The Suffocating Feeling of a Python Coiled Around Him
Herta stood in front of the main control screen, his fingertips lightly swiping across the virtual screen to bring up a structural diagram of Bai Luoming's body.
The images show that the Stellaron within his body emits a soft light, coexisting perfectly with the surrounding tissues.
"The fusion state of the Stellaron is very stable, even exceeding my expectations."
Herta looked at Bai Luoming, then changed the subject, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"But this stability is superficial. Such surging energy has been forcibly crammed into a container that doesn't belong to it. To eliminate potential risks, I think we need to conduct a more in-depth investigation."
"Go deeper?" Bai Luoming repeated the word, immediately becoming alert.
He now turns pale at the mere mention of the word "inspection" from the Herta.
"Yes, more in-depth."
Herta pushed back his chair and stepped out from behind the main control panel.
Upon seeing the Herta approaching him, Bai Luoming instinctively took a half-step back until his lower back pressed against the cold outer casing of the instrument, leaving him with nowhere to retreat.
He felt that whenever he was alone with Herta, he was like a fish on a chopping board, always at risk of being "swallowed alive" by her.
The Herta stopped in front of him, the two so close they could feel each other's breath. She raised her hand, her fingertips tracing the location of his Stellaron, slowly sliding down that spot.
"Don't be nervous," she said, her voice tinged with amusement. "It's just to confirm the specific flow of energy within your body, and... the extent to which it's altering every part of your body."
Bai Luoming felt a tingling sensation on his scalp.
He seriously doubted that the inspection Herta mentioned was legitimate, but he couldn't very well resist.
Just as Herta was about to continue the inspection, a temporary access request lit up on her main control screen.
Herta stopped moving, turned his head to look at the application, and frowned slightly.
She turned to the side, raised her hand and tapped the air, and a virtual panel unfolded in front of her.
On the screen, a mechanical-looking avatar appeared, with a line of clear text below it: [Genius Society #76, Screwllum, requesting permission to access the space station].
"Tsk."
Herta clicked its tongue, stopped approaching, and the oppressive feeling disappeared.
She withdrew her hand, turned and walked back to her desk, her tone returning to its usual cool indifference. "I'd completely forgotten about him."
She pondered for a moment, seemingly weighing her priorities. Ultimately, she decided to go and Screwllum.
"That concludes today's inspection." She looked at Bai Luoming with a half-smile. "Consider yourself lucky."
She raised her hand to close all the medical examination data and said to Bai Luoming, "If you feel bored in the office, you can go for a walk around the space station. Just don't wander off."
Hearing Herta's words, Bai Luoming was already eager to leave.
But outwardly, he dared not show it at all. He immediately straightened up, adopted a docile and obedient demeanor, and nodded vigorously. "Okay."
Herta looked at his pretense and a smile appeared on his lips. He had clearly seen through his disguise at a glance.
But she didn't care about Bai Luoming's cunning thoughts.
After all, this is the Herta Space Station, her absolute territory. It's hard to say what might happen outside, but within the space station, there's absolutely no chance of anyone raiding her base.
She reached out and smoothed the wrinkles on her skirt caused by the inspection, her movements elegant and efficient, before turning and walking towards the office door.
As the footsteps of the Herta faded into the distance, Bai Luoming was finally left alone in the office.
Only after confirming that the Herta was truly far away did Bai Luoming breathe a long sigh of relief. He leaned against the instrument behind him, feeling as if he had survived a disaster.
He immediately pulled out his terminal.
The first thing I opened was the chat window with March 7th.
After he sent the message, March 7th still did not reply; the interface remained empty.
Bai Luoming hovered his fingertip over the screen for a long time, but ultimately did not send any new messages. He simply switched to the March 7th chat interface.
When he switched to the chat interface, he saw another unread message from Xing.
Xing: I'll come find you at the space station in a bit. By the way, have the trash cans at the space station been updated recently?
The message was followed by a series of animated emojis depicting someone rummaging through a trash can.
Bai Luoming casually replied with an "OK" emoji, then put away his terminal and pushed open the office door.
It's time to leave this place of trouble.
However, as he left his office and stepped into the Master Control Zone's public corridor, a strange feeling instantly enveloped him.
He always felt like he was being watched wherever he went. These gazes made Bai Luoming feel like he was being pricked by needles, a suffocating feeling as if he were being coiled by a python.
However, when Bai Luoming looked toward the location from which the spying sensation was coming from, everything in his line of sight seemed abnormally normal.
The staff members came and went, some looking down at the data boards in their arms, walking hurriedly; some gathered in twos and threes, pointing at the virtual screen in the air and discussing a certain topic intensely; and some sat in the corner of the rest area, tapping on their terminals.
Absolutely no one was paying attention to him.
Bai Luoming grew suspicious. Could it be that he had over-examined the Herta office earlier, causing his sensory system to become overly sensitive and not yet calibrated?
Just as he frowned and was about to quicken his pace to leave the Master Control Zone that made him feel uncomfortable, a figure strode up from the side passage to meet him.
"Mr. Bai Luoming!"
The newcomer was none other than Arlan, the head of the security department of the space station and also Asta's butler!
Arlan walked quickly to Bai Luoming and whispered.
"Station Master Asta learned of your return to the space station and specifically instructed me to invite you to her office for a chat if you have time."
Asta?
Bai Luoming stroked his chin.
He recalled the various special treatments this wealthy female station manager had given him before, from her enthusiastic invitation at the very first meeting to her promise of "maximum benefits," and even the 100 million Credits she had given him as pocket money.
This unusual kindness always seemed a bit strange to him.
Now, combined with the Herta's "Reborn Ones" theory, a bold guess popped into his mind.
Could it be... Asta too?
If that's the case, then things will get interesting.
He decided to meet the stationmaster and see if she, like the Herta, had returned with Remembrance of the future.
Moreover, even if Asta wasn't a reincarnated person, given all the preferential treatment Asta gave him, he should still meet her, both morally and logically.
"Sure," Bai Luoming patted Arlan on the shoulder and readily agreed, "Lead the way."
"Okay, this way."
Arlan immediately led the way, guiding Bai Luoming through the bustling corridor towards the stationmaster's office.
The two figures quickly disappeared around the corner of the passage.
After they had completely gone far away, and after he left, the calm on the surface of the Master Control Zone shattered instantly, and suppressed discussions surged up like a tide.
Those staff members who were just "working diligently" almost simultaneously put down their work, their eyes met, and they quickly gathered into several small circles, whispering among themselves.
"Is he the male lead in the scandal? The one from Ms. Herta...?"
"I saw it with my own eyes. Apart from being a bit handsome, there's nothing special about him. He doesn't have the air of a high-level scholar at all. He just looks so-so." A bespectacled, senior-looking clerk curled his lip, his tone laced with undisguised sourness.
"Exactly!" another young clerk immediately chimed in, his voice filled with indignation. "What makes him worthy of Ms. Herta? She's the world's top genius!"
"I bet Ms. Herta is just temporarily blinded by his looks. Once the novelty wears off, she'll definitely dump him."