Pier Point, Interastral Peace Corporation Headquarters.
As Herta was still grumbling because of Silver Wolf, a computer in the IPC's Technology Department suddenly blared an alarm.
"Chief, the marked virus source code just showed up!"
A technician immediately called the chief over.
He was part of a newly formed unit created to monitor all sectors of the Interastral Peace Network.
Because the virus program that had previously invaded the IPC's main account had already been decoded and tagged, whenever a similar source code appeared anywhere in the network, an alarm would automatically trigger.
"Hmm, this alert... It's from a really remote place... Looks like one of those civilizations that just connected to the network recently... Why would the Stellaron Hunters go out to the middle of nowhere? Ugh, whatever, just report it—the rest isn't our problem."
Just like that, the P35-rank chief quickly recorded the information and forwarded it to the higher-ups.
Soon, the IPC's department heads convened an online meeting.
[Madam Scarred Eye: Honestly, I didn't expect Jarilo-VI to still be hanging on. I bet the Stellaron Hunters are there to recover the Stellaron. We have to send someone to investigate.]
[Arita: Yes, and this should fall under the Strategic Investment Department.]
[Oswaldo Schneider: If you run into trouble, contact me. I can send some people to help.]
[Taravan Keane: You just want to snatch Elio, huh? Hahaha...]
[Diamond: I'll send someone to handle it. Alright, that's all—update me if there's any news.]
With that, the meeting quickly reached a decision—the Strategic Investment Department would send someone to investigate the Stellaron Hunters' whereabouts.
Since it was just a signal, there was no need to make a big commotion.
In his office, Diamond thought it over for a moment.
Considering there was a chance they might encounter the Stellaron Hunters, he needed one of the Ten Stonehearts to lead.
However, since everyone else was busy and only Jade was currently free, he ultimately gave her the task of heading to Jarilo-VI to track the Stellaron Hunters down.
===
Herta Space Station.
Earlier, after Herta finished her experiment with Nous, she summoned all the staff back and had them resume their work in the space station.
Herta Space Station floated above a planet known as the Blue, separated by special spatial technology.
If one stood on the space station's platform, one could see the Blue's beautiful form in its entirety.
For this reason, whenever staff felt exhausted, they would come to the platform, stroll for a while, and admire the stars, the galaxies, and the Blue.
As Herta Space Station became busy again, a young woman with pink hair, a fair complexion, and light blue eyes hurried by, looking especially busy, as if something urgent was happening.
Asta was her name, serving as the lead researcher and acting manager of Herta Space Station.
"Restarting the space station burned through more resources than expected. We'll need to put more funds into this..."
Asta pulled out her phone and transferred two hundred million credits to the station's finance account without hesitation.
At the same time, she noticed a message from her mother.
[My daughter, do you still have enough money out there? I checked last month's bill—how did you only spend one hundred million credits? Did you run out of allowance? My precious daughter, don't skimp on yourself just to save money! If you're running short, remember to ask Mom for more. Love you.]
"Hahh, there was just too much going on last month, I barely had time to shop... I'll try to buy something this month."
Asta scrolled through her phone while walking quickly, when suddenly—
*Thud!*
She ran straight into a female staff member, and the coffee in the staff member's hand instantly spilled all over her, staining her shirt and skirt.
"So-Sorry! Lady Asta, I didn't see you there!"
Seeing it was Asta, the staff member quickly apologized in a panic.
"No, it's my fault for not watching where I was going." Asta put away her phone and smiled. "I should be the one apologizing. I'll pay for your coffee, just expense it to me later."
Hearing this, the staff member paused.
She had just stained Asta's clothes, yet Asta wasn't upset and even offered to reimburse her coffee...
"Thank you, Lady Asta! I'm really sorry for messing up your clothes. I'll be more careful next time!"
Wearing a relieved expression, the staff member kept thanking Asta over and over while bowing her head.
