My Name Is Aha

"You're awake? The surgery was a success!"

"Congratulations, you're a girl now!"

Lin Feng's eyes snapped open. An unfamiliar ceiling stretched above him, and light poured from the ceiling lamp, illuminating the entire room.

He froze for a moment and raised a hand to touch his face. What met his fingertips wasn't fluff, but smooth, delicate skin.

Human!

He'd turned back into a human!

No, wait.

March 7th's cheerful voice exploded in his ear, and Lin Feng's brain shut down for half a second.

What the heck?

A girl?

He sat bolt upright and looked down at himself.

A flat chest, long limbs, and broad, strong hands—unmistakably male features.

Lin Feng breathed a sigh of relief and looked up to glare at March 7th.

"Cut it out!" Stelle glanced at her and said flatly, "When are you going to come up with a new joke?"

"Oh, I was just kidding~" March 7th stuck her tongue out at Stelle and rubbed her thigh. "He doesn't even know he's been using it as a pillow for almost half an hour! My leg's gone numb!"

Only then did Lin Feng realize his head had been resting on March 7th's lap.

He instinctively looked to the side. Stelle was crouched nearby, her head tilted as she stared at him, her amber eyes full of curiosity.

"Thanks," Lin Feng said briefly, then sprang to his feet.

After taking a deep breath, he swept his gaze around the room.

It was a small room, with cold white metal panels covering the walls—a typical high-tech design. Through the window to one side, he could see the artificial starry sky unique to the Herta Space Station.

He was certain they were still inside the Simulated Universe. He had been through countless loops, and the scent of data was unmistakable.

He then flexed his wrists and ankles a little, his bones cracking crisply.

This body... was light.

It wasn't the "floaty" feeling of a Cat Cake, but a sense of coordination that combined strength and flexibility.

He glanced down at his clothes—a fitted black robe with silver patterns along the cuffs and collar, and a dark blue sash around his waist. The overall style was simple and sharp, with a touch of an interstellar traveler's flair.

Lin Feng strode over to the mirror on one side of the room.

Reflected in it was an unfamiliar yet perfect face.

Deep, jewel-like eyes, ridiculously long eyelashes, a high nose bridge, and a sharply defined jawline.

His short black hair was slightly tousled, adding just the right touch of unruliness.

"Whoa..." Lin Feng couldn't help muttering in amazement.

That face was almost unfairly handsome.

"Hey!" March 7th's voice came from behind him, plainly displeased. "You just walked off like that? Without even saying anything? My leg's gone numb, you know!"

Lin Feng turned around to see March 7th rubbing her leg with a resentful look on her face.

"Sorry," he apologized promptly. "Thank you."

"Hmph, at least you've got some conscience. Since I'm generous, I'll forgive you this time," March 7th muttered. Then she nudged Stelle gently with her elbow and lowered her voice.

"Look, this guy is ridiculously pretty..."

Stelle nodded, her gaze still fixed on Lin Feng, a hint of agreement in her eyes.

Lin Feng's mouth twitched.

Pretty?

That adjective always felt a little strange when used for a guy.

March 7th stood up, patted the dust from her skirt, and walked over to Lin Feng. She rolled her eyes, then cleared her throat and planted her hands on her hips, looking ready to interrogate a criminal.

"Hey! Stop admiring yourself. It's time you told us about yourself."

"What's your name?"

"And how did you end up in the Simulated Universe?"

March 7th's tone grew serious. "This place is supposed to simulate the relationships between Aeons and Paths. Normally, other than monsters, no other life should be able to appear here."

"Where did you come from?"

Lin Feng didn't answer March 7th, instead continuing to admire his brand-new body.

He had been a Cat Cake the whole time before this, and it had been a long while since he'd experienced what it felt like to be human.

"Having four limbs really is more comfortable. Whoever wants to be a Cat Cake can have it!"

"Hey! I'm talking to you!" Seeing that he wasn't answering, March 7th reached out and waved a hand in front of his face. "Is your brain broken or something?"

Lin Feng came back to his senses, met March 7th's pink eyes, and fell silent for two seconds.

He knew he absolutely needed a suitable explanation for his appearance.

But the question was, how was he supposed to explain it?

Should he say he'd broken in from outside?

Then Ms. Herta would definitely capture him and slice him up for research.

Say he was a bug?

A person of flesh and blood suddenly appearing in the Simulated Universe would be even more ridiculous.

Lin Feng took a deep breath and decided to take a gamble.

