This Is Killing Me, There's a Little Herta Here Too

As Herta's words reached his ears, Bai Luoming felt as if the air around him had been sucked away, and a feeling like a python coiling around him made it hard for him to breathe.

Bai Luoming instinctively wanted to take a step back and create some distance between himself and the Herta.

However, he forgot that the Herta was right behind him. When he took another step back, he ended up back in the Herta's arms.

Feeling the warm, soft body behind him, cold sweat seeped from Bai Luoming's forehead and slid down his cheeks.

He could even clearly feel that Herta's gaze was now fixed on his face, scrutinizing every subtle expression.

It's been sent.

That was his first reaction.

After all, admitting to being set up in front of the people who orchestrated it, and being caught red-handed.

A desperate situation... what should we do?

Bai Luoming thought to himself that perhaps his current situation had become extremely dangerous, and his brain, which had been under the pressure of numerical calculations for many years, began to work at high speed.

Wait... why is he feeling guilty?

Isn't this a trap set by the Herta?

From the moment he arrived in the morning, whether it was the clothes he wore or how Herta deliberately led him to appear before the clerk, wasn't it all orchestrated by Herta?

Furthermore, given how quickly this public opinion has developed, how could it have spread so rapidly and become so outrageous without the tacit approval of the Herta, or even with them pushing it from behind?

Ultimately, the Herta is the biggest mastermind behind everything!

But he, Bai Luoming, was the victim of the Herta's scheme!

The moment Bai Luoming realized this, all his guilt vanished without a trace.

He suddenly straightened his back, and his entire demeanor changed.

His gaze hardened as he met Herta's eyes directly.

The offensive and defensive strategies differ!

"Isn't that right?" Bai Luoming's voice suddenly rose, and he said righteously, "If this hadn't been for your permission, would it have developed to this point? I'm the victim here, okay!"

Bai Luoming refuted Herta's words with a strong voice.

Herta was visibly taken aback upon hearing Bai Luoming's rebuttal.

She probably didn't expect that the guy who was trembling just a second ago would dare to stand up to her and challenge her the next second.

She was taken aback when she saw Bai Luoming's "wronged" expression, but then a smile appeared on her face. She was clearly amused by his ability to turn the tables on her.

"Oh."

A soft laugh escaped from her lips.

The next second, she stretched out two fair, jade-like fingers and unceremoniously pinched Bai Luoming's cheeks, pulling them outwards forcefully.

"You think you're so reasonable?" she said with a forced smile. "It seems that simply sealing the Stellaron isn't enough to teach you a lesson."

Her voice remained soft, but every word carried a dangerous undertone.

"It's time to show you what 'family discipline' really means."

Family rules?

Upon hearing those two words, Bai Luoming instinctively shrank back, his cheeks pinched, and could only utter muffled sounds.

But then I thought again, something's not right.

He has now transformed from an ordinary person into a complete Stellaron Spirit man, and his strength is said to be comparable to that of the Lord Ravager, making him a true numerical monster.

Are you suggesting we're afraid of her?

A scholar can be killed but not humiliated!

Thinking of this, Bai Luoming's courage suddenly surged. He slapped away Herta's hand that was pinching his face, stiffened his neck, and put on a tough look.

"Come on!" he shouted menacingly, "I want to see what this so-called family discipline of yours really is!"

He's going to prove now who's really in charge in this family!

Seeing his bluffing act, Herta's mockery deepened.

She didn't say anything, but simply stepped forward and grabbed Bai Luoming's hand.

Although Herta's hands were slender and appeared weak, they possessed astonishing strength.

Before Bai Luoming could react, she grabbed him and made him stumble, dragging him helplessly out of the office.

"Huh?"

When Bai Luoming was initially pulled forward by the Herta, he thought they were going to a training ground or outer space for a real fight, and he wondered if he should go easy on him.

But after following the Herta for two steps, his gaze swept across the route ahead, and his mind went blank, his scalp tingling.

This direction...

This direction is definitely not towards any training ground!

This is the road that leads directly to her private lounge!

The feeling of being completely drained of energy yesterday, like the last bit of strength being squeezed out of his body, instantly surged into his heart like a tidal wave.

He suddenly realized what was happening, and his feet planted firmly on the ground, the soles of his shoes scraping against the smooth floor with a screeching sound.

"Stop! Stop!" Bai Luoming shouted. "Didn't we agree to fight? Which direction are you going? How can we fight from there!"

Herta was pulled to a stop by his brute force.

She turned around and looked at the man who had been so aggressive just moments before, but was now struggling desperately like a frightened quail.

This time, she was so angry she almost laughed.

She released her grip and snorted coldly, "You really want to fight me?"

Bai Luoming knew perfectly well what the true meaning of the "family rules" was, but his survival instinct made him decide to continue playing dumb.

He panted, pretending not to see through Herta's plan, and said seriously, "What else? Status in a family is earned through fists! How can we be sure who will listen to whom in the future if we don't have a real fight?"

As he spoke, he clenched his fist as if he were making a serious point, as if he were absolutely right.

Herta saw through Bai Luoming's plan at a glance.

However, she didn't expose him. Instead, she crossed her arms and leaned against the wall, calmly continuing his conversation.

"Sure, a fight isn't out of the question."

She slightly raised her chin, a playful glint in her eyes, and presented Bai Luoming with a crucial multiple-choice question.

"So, you tell me, do you want to fight now, or should we arrange a time and place to prepare properly before we fight?"

She was relaxed, as if whatever he chose was entirely under her control.

I'm happy to oblige.

Upon hearing this, alarm bells went off in Bai Luoming's mind.

Neither of these two options offers him much advantage, given the Herta's profound understanding of him and the fact that the Herta itself is Emanator Erudition with considerable combat power; he might not actually be able to defeat it.

As for scheduling a time to call?

That's even worse!

You should know that even the most reckless brute in the world would not choose to fight a genius, let alone an Emanator of Erudition!

Give her time to prepare? That's like handing over your own epitaph and asking if it's well-carved. Who knows what she'll come up with to target him?

In a flash, Bai Luoming's mind raced, and he immediately found the only way out.

His expression changed instantly. One second he was pretending to be stupid, trying to test his position in the family; the next second he pointed at the virtual screen in the office and said to Herta:

"Oh no! Look at the big screen! Something seems to be happening over there on Xing's side!"

Seeing Bai Luoming so abruptly change the subject, Herta raised an eyebrow, clearly not expecting Bai Luoming to choose such a way to resolve the predicament. However, Herta didn't say anything more, but instead looked at the screen in the direction Bai Luoming was pointing.

There's nothing I can do; it's my own choice, so I guess I have to spoil them. Otherwise, what am I supposed to do—let them go and let someone else spoil them?

At this moment, a Simulated Universe scene is being clearly displayed on the huge virtual screen.

In the scene, Xing's figure is following behind the phantom of the Silver Wolf.

They seem to have reached the end of their exploration and are about to reach the final stage.

At that moment, Silver Wolf's voice came from the screen.

The phantom of the Silver Wolf crossed its arms and looked at the Herta Puppet in front of it, speaking arrogantly.

"Hilarious, there's even a little Herta figure here."