1) Forced ejection — and the "rewards" are real
The simulation pod popped open with a bang and forcibly spat them out.
Stelle was gripping a wax seal (a Preservation seal).
Huo Linfei was holding a crystal fragment shot through with orange-blue light.
Huo Linfei turned the fragment over in his hand, rubbing his chin. "No way… this is a physical reward? I thought it was just a game item."
Herta, busy tuning parameters through her puppet, snapped back immediately: "How many times do I have to say it—this is a Simulated Universe test. An experiment. Not a game!"
Stelle examined her seal. "A Preservation wax mark… last time I got a trash Light Cone…"
Then Huo Linfei noticed something off: "This thing is absorbing my energy."
Normally, a small amount of his power leaked outward. Now, the moment any energy drifted away from his body, the fragment swallowed it before it could disperse.
Herta snatched the fragment. Her puppet's eyes lit up unnervingly bright. "A Fragment of Equilibrium… you little punk actually drew the gaze of an Aeon?"
Stelle asked the practical question: "Is that a good thing?"
"Theoretically, yes." Herta scanned the fragment rapidly—then frowned. "But why would 'Hoo' specifically show up inside the Simulated Universe…"
Huo Linfei recalled the humanoid statue in his mental space. "So that was an Aeon? I thought they were the type that turns into a ball when they fight…"
Herta suddenly stared at him.
"What? Do I have something on my face?"
"No… nothing." Herta's tone shifted. "Just… a terrifying hypothesis."
She immediately denied it to herself. "No, that shouldn't be possible… If it's only 'being noticed' by an Aeon, it wouldn't be enough to make her treat it that seriously…"
(Translation note: "互 / Hoo" here is the author's stylized reference to the Aeon of Equilibrium, the one Herta is implicitly naming.)
2) Cutaway: Dr. Primitive's monkey is already inside the data stream
Elsewhere, Dr. Primitive's monkey puppet squatted in the data flow, clutching a stolen string of parameters.
"Interesting… too interesting!" The shrill voice trembled with excitement. "That kid actually carries Hoo's mark. Maybe in the near future, I'll witness the birth of an Emanator of Equilibrium…"
It grinned, baring teeth. "Silent Lord… the treasure you've hidden—I'll crack it open first."
This is the chapter's real escalation: it's not just "someone is watching." It's active penetration, parameter theft, and targeted interest in Huo Linfei's "mark."
3) Back on the Express: "Is this 'blessing' even useful?"
Huo Linfei sprawled on the observation car's couch while March 7th attacked his hair with a comb.
"So you're basically blessed by an Aeon now?" She tied his hair into a tiny braid.
"Blessed?" Huo Linfei shook the fragment. "This thing just drinks my energy. Herta told me to keep it on me at all times."
Stelle popped up from behind the couch and pinched the braid. "She says it can be a protective charm."
Huo Linfei: "So next fight I just throw it at a monster's face?"
Welt looked up from his资料. "We don't have much recorded about Equilibrium. But it's said the Arbiters act under Equilibrium's guidance, pursuing the universe's 'zero-sum.' A gift from it may—"
Huo Linfei threw his hands up. "Great. That is absolutely incomprehensible."
Welt pushed up his glasses. "Looks like I'll have to tutor you a little later… fellow countryman."
That tone made Huo Linfei's spine go cold.
Then Pom-Pom's announcement came over the intercom:
"All passengers, please stay seated. The Express is about to jump—destination: Xianzhou Luofu!"
4) Hard cut: You're already in prison — with Xueyi escorting "a red-haired kid"
The Shackling Prison (幽囚狱).
Two guards gossiped:
"We're getting two new prisoners."
"One's a famous Stellaron Hunter—the one who set off a Stellaron."
"And the other… is supposedly from the Astral Express."
The second guard balked. "The Trailblazers? Aren't they all bleeding-heart do-gooders? How does one end up here?"
"Rumor says they offended someone connected to the General."
"That's impossible—General Jing Yuan isn't petty like that!"
A patrol turned toward them as their voices rose.
Then a short-haired young woman arrived escorting a child—her outfit mostly cyan-white, eyes a cold crimson. She reprimanded them: "No whispering on duty."
"Yes, Lady Xueyi!"
Xueyi didn't punish them; she continued walking the kid deeper inside. "I know your crime doesn't warrant this. But in extraordinary times, you'll have to go through the process."
The red-haired kid answered with dead-eyed resignation: "Heh. It's fine. I'm used to it."
And yes—it's Huo Linfei.
"Twenty system-hours ago—"
5) Flashback: landing denied, Silver Wolf hacks the gate, and they run into an ambush… maybe
The Express crew—Huo Linfei, Stelle, March 7th, Welt Yang—stepped onto the Xianzhou.
But the port was eerily silent.
March: "Didn't they say the Xianzhou is lively? Why is there not even a greeter?"
Welt: "This is worse than we expected."
Huo Linfei, annoyed: "Dan Heng ran at the last second. Where's our 'local guide' now?"
Stelle: "He said he had 'personal reasons.'"
March shrugged. "Whatever. We've got enough people."
Then the checkpoint lit up red:
"Unregistered visitors detected. Passage denied."
March: "Huh? We sent a landing request, and they accepted it!"
Before Welt could explain, the console flickered—then the screen was forcibly replaced by a pixel-style doodled smiley.
"Done," Silver Wolf's voice came through the speaker. "Easy."
Huo Linfei twitched. "That's illegal hacking, you know."
Silver Wolf fired back instantly: "Then walk legally or jump the gate. Pick one."
Welt sighed. "…Thank you."
"No problem."
Gate opens. They pass.
Immediately in Cloudford (流云渡) they hear fighting and a scream for help: a foxian woman is surrounded by monsters covered in dead branches—classic Abundance-type corruption vibes.
Welt was about to warn "could be bait," but Huo Linfei already charged in.
"We're on a schedule! You trash mobs can all go die!"
"Super Beast—Armour Up!"
And the chapter cuts right there, right at the ignition point.
What Chapter 16 accomplishes structurally
Equilibrium fragment = real-world artifact, not a sim reward; it's actively feeding on Huo Linfei's energy.
Herta realizes this is not normal "Aeon attention" and hints at a bigger hidden hand ("her").
Dr. Primitive has direct access to the SU data stream and is treating Huo Linfei as an Emanator candidate.
Immediate Luofu arc begins with: denied entry → Silver Wolf hack → instant combat → Huo Linfei gets arrested and is already under Xueyi in the framing scene.
If you paste Chapter 17, I'll keep the same format and carry the Luofu sequence forward (combat → rescue target identity → why the arrest happens).
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 50)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 70)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 50)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 54)
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