Why Is It Peppy Again?

Looking at the creation, which seemed unusually perceptive and had particularly amusing reactions, Asta felt some of the doubt leave her face.

A hint of amusement and tenderness gradually appeared in her eyes. She reached out and picked up the little pastry, which looked terrified, and slowly cradled him in her arms.

"All right, it looks like you got lost by accident," she said, her voice even gentler. "Don't be afraid. I'll take you back to Ms. Ruan Mei..."

She had been wondering why one of Ms. Ruan Mei's creations had appeared here, but seeing how nervous the adorable Cat Cake was, she immediately had her answer.

He must have gotten lost.

It was fine. As the lead researcher of Herta Space Station, she had no problem taking the little fellow back to Ms. Ruan Mei.

"Lead Researcher Asta!"

Just then, a voice interrupted Asta's thoughts.

She turned and saw Arlan and Peppy jogging over, and an idea immediately came to her.

She could leave the task of returning Ruan Mei's creation to Arlan.

The two came jogging over, and Arlan didn't forget to call out to Peppy beside him, "Slow down... slow down, Peppy! I can barely keep up with you!"

Peppy responded, "Woof! Woof woof woof!!!"

Peppy, who arrived first, instantly fixed his doggy eyes on Lin Feng in Asta's arms!

It was him!

That strange fellow from the laboratory!

Immense joy flooded Peppy's little head. He immediately began barking excitedly, his short, stubby tail wagging as if it had a motor attached, his whole backside swaying wildly along with it.

If Lin Feng hadn't been in Asta's arms, Peppy might have pounced on him.

"Peppy! Quiet down. You can't do that. You'll scare him."

Seeing this, Asta hurriedly drew the soft Cat Cake fully into her arms, shielding him gently with her palm and blocking Peppy's overly enthusiastic gaze.

Surrounded in an instant by warmth, softness, and a faint fragrance, Lin Feng was in no mood to enjoy this sudden "perk."

He could clearly feel the softness of Asta's embrace. Through the fabric of her uniform, he could also feel her steady heartbeat and the fullness pressed against his body.

Still, it had to be said that compared to Ruan Mei, Asta's bust was a little smaller.

But... it hardly mattered.

Of course, that was how he had felt before seeing Peppy. The moment Peppy appeared, Lin Feng panicked and no longer had the mind to care about cup sizes.

Why is it Peppy again?

Earlier, Peppy had led Arlan to Ms. Ruan Mei's laboratory, where a Cat Cake that looked very much like the one before them had happened to be staying.

Perhaps "looked alike" wasn't quite right, because they were the very same Cat Cake!

Arlan cleared his throat and reported calmly, "Lead researcher, judging by its appearance, this Cat Cake is the one Peppy and I saw in Ms. Ruan Mei's laboratory earlier."

Hearing this, Asta knitted her brows again, her relaxed expression turning serious once more.

A creation of Ms. Ruan Mei's should have been in Ms. Ruan Mei's laboratory, so why had it inexplicably appeared in the central Master Control Zone, and beside the energy equipment at that...?

"Could it be..." Asta murmured, her keen intuition telling her that something was definitely wrong here.

Her arms tightened around Lin Feng without her realizing it, not out of malice, but out of the vigilance that came with her duties as lead researcher.

"Something about this doesn't seem right."

But leaving the underlying issue aside, the most important thing now was to return the creation to Ms. Ruan Mei's laboratory.

"Arlan, keep an eye on Peppy. I need to check directly with Ms. Ruan Mei."

As she spoke, she gently stroked the Cat Cake's head with one hand, trying to soothe his "frightened" feelings, while expertly touching her ear with her free hand to connect to an encrypted communication channel with Ruan Mei.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Ruan Mei. I'm sorry to interrupt your research." Asta's voice had regained its usual composure and politeness.

"Yes, there's something I need to confirm with you. It's about one of your Cat Cake creations. I have it here with me now..."

"That's right. It was found near the energy monitoring area in the Master Control Zone."

"It's a—" Asta glanced down at the Cat Cake in her arms.

"A Cat Cake-shaped creation with blue markings and a purple tail."

Lin Feng's heart leaped into his throat. He could clearly hear his own heartbeat, if he even had one.

What will Ruan Mei say?

Will she notice anything unusual?

When she finds out I actually have strong executive abilities, will she order me taken straight back to the lab to be sliced up for research?

There seemed to be a few seconds of silence on the other end of the call, broken only by Asta's responses: "Mm-hm," "Yes," and "I understand."

Her expression slowly changed from serious to somewhat... odd?

At the end, it even took on a hint of resignation.

"Oh? You're saying... there's no problem? It's only conducting... 'autonomous environmental exploration'?"

"All right, you can guarantee it's safe?... We should just let it stay with Peppy?

"You're still dealing with... urgent parameter fluctuations?

"...All right, I understand. I won't disturb you any longer."

After that brief but remarkably informative exchange, Asta ended the call. She looked down at Lin Feng, who wore a look of utter "innocence" in her arms, then at Peppy beside her, who was whimpering impatiently because Arlan was holding him back, though his tail was wagging even harder. She sighed softly.

"Ms. Ruan Mei confirmed it," she told Arlan.

"She said this Cat Cake's behavior was within expectations and qualified as 'autonomous exploration within safe parameters,' so we don't need to worry. She also said... since Peppy likes it so much, we should let them stay together. She has an urgent matter to handle and can't spare the time for now."

"Awoo—!!!"

Peppy seemed to understand that final decision perfectly. He immediately let out an exceedingly joyful bark that could almost have blown the roof off, his bright doggy eyes sparkling with excitement.

Arlan looked at Asta, and after receiving an affirming glance from the lead researcher, he patted Peppy.

Once free, Peppy didn't immediately pounce.

Instead, he took small, tentative steps, panting with his pink tongue hanging out and keeping his eyes fixed unblinkingly on Lin Feng.

He edged closer, bit by bit...

Asta carefully and gently set Lin Feng, who seemed to have gone as stiff as a real pastry, down on the smooth floor.

"All right, Peppy, you two need to get along. Don't bully him," Asta instructed gently.

Then she turned and left with Arlan to continue attending to the space station's busy affairs.

Although she thought there was something odd about this, Ms. Ruan Mei—

The creator of the creation herself—had personally guaranteed its safety, so she wouldn't interfere any further.

After all, the ideas of geniuses were always hard to fathom by ordinary logic.

Now, in the empty corridor, all that remained were a Cat Cake whose mind was frantically flooded with scrolling "despair" comments, and Peppy, who was closing in step by step with a "nuclear-friendly" smile.

I'm done for!

Lin Feng watched the doggy face grow larger and larger in his field of vision, with "I found a fun playmate!" written all over it,

and felt Peppy's warm, damp breath wash over his pastry body. He was nearly breaking down inside.

Ruan—Mei—!!! You sold me out?! What kind of "safety expectation" is this?!

And Brother Peppy! Lord Peppy! Please spare me!

I'm not a toy! I really am nooot—!!!

Peppy merely tilted his head happily and stuck out his pink tongue. With boundless enthusiasm and friendliness,

he licked the trembling "premium snack" before him, which looked delicious and springy...