A Forty-Seven-Second Simulated Universe Speedrun, Jingxing Sure Has Clout

When Jingxing opened his eyes again, he was standing on a vast expanse of stardust.

The glowing dust particles were compressed very thinly, layer upon layer spreading into the void. Stepping on them made no sound and felt no weight at all.

In the far distance, several enormous black shadows were slowly drifting, their exact outlines indistinct. Only the places they passed through were visible, where stardust churned to both sides like water cleaved by a ship's bow. One of the shadows was covered with intricately meshed gears, while another had fragments constantly falling from its edges, which would turn into new Star Rail upon landing.

"Is this the Simulated Universe that the Herta created?" Jingxing looked up, examining the high-hanging shadows.

Before he could finish speaking, a burst of laughter erupted from above without warning.

It was as if hundreds or thousands of people were crowding around his ear, laughing uproariously. The ear-piercing laughter pressed down from all directions, shaking the stardust beneath his feet violently, and even Jingxing's teeth ached.

"Ha--!"

Suddenly, a large gash appeared in the stardust before them.

A bizarre, luminous thing was forced out of the crack. It had no fixed shape; one moment it looked like a comical mask covered in paint, the next it crumpled into colorful shreds of paper, and finally it barely coalesced into a figure holding its belly, laughing so hard it couldn't straighten up.

"Jingxing?" The thing tilted its head, its tone as familiar as if it had bumped into an old neighbor at the street corner, "What are you doing here?"

Jingxing's right hand suddenly pressed against the sachet at his waist, his muscles instantly tensing. "You recognize me?"

"Hehe, I recognize you, of course I do." The shadowy figure moved closer, chuckling as it circled him halfway around. "But you shouldn't be here right now. Someone doesn't want you to see what's inside, so—get out!"

It casually lifted a mask and waved it lightly at Jingxing's forehead.

Jingxing didn't even have time to mobilize the Path Energy within his body. He was like a pebble that had been flung away, falling out of that sea of stars in a dizzying manner.

"Hiss--"

Jingxing gasped sharply, jolting upright in the cold chair. A strong smell of rust filled his nostrils, and his temples throbbed as if he had just been hit in the face with a hammer. He wiped the thin layer of sweat from his forehead, panting as he looked around.

"You woke up pretty quickly." The Herta Puppet stood beside the control panel, looking down at him. "Does your head hurt?"

"It felt like I'd been hit with a hammer." Jingxing rubbed his throbbing temples. "How long was I in there?"

"Not long," Screwllum stepped forward, handing over a clean handkerchief, "From entry to ejection, it took forty-seven seconds."

Jingxing took the handkerchief, wiped his sweat, and turned to look at Ruan Mei next to Xingyun.

Nguyen Mai, her head bowed and staring at the scrolling green reading on the control panel, said without looking up, "It's Aha."

"Is it the Aeon of Elation you simulated?" Jingxing asked.

"But what it does doesn't seem like what a simulated Aeon should do." Nguyen May turned off the alarm and turned to look at him quietly.

Herta seemed to realize something, and his face darkened.

"It called my name and told me, 'You shouldn't be here.'" Jingxing crumpled the handkerchief he had used to wipe his sweat in his palm.

The server room fell silent for a moment.

"The Image of Ten Thousand Jun is only used for defense against Erudition threats," Screwllum mused. "Could it be that some external being is speaking through its mouth?"

"The only one capable of operating under the guise of Simulated Aeon is the Aeon himself." Herta closed his eyes. "Aha has his eye on this place."

She jumped off the control panel, circled Jingxing as if examining a malfunctioning tool. "Could it be that you offended Aha before?"

"How would I know? But probably not?" Jingxing thought of Xuzhao, but concealed the fact that he had been dealing with her.

"Think carefully." Herta narrowed his eyes. "Have you ever ruined His fun, stolen His amusement, or simply made Him stop laughing...?"

Jingxing remained silent for a long while.

"Maybe," he mumbled, "Anyway, if He remembers, there's nothing I can do."

"Alright," Herta crossed his arms. "This time it's my fault; I didn't anticipate you'd be ejected directly. Let's forget about it this time, and talk about it again after we've finished fixing the underlying logic."

How long will it take?

"I don't know. Maybe three days, maybe three months." Herta shrugged.

"Then I won't just wait around the space station." Jingxing Xing stood up, draping his coat over his arm. "Call me when you're done."

When I came out of the server room, the lights in the corridor had been repaired.

Jingxing walked slowly along the passage, pondering where to go next. He had just been to Thousand Stars City, where the Robin was rehearsing. Should he ask where the Antimatter Legion had been active lately and give them a surprise?

The next second, the terminal in my pocket suddenly vibrated.

It was a message without a sender ID, only a familiar signature.

[Xuzhao: You're out?]

Jingxing stopped and turned around: [?]

[Xuzhao: Although I've already warned you, I'll say it again: don't get involved in those geniuses' plans.]

[Jingxing: Why?]

[Xuzhao: What she's doing is far more dangerous than you see. If some guys observe you, you're in big trouble.]

Just as Jingxing finished reading that sentence, the terminal vibrated again.

[Xuzhao: There's one more thing. For the next while, you'd better stay away from the Xianzhou Luofu.]

Jingxing's thumb hovered over the screen, staring at the four characters "Xianzhou Luofu" for a long while: [Is something going to happen to Luofu?]

[Xuzhao: I didn't say that.]

[Jingxing: Then why did you tell me to stay away?]

[Xuzhao: Listen to me, don't ask anymore.]

Jingxing did not return.

He stood in the corridor, looking out at the empty train berths, his mind racing. If Xuzhao said "nothing's wrong," then something was wrong; if she specifically told him "don't go," then it meant that trouble was already on its way to Luofu.

Fu Xuan is still in Luofu.

He remembered the way she sat under the lamp reviewing official documents, the slight frown on her brow when she told him to go rest, and the tips of her ears turning red when she said, "I'm not in a hurry."

Jingxing put the terminal back in his pocket, turned around and strode towards the berth.

I had only taken two steps when the terminal vibrated again.

[Xuzhao: Where are you going?]

Jingxing didn't stop, typing with one hand: [Let's go see Luofu.]

[Xuzhao: I told you not to go.]

[Jingxing: You mean I shouldn't go and cause trouble?] Jingxing stepped into the parking lane. [I won't cause trouble, I'm going to take care of my girlfriend, what's wrong?]

There was a long silence on the other end before the last line of text appeared.

[Xuzhao: Do as you please. Don't blame me for not warning you.]

Jingxing silenced the terminal, boarded "Chasing the Chasing the Moon," and let the lights of the space station gradually fade away.

Only forty-seven seconds had passed since entering the Simulated Universe, and the starry sea outside was already turbulent. However, compared to fighting with the fake Aeon in the cage of the Herta, it was much more important to return to Luofu to protect his own Lord Diviner.