the Swarm King was likely dead before March 7th and Stelle had even stepped into the elevator. Any leftover immature larvae had probably been wiped out by the dispersing shockwaves.
There really wasn't any danger left for them to encounter.
"...Don't tell me this was another one of that genius's experiments?" Stelle asked, putting the pieces together.
Sylvia nodded but offered no further explanation. It wouldn't do any good if Ruan Mei decided to feed these two some memory-erasing pastry again.
"It's terrifying... Even the Antimatter Legion didn't manage to wreck the space station this badly," March 7th complained, shuddering just thinking about the completely mangled corridor outside.
March 7th had a pretty good idea of how sturdy the station's construction was.
After all, even when Stelle had gone wild and dealt with the Doomsday Beast, the Supply Zone's platform hadn't been obliterated like this. For metal of this caliber to be twisted into such a horrific state, one could only imagine how absurdly intense the battle down here must have been.
"Do you think Herta is going to make you pay for the damages in Credit?"
March 7th rubbed her thumb and fingers together in a universal gesture for money, her face etched with genuine worry.
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL