What's So Tragic About Their Fate, I Ask You?

Bai Luoming noticed something was wrong as soon as he arrived at the Herta Space Station.

The usually empty platform was now filled with Herta Puppet.

Upon Bai Luoming's arrival, all eyes immediately locked onto him, causing Bai Luoming to break out in a cold sweat.

"... What's all this about?" Bai Luoming stopped in his tracks and looked around. "Is something really urgent? They've sent so many Herta to pick me up."

As soon as he finished speaking, the lead puppet standing at the front stepped forward, looked up at Bai Luoming, and announced:

"Come with us, you've been caught."

Bai Luoming was taken aback.

Something happened? What happened?

Before he could ask any further questions, the group of puppets began to move.

Their movements were perfectly synchronized as they surged in from all directions. Bai Luoming felt a lightness beneath him as he was lifted high into the air.

"Wait! Put me down, I can walk by myself!" He struggled in mid-air, trying to break free from the control of the puppets.

However, the puppets carrying him paid no heed. They lifted Bai Luoming and marched in the same manner toward the location of the Herta.

Bai Luoming buried his face in his arms and gave up struggling.

That's so embarrassing. There's definitely a huge difference between being forced into something and being forced into something.

He was quickly carried through an automatically sliding door.

The space inside was spacious and elegant, filled with a light, unidentified floral fragrance.

The dolls carefully put him down, then quickly retreated to the sides, re-establishing two rows and resuming their silent, standby posture.

Bai Luoming straightened his slightly disheveled collar and looked up at the center of the room.

Herta sat on a soft chair, his hands folded on his lap, his face gloomy.

Upon seeing Bai Luoming arrive, Herta looked up at him. Herta's gaze was almost tangible, carrying a heavy sense of oppression as it swept over Bai Luoming's entire body inch by inch.

Although Bai Luoming didn't know exactly which rule he had broken, under this oppressive atmosphere, he subconsciously straightened up and obediently awaited his fate.

Finally, Herta's gaze settled on Bai Luoming's neck, where the lingering hickeys still remained.

Bai Luoming's heart skipped a beat when he sensed where the Herta's gaze was fixed.

He was in such a hurry that he didn't think to cover this area.

Herta withdrew his gaze, snorted coldly, and waved to the group of puppets beside him.

"Take him to the bathroom, wash him clean, and then bring him out."

"Yes, Ms. Herta," the dolls replied in unison.

Before Bai Luoming could react, two dolls grabbed his arms, one on each side. They dragged him towards the bathroom, and he tried to protest, "Wait, I can wash myself..."

His response was a loud "bang" as the bathroom door was slammed shut by the Herta Puppet.

Immediately afterwards, several dolls swiftly surrounded him. Bai Luoming felt a chill as his clothes were quickly stripped off by their precise and efficient coordination.

He was half-pushed and half-forced into the bathtub, where warm water was poured over his head.

The group of Herta began to perform their respective duties: some were responsible for adjusting the water temperature, some for getting bath towels, and some for carrying shower gel and shampoo.

If Bai Luoming still doesn't understand what's going on at this point, then he's truly a fool.

Clearly, Herta found out about what happened last night.

He just doesn't know how much the Herta knows yet, but it seems there's not much room for maneuver left.

Warm water enveloped his body as he lay in the bathtub, feeling several small hands kneading his skin.

He suddenly had a change of heart.

Anyway, the one who suffers will be yourself a few minutes from now, so what does it have to do with me now? Let's have some fun first.

"Left shoulder, yes, pinch it." He closed his eyes and began to take things further, "And your back, press harder, didn't you eat?"

Unexpectedly, those Herta actually obeyed his commands. The pressure increased, and the massage techniques became more professional. Bai Luoming groaned comfortably, thinking to himself that this was a worthwhile experience. After all, in the entire galaxy, besides the Herta, he was the only one who could enjoy this kind of treatment.

Just as he was feeling smug, he caught a glimpse of something unusual out of the corner of his eye.

He opened his eyes.

He saw a small Herta walking gracefully towards him, a sweet smile on its face.

In her hand, she was holding something that glittered under the light.

The object in her hand was made of a large amount of steel wire; it was the Rich Lady's Pleasure Ball!

Upon seeing this thing, Bai Luoming's relaxed expression vanished. He shrank back in the bathtub, trembling as he pointed at it.

"What... what's this for?"

The Herta, holding a steel wool pad, stopped by the bathtub, gave him an even brighter smile, and replied, "This is a magical Marvelous Tool we'll be using later."

She tilted her head and added her explanation.

"After all, Ms. Herta gave the order that you shouldn't be too comfortable; those stains must be thoroughly cleaned up."

"Dirty... marks?" Bai Luoming followed her gaze and looked down, seeing the red marks on his neck and collarbone.

His expression froze instantly.

The next second, a piercing scream suddenly echoed from the quiet private room.

"Aww!"

The horrific bathing experience was finally over.

When Bai Luoming was pushed out of the bathroom by two dolls, he was only wrapped in a bath towel, and his whole body was covered in a faint red color.

His eyes were lifeless, his steps were unsteady, and he slumped on the carpet at the bathroom door, looking utterly hopeless, as if a layer of his skin had been scrubbed off.

Herta remained seated in the same spot, legs crossed, watching him with a leisurely air.

Seeing his miserable state, she couldn't help but curl her lips upwards into a satisfied smile.

That smile, when it fell on Bai Luoming's face, sent a chill down his spine.

He took a deep breath, used his last bit of strength, and stubbornly climbed up from the carpet, glaring at the Herta.

"You kidnapped me for no reason and made me do this washing, but can't you at least let me die knowing why?"

Herta chuckled, too lazy to waste words with him.

She raised her hand and made a sweeping motion in the air, and a huge virtual screen unfolded out of thin air.

On the screen, a photograph was rapidly enlarged; it was none other than the one taken by Evernight earlier.

Bai Luoming stared at the striking photo, completely petrified.

He understood completely.

Hey Chaowei, Evernight, you've taken the picture, haven't you? Couldn't you have used your own device? Don't you know that his device only nominally belongs to him?

Herta stood up, crossed his arms, and walked down to him, speaking in a deep voice.

"With witnesses and physical evidence all presented, what else do you have to say?"

Bai Luoming opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.

Knowing he was in the wrong, he decided to go all out. He abruptly turned his head to one side, closed his eyes, and, with an air of utter defiance, defiantly declared:

"No more words! Please act quickly!"

Upon hearing this, Herta let out a cold snort.

"You said it yourself."

Then Herta waved to Herta beside him and instructed, "Throw him onto the bed. I'm going to punish him properly."

The dolls in the room immediately sprang into action. Two dolls stepped forward, grabbed Bai Luoming's arms again, and dragged him towards the large bed in the room without saying a word, then threw him to the ground without any courtesy.

Bai Luoming bounced twice on the mattress, and before he could even sit up properly, Herta issued a new order.

"All of you, get out."

All the dolls in the room, including the two that had just thrown him onto the bed, turned around in unison and filed out in neat rows.

The last doll also walked out the door.

The gate slowly closed.

Click.

A soft sound, like the fall of a gavel, sealed the entire room completely.

Only he and Herta remained in the room.

Outside the door.

Two human figures stood guard in front of the gate that had just been closed.

One of the dolls shook its head and sighed in a shrewd, old-fashioned tone, "Alas, what a pair of star-crossed lovers."

The other puppet next to it immediately turned its head and looked at the first puppet that had spoken, complaining:

"Where is this misery? I ask you."