Jade... Jade Feet!

"Little one, where are you going?"

Another fair, tender foot reached out and deftly blocked his path, crushing the last shred of hope Lin Feng had pinned on the doorway.

A little angry, he turned to look at the foot in front of him.

"So fair, such tender jade... jade feet?"

He was surprised. The voice belonged to neither Herta nor Ruan Mei, and certainly not Arlan.

Besides, the two feet were clad in a pair of simple, woven flats. Ruan Mei wore low heels, something he had noticed when he first rubbed against her calf.

Oh no!

Lin Feng's heart tightened. He hurriedly wriggled backward a few times and strained to arch his upper body, trying to get a full view of the newcomer with his tiny, beady eyes.

"Hehe, aren't you adorable, little one?"

A teasing laugh fell from above him like the chime of silver bells. "But let me help you instead."

The fair, tender feet before him elegantly stepped back, the little bells fastened around the ankles giving a crisp jingle,

and then a brilliantly smiling face, more familiar than familiar could be, suddenly filled Lin Feng's entire field of vision.

"Meow... mrr? (A Masked Fool, Sparkle?)"

Lin Feng let out a Cat Cake's cry of alarm.

The black-haired girl tilted her head slightly, her pink eyes sparkling with undisguised curiosity.

"Hey there~"

Sparkle reached out a slender finger and unceremoniously pinched Lin Feng's springy cake body. The feel of it made her narrow her eyes in satisfaction.

Then she scooped him up in both hands, raised him to eye level, and examined him from side to side.

"A Cat Cake,"

she murmured with interest, gently tracing a fingertip over the top of his head,

"not only self-aware, but able to think and stay on guard like a person...

Oh my, this is even more interesting than what the script said. This is so—much fun!"

Held against Sparkle's chest, Lin Feng sensed a faintly dangerous aura lingering around the tip of his nose (though Cat Cakes had no noses).

Although she was exceptionally skilled at petting cats, her fingertips applying just the right amount of pressure to send waves of comfort through him, every fiber of Lin Feng's body was taut.

From what he knew of Sparkle, there was no way she had come here just to pet a cat.

He suddenly recalled the "owner of the fox mask" Arlan had mentioned, and his Cat Cake body shuddered.

That fox mask probably belonged to Sparkle, but why was she here, and what was her purpose?

Tsss—

Perhaps she had no purpose at all and simply thought it was "fun."

But in any case, he could never be too wary when facing this Emanator of Elation.

He began twisting his Cat Cake body, trying to get down from Sparkle's hands, but she seemed to have anticipated his little scheme.

She kneaded one side of him with each hand, and no matter how he twisted and struggled, it did him no good.

And the more he twisted, the broader the smile on Sparkle's face grew.

It was as though she were saying, Twist all you like.

No matter how much you struggle, you can't escape the palm of my hand. You'll only add to my amusement.

The more you struggle, the happier I am.

After a round of futile struggling, Lin Feng's round body went completely limp, like a deflated glutinous rice cake.

He finally saw a cruel truth clearly: no matter how fiercely he resisted, in this witch's eyes it was nothing more than a clumsy, adorable performance to amuse her.

Apparently bored with simply kneading him, Sparkle sat down with him in her arms and placed him on her legs, which she held together.

Then she propped her cheek on her hand and puffed out her cheeks, her pink eyes flickering as though she were thinking about something.

"Hmm..."

She drew out the sound, her little mouth pursing slightly. "How should I play with you?"

Suddenly, a brilliant light flashed in her eyes, as though she had hit upon a wonderful idea.

"Aha! How about this, then~"

She smiled slyly, like a fox that had discovered a secret treasure, and put Lin Feng back on the ground.

She bent down, brought her face close to his beady eyes, and whispered breathily:

"Little one, I've prepared a 'big present' for you."

Her smile grew brighter, but also more unsettling.

"You absolutely must—not disappoint me, hehehehe~"

Leaving behind a string of cryptic chuckles and the faintest sound of bells, Sparkle quietly vanished beyond the door, just as she had appeared.

Lin Feng stood rooted to the spot, the weight on his heart rising another foot.

A big present? What big present?

It's over. Sparkle never says anything without a reason.

Since she said that, she must have come up with some wicked scheme and be waiting for me.

But I can't begin to guess what that "big present" actually is.

Let alone whether it'll threaten my life.

"Meow... mrr... (Aeon Aha, if you can hear me, could you give me a hint?)"

Forget it. Things had come to this, and he could only take it one step at a time.

One thing was perfectly clear, however: he had to absorb enough data streams and regain his human body as soon as possible.

Only by regaining control of his power could he deal with this Emanator who existed purely to seek amusement.

He had better keep working hard.

Then you and I would have a better tomorrow.

Lin Feng took a deep breath, and his Cat Cake body "puffed" up again.

In the Master Control Zone, a soft little tail poked around a corner above the smooth floor.

Like a feeler testing the wind, it swayed nimbly from side to side.

After making sure no one was around, the tail's owner finally plucked up his courage—

A round little Cat Cake cautiously shuffled out.

"Phew... that took a lot of effort, but I finally managed to sneak up here in the elevator."

Lin Feng breathed a long sigh of relief, not daring to make too much noise.

He keenly sensed that a data stream he could absorb lay ahead, but it was still quite some distance from where he was.

"Come on, victory is just ahead!"

He gritted his teeth (though Cat Cakes didn't seem to have teeth) and slowly shuffled his round body across the floor.

As he passed a small open room, the conversation inside made him glance in instinctively.

That glance nearly stopped his heart!

Asta:

"...I've looked over the purchase list for the 'Star Patrol'-class vessel."

"Ms. Herta, this vessel isn't expensive. With one month's allowance, I could buy another ten without any trouble."

"However, the space station's dock really doesn't have room, so we need to plan an expansion first rather than continue purchasing vessels."

Herta:

"You can make decisions on trivial matters like that yourself."

"I'm more concerned about the proposal you submitted last time, about using rare Stellarons fragments to provide core energy for the new exhibition area—

The energy dissipation rate must be kept below five parts in ten thousand. I don't want my collection subjected to any interference."

Asta:

"Rest assured, the budget for the energy barrier has already been approved."

"Although it uses some new composite materials, the cost is entirely within manageable limits and won't affect the funds earmarked for the Simulated Universe project."

Inside the room, a pink-haired girl had her back to the door, while half a Herta Puppet's body was visible across from her.

Herta's gaze, however, was not directed outside the door but fixed on the electronic screen in front of her.

The pink-haired girl was Asta, the space station's lead researcher. As for the other one, Lin Feng didn't even have the courage to meet her eyes.

He held his "breath" as much as he could, his cake body stiff.

Then he moved his body as fast as he possibly could, desperate to pass through this dangerous area quickly and silently.

However, no matter how careful he was, the faint rustling of his soft, sticky body rubbing against the floor did not escape the keen ears of Asta, who was closest to the door.

She paused slightly and instinctively turned her gaze toward the corridor outside, but saw only the empty floor.

Was I imagining it?

Asta tilted her head slightly but didn't look into it further, quickly returning her attention to her important discussion with Herta.

Outside the door, Lin Feng, who had narrowly escaped, was almost breaking out in a cold sweat (if Cat Cakes had any).

He didn't dare waste another moment and shuffled forward.

[Absorbable data stream detected...]

[Data stream absorption beginning...]