While the gacha fever was in full swing at the Space Station, a holographic projection was moving through the corridors, completely ignored by everyone around it.
"Is the management here really this bad? I've been here for ages and not a single soul has come to interact with me. How boring," Silver Wolf grumbled to herself as she searched for clues regarding the game cartridge, [Spirit of Punklorde].
The last time she had infiltrated the Space Station, she had seen plenty of Curios, but not the specific item she was looking for. Because of that, she had left electronic graffiti all over the station to serve as backdoors. This allowed her to finish Elio's script first and then return here at her leisure to hunt for the [Spirit of Punklorde].
"If it's not in the Storage Zone, then Herta probably hid it inside that Simulated Universe."
Silver Wolf was trying to think of a way to confirm her suspicions. That Simulated Universe was a project co-designed by several geniuses; entering it rashly carried a significant amount of risk. She didn't want to waste her efforts on a wild goose chase.
Just then, she spotted a familiar staff member walking toward her from a short distance away. It was Leonard, a network security engineer for Herta. He was clutching a stack of documents and muttering to himself.
"Damn it! Why do I have to do a network security sweep right now?" he grumbled. "I just pulled Herta, and I haven't even had a chance to look at her before being buried in work!"
Pulled? Herta?
Silver Wolf froze for a moment. Both were familiar terms, but the way they were combined didn't make any sense to her. Could this have something to do with the strange atmosphere I've noticed around the Space Station? Is there something new and interesting going on here?
A faint smirk played on her lips. She cloaked her form and headed toward the most crowded area: the Master Control Zone.
It didn't take long. She soon saw a crowd of researchers gathered in front of a massive screen, staring intensely at something. It was a livestream a gaming livestream. The streamer on the screen was playing a game Silver Wolf had never seen before, yet the scenes looked incredibly familiar.
"Hey fam! Looks like the researchers aren't doing too well after the Antimatter Legion's invasion," the streamer said to the camera. "I guess it'll take them a while to recover! Anyway, let's go report to Asta!"
As the streamer spoke, they controlled a character named Himeko, running through the map.
Silver Wolf narrowed her eyes. The game's style was strikingly realistic. The map... it was a perfect replica of the very Space Station she was standing in! And what did she just say? An invasion by the Antimatter Legion? That had happened only a short while ago!
"Is this game based on real-life events?"
However, what happened next shocked Silver Wolf even more. As the character approached Asta, a cutscene triggered. Danger warnings flashed in red across the screens in front of Asta, startling everyone watching.
Suddenly, a massive claw that looked as if it were cast from molten metal descended from the heavens, tearing through the Space Station's defensive shields at an incredible speed.
"You all take the Express and leave. I'm staying," the in-game Asta said with decisive courage.
The gathered researchers let out a collective gasp.
"Woah! It's actually happening!"
"I knew that monster would show up! It's bringing back all the trauma from that day."
"Station Lead Asta is so brave."
"This time, we get to see exactly how the Trailblazers dealt with that Doomsday Beast!"
Hidden in the shadows, Silver Wolf felt a jolt of surprise. What kind of game is this? How can it recreate a monster from the Legion so perfectly?
She was all too familiar with that Doomsday Beast. Back when she and Kafka had infiltrated the station, she had deliberately lured the Legion's forces in this direction. Among them was that very Doomsday Beast, intended to stall the members of the Astral Express.
Is the plot of this game really a reenactment of what happened to the Space Station?
As the members of the Astral Express reached the platform in the Supply Zone, the Doomsday Beast arrived right on schedule. It slammed onto the platform, releasing a violent shockwave.
But then, instead of the free-flowing combat Silver Wolf expected, the screen shattered into fragments. Both sides took up their positions, facing each other in a set formation.
"This is... turn-based?" Silver Wolf's eyes flashed with surprise, followed by a slight shake of her head. "Turn-based games were a trend from several Amber Eras ago. Usually, it's hard for that style of play to capture the life-and-death tension of a real battle. What a pity. I actually thought the premise was decent."
The battle quickly reached a fever pitch. The Doomsday Beast's attacks were broad and devastating, taking massive chunks of health from any character without a shield. The team's survival rested entirely on March 7th's shields.
Under the continuous barrage of attacks, two of the characters finally filled their energy bars.
"Death transcends all... or is it life? One thought... separates them," Dan Heng's Ultimate activated.
An ink-wash background appeared as Dan Heng opened his eyes, thrusting his spear forward with explosive force.
"Pierce!"
[Dawn's Left Hand] was shattered instantly. Next came the Ultimate of the Trailblazer, Stelle.
"Rules are made to be broken!"
"A decisive strike!"
Watching these two Ultimates, Silver Wolf's eyes suddenly lit up. "So those are the finishers for the Express crew? Not bad at all," she admitted. "I guess I was a bit too quick to judge."
She began to pay closer attention to the turn-based mechanics. She soon realized that every character had a different function and attribute. The Doomsday Beast was divided into three parts, each with its own elemental weaknesses.
Furthermore, every character had a different speed stat, determining their turn order. However, players could trigger an Ultimate at any moment, effectively "jumping the queue." It definitely wasn't a simple "I hit you, then you hit me" system. Even with just the mechanics she had observed, the tactical possibilities were endless.
Silver Wolf found herself becoming completely immersed in the footage. She even started muttering to herself, ignoring the crowd. "In this fight, the timing of those Ultimates is everything.
You have to use them to break the Doomsday Beast's weaknesses quickly to interrupt its charge. Otherwise, that ultimate attack will wipe the team. But the current characters don't seem to have enough damage... Wait, all three parts of the beast are weak to Fire. Himeko is the key! If her Ultimate is a high-damage AoE, this would be much easier."
Just then, Dan Heng's health hit rock bottom. Guinaifen had intended to use a shield to protect him, but the Doomsday Beast unleashed a sweeping strike that inflicted a crowd-control effect on March 7th.
She couldn't use her Skill!
The next attack came immediately. Dan Heng fell. The health bars of the remaining characters were in the red. Guinaifen started to panic, her fingers hovering over the controls in indecision.
"Fam! This fight is way harder than I thought! Dan Heng is down! Miss Himeko isn't going to last much longer!"
The chat was flooded with messages.
"Is Little Gui that nervous? She's sweating buckets over a turn-based game?"
"Wipe your forehead, Little Gui. It's fine, it's just one battle. If you lose, you can just try again."
"I suggest retreating. Go level up your characters and Light Cones first."
Guinaifen looked like she was on the verge of tears. "But the opponent is the Antimatter Legion's Doomsday Beast!" she replied stubbornly. "I don't want to lose to them! Not even once! No, I have to keep going. Even if I'm down to my last character, I won't give up!"
Her fighting spirit flared up again. Accompanied by the stirring background music, she managed to create an atmosphere of tragic heroism.
Suddenly, a line of glowing blue text appeared in the chat. The font was surrounded by special particle effects that made it impossible to ignore.
"Streamer, can you trigger Himeko's Ultimate let me see? If it's a strong AoE attack, you still have a chance."
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