Screwllum said gravely:
"Indeed, Miss Silver Wolf. Now you may leave."
The hazy steam gently lapped at the projection of Silver Wolf's face.
She seemed somewhat incredulous:
"Leave? You said leave…? Why? Aren't you going to capture me, put me in shackles, and throw me into some distant exile?!"
"Your imagination is quite interesting. However, your grudge with the space station has nothing to do with me. Logic: I will not interfere."
Screwllum's words left Silver Wolf somewhat unable to accept them.
But before she could speak, the person behind the curtain interjected:
"Wait a minute, esteemed Mr. Screwllum! Didn't you say the space station is a place where knowledge converges, and we should just address each other as 'you'? Why did you suddenly switch to 'you' (formal)?"
"…"
Silver Wolf watched helplessly as Screwllum froze for a moment.
"This is the Simulated Universe, and… Miss Silver Wolf is not a member of the space station. She deserves this respectful form of address. Logic: There is no issue with my choice of pronoun."
"Oh, I see…"
The sound of splashing water rose and fell with Zeig's movements.
Even though there was a curtain between them, it still made Silver Wolf extremely irritated inside.
She couldn't help cursing:
"Hey, the one taking a bath over there—are you brain-dead? This is the Simulated Universe—what's the point of bathing here?"
"Medicine mud widow!"
"…"
Even with Screwllum saying this, Silver Wolf couldn't relax her guard. After all, Herta still hadn't shown up—most likely she really was using the channel Silver Wolf had hacked in through to perform a reverse hack right now.
This place wasn't safe to linger.
Silver Wolf looked up at Screwllum:
"If you're really not planning to do anything, then I'm taking this cassette with me!"
Screwllum's tone remained calm:
"That is merely a copy. Correction: Not just the one in your hand—the one stored here is also a copy. The real curio was transferred away at the very beginning of the plan. Conclusion: You are free to share this data."
Silver Wolf's delicate brows furrowed slightly:
"Then I might attack the space station again, you know."
Screwllum said indifferently:
"That would also have nothing to do with me. But I must point out: Someone will naturally step forward to stop you."
Silver Wolf frowned and added:
"Then… what if I destroy the Simulated Universe right here and now?"
"No——!!!" Suddenly, a miserable scream rang out.
Silver Wolf: "…"
From behind the curtain, amid the hazy steam, came Zeig's wail:
"Good big sister, please don't do that! I eat irregularly as it is—the Simulated Universe is one of my few sources of income. If you blow it up, what am I supposed to live on?!"
Silver Wolf said disdainfully:
"That's not my problem. Your food and lodging should be their responsibility—what does it have to do with me?"
"No, please…"
Before Zeig could finish wailing, Screwllum interrupted:
"Mr. Zeig, she cannot do that. Ether editing is not omnipotent—it cannot destroy an entire universe."
Seeing that no matter what she said, Screwllum maintained this attitude, Silver Wolf felt extremely displeased:
"What is this? You went through so much trouble to set up such a huge trap, and now that I'm leaving with the goods, you're just going to do nothing?"
She felt very disappointed—extremely disappointed.
Yet Screwllum still insisted:
"Now your carefully prepared game has come to nothing, hasn't it? Without fun, the game loses all meaning."
Some people are just like that—the more you entangle with them, the more excited they get.
If you ignore them outright or disregard them completely, they suffer even more.
Silver Wolf's mood at this moment was utterly rotten.
She had originally thought she could look forward to another tense and thrilling confrontation—only for the other side to just let her go?
What the hell was this?
It made her feel like a little kid.
"Miss Silver Wolf, I understand your demands. The company's shackles can't hold you; prisons are merely another stage for your games. Herta and I have reached an agreement: we will no longer accommodate your needs."
Silver Wolf put her hands on her hips and scoffed disdainfully:
"Tch, how boring!"
"However…" Screwllum looked at Silver Wolf and suddenly said gravely:
"Herta feels this outcome is too gentle and wants to add a few more strokes. For example… right now, she has used reverse hacking to locate all of your interstellar network accounts—a total of 76. Quite an impressive number."
He added:
"How about having the company freeze them all? Including the game records inside."
"What?!"
Only then did Silver Wolf's eyes widen.
"Hey, wait——!!"
She hurriedly tapped a few times in the air with her fingers, and her projection instantly vanished from the spot.
…She logged off on the spot.
Screwllum sighed:
"Of course games are fun in a child's eyes, but for adults, games are not the only way to solve problems."
Screwllum turned back to Zeig—who was now wearing a bathrobe and lying on the bed—and said:
"We should leave here as well."
"Huh?" Zeig twirled his damp hair with his finger and asked in confusion:
"We're leaving already? You used me and Leonard to mess around for so long just to let her copy the Ether Cassette and then freeze her 76 game accounts?"
"The result is exactly that." Screwllum smiled calmly:
"For Miss Silver Wolf, every game account is an important asset. This punishment is already quite substantial."
…
Back in Herta's office.
At this moment, the petite purple-haired puppet had already returned.
Seeing Zeig wake up, she arrogantly declared:
"Hmph, total victory. Little guy, now you know how amazing Herta is, right?"
Zeig—sitting on the ground—glanced at his own clothes and couldn't help frowning:
"Tch, bathing in there really was pointless."
Herta: "…"
She silently walked over to Zeig, her delicate brows slightly furrowed, and said coldly:
"Are you trying to say you don't want your reward anymore?"
But who would've thought—the next moment Zeig sprang up with a "Duang," instantly switching to a completely different demeanor. While respectfully shaking hands with Herta, he praised:
"As expected of Lady Herta! A thief like Silver Wolf is nothing in your eyes!"
Herta snorted:
"I don't care about space station matters, but anyone who dares provoke me—I will repay them a hundredfold!"
"I've already had the company's people freeze all her accounts. I bet that little girl is hugging her computer and crying her eyes out right now, hahahaha!"
"Ah yes yes yes…"
"What's with that look? Are you looking down on me?" Herta frowned.
"No way, Lady Herta! I just stayed in the Simulated Universe too long—I'm still dazed!"
"Really? Hmph, whatever."
To the side.
Screwllum slowly approached, placed a hand over his chest, and said politely:
"My sincere thanks for your assistance, Mr. Zeig. Your contribution—and Mr. Leonard's—was truly indispensable to this victory."
"So you're not actually going to shut down the Simulated Universe, right?" Zeig raised an eyebrow.
Screwllum answered calmly:
"Of course not. Although Herta and I differ in our research directions, the Simulated Universe is our shared pursuit—that is an unquestionable fact."
"The Simulated Universe is one of my few sources of income!"
"I understand what you mean, Mr. Zeig. For the time being, I will remain on the space station—perfect for closely observing the universe's branches. If you need anything, feel free to come to me."
Herta crossed her arms and reminded him:
"Screwllum, don't give him too many perks. If you really let him become financially independent, he'll just lie flat afterward—and you won't see him lifting a finger to help."
Screwllum asked in puzzlement:
"Is that so?"
Zeig burst into loud laughter:
"How could that be… Lady Herta, you're overthinking it. How could I possibly be that kind of petty person?"
…
("Damn it.")
…