"To tell you the truth," he said, raising his head and looking earnestly at March 7th and Stelle.

"My name is Aha."

The air fell silent in an instant.

Stelle tilted her head, her expression as calm as ever.

March 7th blinked, seemingly unable to process what he'd said.

Then she looked Lin Feng up and down, checking him over again and again.

The next second—

"Pfft!" March 7th burst out laughing. "What did you say? Your name is Aha?"

"If you're Aha, then I'm Fuli!"

Lin Feng's expression didn't change. "I'm telling the truth."

"Oh, come on!" March 7th waved a hand. "Aha is the Aeon of Elation. How could they possibly turn into someone like you?"

"Besides," March 7th said, looking Lin Feng up and down, "if Aha really appeared here, the whole Simulated Universe would've been thrown into chaos long ago."

Lin Feng cursed inwardly.

Sure enough, such a flimsy excuse wasn't going to work.

He could only try another story.

"All right, I admit it. I'm not Aha." Lin Feng sighed. "I was conducting an interstellar travel experiment when I was accidentally drawn in by a power on an Aeon's level."

"Then I ended up here, in what you call the Simulated Universe."

This excuse was much more believable than the last one.

March 7th and Stelle exchanged a glance, a trace of confusion flashing in both their eyes.

"An interstellar travel experiment?" March 7th frowned. "Which planet are you a researcher from?"

"Uh..." Lin Feng paused. "I can't really disclose that."

"But," he said, changing tack, "what I can say for certain is that power was definitely on an Aeon's level."

"And," Lin Feng's expression grew grave, "I suspect that power very likely disrupted this Simulated Universe too, leaving me unable to return to my planet for the time being."

March 7th and Stelle's expressions both turned serious.

"You're saying," March 7th said, biting her lip, "a power on an Aeon's level disrupted the Simulated Universe?"

Lin Feng nodded.

"Not only that," he paused, "before I lost consciousness, I saw a gigantic mechanical head."

"There was a red point of light in its center, blinking constantly."

March 7th and Stelle's expressions changed instantly.

"A mechanical head?" March 7th drew a sharp breath. "You don't mean you saw..."

"Nous," Stelle suddenly said, her voice calm but somewhat grave.

Lin Feng's heart jolted.

Sure enough, Stelle recognized it.

"That's right." Lin Feng took a deep breath. "It was Nous."

"And," he paused, "I felt like they were watching me."

March 7th and Stelle both fell silent.

The atmosphere in the room grew oppressive.

After a long while, March 7th finally spoke. "We have to tell Himeko and Mr. Welt about this right away."

"And Ms. Herta," Stelle added.

Lin Feng nodded along.

But he knew full well that the real trouble wasn't Nous.

It was Sparkle.

What exactly was that elusive Masked Fool trying to do?

And what did she mean by "become an Aeon"?

Lin Feng clenched his fists.

No matter what, he had to find out the truth as soon as possible.

System... system!

System bro, are you still there? Lin Feng called to the system in his mind.

[Host, I am pleased to be of service to you again]

Lin Feng's face darkened, and all the complaints and curses in his heart finally came together in a single sentence:

Pleased, my ass! I almost died, you know that!?

[Due to the presence of a higher-level power, the system could only hide itself]

The higher-level power the system was talking about should be Nous. Only Nous could be considered higher-level.

But Lin Feng still had a strong urge to complain.

Isn't your goal to help me become an Aeon? And you're afraid of Nous?

The system's emotionless electronic voice rang out in Lin Feng's mind.

[Correction: This system is dedicated to helping the host achieve his goal. The system itself does not possess power comparable to an Aeon's]

[The system can only continue to grow as the host advances through the evolution sequence]

Lin Feng nearly lost his footing.

According to the system, everything that came next would still be up to him.

Evolve into an Aeon?

Lin Feng shook his head.

Oh well, he'd deal with the crisis in front of him before thinking about those questions.

[Ding!]

Another electronic tone sounded!

[Data Disorder Flow absorption complete]

[Current absorption progress: 100%]

[Mimicry Construction has completed its evolution. The host can now freely switch mimicry between creations and human form]

PS:

I've been working late overtime these past few months, so I haven't updated much. Since it's been so long, I've also almost forgotten some of my plans for what comes next.

But seeing handsome and beautiful readers urging me to update every day, as well as the additional positive reviews, I feel a little sorry to all of you.

So the author has decided to keep updating after all. Handsome and beautiful readers, could you tap "Power with Love" to show your support~