"Sigh... we're finally back at the heart of the Matrix... That whole trip completely wore me out!"
Qingque wiped non-existent sweat from her brow, acting as if she had exerted a great deal of effort.
"Hey... weren't you just spacing out and slacking off the entire time?"
March 7th mercilessly exposed her. Although their little whispers along the way had strengthened their friendship, some things just had to be called out!
"Hey! How could you say that... I was guiding you all very diligently, you know. My legs are all sore from walking."
Rubbing her fair legs, Qingque struck a pose that suggested she had poured her heart and soul into her work.
"Stare..."
Fu Xuan watched Qingque's performance, her arms crossed over her barren chest, saying nothing.
"Er... Lady Fu Xuan, if there's nothing else, I'll be taking my leave! Right, about my Jade Abacus..."
Qingque lowered her head, fiddling with the ends of her hair as she spoke to Fu Xuan with great humility.
"In light of your meritorious service in guiding the way, the Jade Abacus is returned to you."
With a casual wave of her hand, Fu Xuan sent a green Jade Abacus flying back into Qingque's grasp.
"Yay! Thank you, Lady Fu Xuan!"
At that moment, Qingque was truly like a carefree little bird, cheering as she hugged her Jade Abacus. However, she quickly settled down under Fu Xuan's imposing authority.
"You have all done very well. I can already feel that the talismans of the Matrix of Prescience have been restored."
A faint smile graced Fu Xuan's face as she addressed the group.
"Hehe, when we're on the job, one of us is worth two! By the way, where did Mr. Yang go? Didn't he go to chat with that General?"
March looked around the heart of the Matrix but couldn't find any sign of the General or Welt.
"That Mr. Welt is indeed exceptionally knowledgeable. It is truly rare on the Xianzhou to find someone who can converse so delightfully with the General. He has already gone on a tour with that young amicassador from the Sky-Faring Commission. Judging by the time, they should be back soon."
As soon as Fu Xuan's words fell, the figures of Welt and Tingyun appeared behind the group... but for some reason, a hint of difficulty was painted on both of their faces.
"Hm? Did something happen?"
Noticing the somewhat stiff expressions on their faces, Fu Xuan's willow-like brows furrowed slightly as she raised a hand to inquire.
"No, the Divination Commission is a very beautiful place. The environment is elegant and serene, and its location is very well-considered... it's just..."
Welt's words trailed off, and he shook his head.
"It's just... the flavor of the food was perhaps... a little... a little rich~"
Tingyun said, forcing a smile. Her gaze fell upon Wende. She was first startled to see his listless state, then shook her head helplessly.
"Er... that... that's just because of the Stellaron crisis. The chefs of the Divination Commission have all gone to help the disaster victims," Fu Xuan said, cleverly finding a reasonable excuse for herself.
"Mm..."
Welt shook his head with his eyes closed, a look of complete non-acceptance on his face.
"Stelle... are you back to normal?"
March whispered to the clear-eyed Stelle beside her.
"Hm?"
Stelle tilted her head in confusion. Hadn't she been normal the whole time?
"Er... it's nothing. As long as you're happy."
March gave an awkward laugh. It was probably for the best not to remind Stelle of her recent behavior...
"?"
"..."
Wende looked at Stelle's current state and seemed to have guessed something.
As a manifestation of the collective player consciousness, since Stelle had started showing symptoms of frenzy, it could only mean...
Wende's eyes instantly became hollow.
"The people in the real world are probably creating meme content again."
The major project that several content creators from the "Critically Ill Section" had been holding back for days was finally complete. A team of artists had pulled all-nighters for dozens of hours, renowned meme voice actors had lent their talents, and the video's runtime had reached an astonishing twenty-eight minutes!
The Star Rail version of a PUBG Battle Royale! A stunning debut!
But... if you thought this was a serious PUBG Battle Royale, you would be gravely mistaken!
Just looking at the cast, there wasn't a single one with a normal thought process!
In this grand battle, you could see:
The invincible Himeko wiping out an entire enemy squad with just a single cup of coffee.
The rich lady Asta frantically "making it rain" to turn enemies into teammates.
The Belobog team, still on the road to gearing up.
A mature Stelle, learning to find her own food (which involved solo-killing Kafka and numerous other female characters).
Wende: Don't you dare hurt my child! (He literally healed his entire team with his powerful pecs).
Yukong and Tingyun: Grand Theft Auto: Xianzhou Chronicles.
Sampo, f***! Sampo, hit 'em!
Welt: Clara, in my youth, I was very strong (Welt-sensei 90%).
Kafka (pointing a gun at Wende): I will get custody of the child back!
Jing Yuan: Help me, Mr. Lightning Lord!!!
And so on... The density of the memes was mind-numbing, the level of insanity was thought-provoking, and the sheer number of references was so overwhelming that the comment section was filled with "frame-by-frame freaks" translating every single meme that appeared, lest some newbies not deep enough into the culture be left confused.
It could only be described as a moment of pure ecstasy for both Yu-Gi-Oh! players and unhinged fans alike; a moment for the niche communities of the "Simple-minded Bar" and "Stinky Feet Bar" to savor life; a moment where character fans and gameplay fans shared a common goal. Even ten-year military veterans couldn't help but pack their bags; even the old boss wanted to charge in with a helicopter one more time!
This time, the meme kids finally died from a meme overdose...
If the viewers attached a "Complaint Energy Collector" to themselves, perhaps every single one of them could have become a sage.
The most absurd part was that they had even invited a famous suona-playing crossdresser from the "Men in Skirts" section to compose a special ending theme for the video.
The moment the suona rang out, paired with the absurd death scenes of each character, the audience burst into uncontrollable laughter. Then, phones were confiscated and allowances were docked accordingly...
"Ding. Favorability increased by 500. Please continue to work hard."
Hm, it seems this particular stunt has nothing to do with me. Shouldn't be a big problem.
Hearing the system prompt, Wende breathed a sigh of relief. He then looked at Stelle with eyes full of pity.
Poor kid. Her brain isn't that sharp to begin with, and now she has to be affected by the frenzy of those unhinged netizens...
"Sigh..."
This was the umpteenth time Wende had sighed.
Giving the suddenly sighing Wende a slightly puzzled look, Fu Xuan decided to get the conversation back on track. Seeing that everyone was present, she parted her jade lips and informed the Astral Express crew of the next item on the agenda.
"Everyone, since the Matrix of Prescience is ready, the interrogation of the Stellaron Hunter... is about to begin."