Asta just waved her hand with a smile and left.
"I'd better take a shower, or I'll smell like coffee all day..."
Asta lifted her arm, sniffed it, and caught a strong coffee smell.
In the end, she immediately put down her work and went to her room's bathroom to shower.
===
Meanwhile, inside Herta's laboratory, Herta and Lucian showed up in unison.
"Your ability is really handy. As long as you know the coordinates, you can come and go whenever you want, huh? What's the principle behind it?"
"We're not close enough to share secrets, are we?" Lucian shrugged.
"Tch, forget it if you don't wanna say." Herta pouted, looking irritated. "I don't care that much anyway."
Lucian smiled slightly and said nothing more.
Right now, he was the mastermind behind the hacking incident, so of course, he wouldn't reveal Absolute Hit.
Herta then summoned her four mirrors.
"I need to collect some interest from Silver Wolf first—time for a little payback. Go walk around the space station yourself. Ask Asta to give you a tour." Herta said, waving her hand dismissively. "Oh, and don't go back to Jarilo tonight. Pick any room and stay over. Come see me later—Ruan Mei's been wanting to meet you."
Once she finished speaking, she focused on her revenge, tracking Silver Wolf's IPs while contacting the IPC to ban her game accounts.
Seeing this, Lucian didn't bother her and turned to leave the lab, sighing in pity.
'Wolfie, you still can't escape being banned, huh...'
Lucian felt a bit of sympathy, so he sent Silver Wolf a message.
[Lucian: Herta's going to ban your game accounts. Be careful.]
As soon as he sent it, Silver Wolf replied instantly.
[Silver Wolf: WTF!]
[Silver Wolf: Thanks! You're a lifesaver!]
Right after these replies came, Silver Wolf didn't respond again—probably busy saving her game accounts.
'I really am living the life of a double spy, bouncing between two women...' Lucian couldn't help but make fun of himself.
Done warning Silver Wolf, he followed the signs and headed up to the residential area of the space station.
If there were free rooms, why not take one?
Lucian wandered around casually, checking rooms left and right, but since all the staff were still working, the residential area was almost empty.
He had an advanced access pass on him anyway, so even private room doors would open for him. Of course, that was meant for emergencies—to make sure he could get through anywhere if needed.
Yet after checking out a few rooms, none were quite satisfactory to him.
In the end, after several minutes of wandering, Lucian stood in the middle of a corridor and finally picked a room he liked.
He used his advanced access pass to open the sliding door, and the moment he walked inside, the door closed automatically behind him.
He had to admit, the room was pretty good.
Not only was it spacious with a nice view outside the window, but it also had everything one could need.
However, there was one problem.
Given that every room had its own bathroom, and the bathroom door of this room was closed and locked, it meant someone was inside.
'Fancy decor... It must be a woman's room...' Lucian remarked inwardly as he realized that someone had occupied the room. 'Better leave now. If I run into the room owner, I won't be able to explain myself.'
He was just about to turn and leave, but...
*Psss—*
Suddenly, the bathroom door slid open.
In an instant, an unexpected 'VIP content' appeared in Lucian's field of vision.
A pink-haired young woman stood before him, and Lucian, who still used her in the game, instantly recognized her.
It was none other than Asta.
Well-developed, with curves in all the right places—her waist slender like a snake, her skin smooth and fair, flawless.
As Asta stepped out of the bathroom, she was holding a pair of cute, star-patterned panties, apparently just about to put them on.
Seeing this scene, Lucian gave Asta a rating of nine out of ten.
At the same time, Asta, who had just gotten out of the bath and hadn't had time to dress yet, met Lucian's eyes.
For a brief instant, her mind went completely blank, her face utterly stunned—until the next second, every instinct as a woman screamed at her to scream.
"KYAAA—!!!"
Asta screamed and quickly covered her most private part below with both hands, but completely forgot about the two pink bunnies on top—everything was still in full view.