"I know who you are, and I know you're working for Ruan Mei. I was originally a visitor to the space station but accidentally stumbled into this place and witnessed her experiment."
"My goal is likely the same as yours. Since you're here, I won't interfere. But if you fail, I'll step in forcefully to prevent unnecessary trouble."
"That's all you need to know—just two sentences. Very efficient communication."
Dr. Ratio spoke indifferently.
---
In the livestream...
Xiaoguizi had been fairly relaxed at first.
But the moment she heard that this Ironman-headed man was a professor from the Veritas University and a scholar from the Intelligentsia Guild—[Dr. Ratio]—her heart instantly sank!
The real kicker?
This "professor" had just tipped her 20 "Truth-Seeking Storms" in the stream!
And he was "using his real name online", openly revealing his identity.
This made Guinaifen feel like her head was about to explode!
"Little Gui is just an entertainment streamer..."
"Why is a big shot from the Intelligentsia Guild here?!"
What was supposed to be a fun, meme-filled stream suddenly felt like an online thesis defense!
---
However, the moment the viewers in chat heard this, they were outraged!
"Xiaoguizi, you're literally the #1 streamer for Honkai: Star Rail right now! Do you have any idea how many heavyweight figures across the universe are watching your stream?"
"Remember the 'Ghost-Hunting Squad' event? A bunch of IDs got exposed back then."
"From what I know, there are plenty of lurking big shots in Xiaoguizi's stream!"
"With how chaotic Xiaoguizi's streams are, I wouldn't even be surprised if Aha showed up!"
"The forums already exposed it! The top tipper [Real-Name Online] is actually Jing Yuan! And [Heartless Divination Machine] is Fu Xuan!"
"Huh?! I knew those two viewers seemed off! Even though they chat normally, their speech patterns are totally different from regular netizens—so they're the two giants of the Luofu?!"
"Wait, [Invincible Swordsman123] is actually Yanqing?! And there's even crazier stuff..."
"What's crazier?! Spill the tea!"
"Holy crap, the big shots were right beside us all along?!"
"The forum's insider [Zhao Camera] is actually March 7th herself!!"
"WHAT?!"
"BRO, IS THE INTERNET NOT EVEN SAFE ANYMORE?!"
"Does Phantylia know everything? Can she track people down through their IPs?!"
"Phantylia probably even knows what color my underwear is!"
"Miss, who taught you to say things like that?"
---
Reading the chat, Guinaifen was stunned.
She knew she was a fairly big streamer now, and she was aware that some strange people lurked in her streams.
But after the viewers' exposé, she realized just how many absurd figures were actually in her audience!
Turns out, her top three tippers were all major figures from the Luofu!
Even General Jing Yuan was a fan?!
This was way too ridiculous!
For a moment, Guinaifen couldn't process it.
Going from an entertainment streamer to a news anchor watched by the entire universe in an instant...
It made her so nervous she could barely function.
"Deep breaths, deep breaths..."
"Little Gui, wasn't this your ultimate dream?"
"—To become a galaxy-famous streamer, watched by the universe's most powerful figures..."
"And now it's suddenly come true..."
"AHHHHH—"
"I STILL CAN'T HANDLE IT!"
Xiaoguizi could only force herself to focus on the game's story.
Otherwise, the thought of so many big shots silently watching her stream made her feel completely out of her body!
---
Sealed Zone, Level 1.
This was a massive empty room.
Xiaoguizi didn't rush in.
With a veteran player's intuition, she sensed that something unexpected would happen the moment she stepped inside!
So, she decided to observe the environment first.
Above her was what looked like a broken incubation pod.
Its shattered shell lay on the ground, with thick, viscous liquid dripping from the edges.
Xiaoguizi's eyes sharpened.
"This is the incubation pod from Ruan Mei's research logs!"
"But it's broken now—the creature inside is gone!"
"There's mucus on the ground... left behind by the insect!"
"Oh no!"
"Ruan Mei's experiment succeeded!"
"That thing hatched... and escaped!"
"And it didn't go far—it's definitely still lurking in this area, waiting to ambush me!"
...
"HOLY CRAP, XIAOGUIZI! Did you take some 'Wisdom-Enhancing Elixir' or something?! How are you suddenly so sharp?!"
"I didn't even notice these details until you pointed them out!"
"Am I dumber than Xiaoguizi now?!"
---
Just as Xiaoguizi predicted...
As she stepped forward to inspect the area, she crouched and curiously poked the mucus on the ground.
Her fingers stretched out sticky threads—it was extremely viscous.
Suddenly, Stelle seemed to realize something terrifying was behind her.
Her eyes widened instantly, pupils shrinking in shock!
"BZZZZT—!!!"
A violent gust of wind erupted from behind.
Two bluish-green lights ignited in the darkness.
A gigantic figure loomed over the entire room.
Unlike the crimson-black True Sting insects encountered before...
This one had a cold, cosmic texture, as if forged from the void itself!
An overwhelming pressure seemed to pierce through the screen!
Instinctively, Stelle swung her bat at the colossal creature.
"BZZT—!"
The screen shook—then shattered.
[ENTERING BATTLE]
Stelle's horrified voice echoed in the background:
"A replica of a 'Propagation' Emanator?! How is that possible...?!"
Above the monster, its name appeared:
[Starcrusher Swarm King • Skaracabaz (Simulated)]
Even though she had expected this "Propagation lifeform" to ambush her...
Facing it head-on still left Guinaifen shocked!
Starcrusher Swarm King—just the name alone screamed "this is no ordinary enemy"!
The sheer menace of it forced Guinaifen to take the fight deadly seriously.
The Swarm King's maw glowed blue, gathering energy before firing a searing laser beam straight at the team.
[Thermal Dissolution Beam]
"WAAH—!"
"Thank god I activated Fu Xuan's Matrix of Prescience!"
"Otherwise, I'm pretty sure this one shot would've insta-killed my Dan Heng • Imbibitor Lunae!"
"This thing's damage is insane!"
But the real nightmare was its mechanics.
Not only did it hit like a truck, but it also entered a [Proliferation] state, where it took massively reduced damage and summoned a [Corrosive Sting] every time it was hit!
If not for Fu Xuan's non-stop shielding, the team would've wiped multiple times already!
"Ever since I pulled Fu Xuan, I've never felt survival pressure..."
"Turns out, it wasn't that there wasn't pressure—it just hadn't arrived yet!"
"And now it's hit me like a freight train!"
---
Phase Two was even worse.
On top of [Proliferation], the Swarm King had its ultimate attack!
It soared into the air, condensing a crystalline orb of pure annihilation before slamming it down with enough force to erase matter itself.
At this point, Xiaoguizi's Fu Xuan was basically:
"Baba..."
"Plans are but human efforts..."
"The balance shifts..."
"The balance shifts..."
"The balance shifts..."
"The entire team is being carried by Fu Xuan!"
"Without her, I'd have been one-shot by this Starcrusher Swarm King so many times!"
...
"Is this a Fu Xuan advertisement?!"
"After watching Xiaoguizi's fight, anyone on the fence about pulling Fu Xuan is sprinting to the banner!"
"Damn, she's spinning harder than a top!"
"Master Diviner, you're working overtime!"
"Is this what real Preservation looks like?!"
"Gepard is taking notes!"
To be continued…
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