The "Pink Nebula" of the Mary Sue Galaxy looked like a gigantic cotton candy, floating amid countless castle ships trimmed with lace. As Xiao Feng's fleet entered the galaxy, it was struck by a barrage of "Courtship Beams"—sweet attacks made up of countless love letters, rose petals, and neon signs that read "I want to marry you so badly."
"Warning! The hull is being corroded by pink bubbles!" Gu Ling shouted at the controls. "That's the Mary Sue Galaxy's 'Love Is Justice' rule!"
Xiao Yan munched on chips he'd just snatched from a vending machine. "Third Brother, your template projection is way more popular than you are~"
Xiao Feng frowned at the "Perfect Xiao Feng" projection on the holographic screen. The guy wore a white suit studded with diamonds, his hair always swept back at a perfect forty-five-degree angle, and a smile that was "seductive yet gentle." He stood on the balcony of the central castle, waving to the galaxy.
Medusa's mechanical serpent tail lashed out with a laser whip, easily cleaving through the bubbles. "How dare a fake projection overstep its bounds? Brother Xiao, may I beat him into pixels?"
Xun'er's vines brought over a copy of the Mary Sue Galaxy Codex. "According to the rules here, only a 'perfect male lead's' true-love kiss can settle disputes—but the projection has no true feelings, so they'll argue forever."
Yun Yun held her forehead. "Three kingdoms have already gone to war over what color suit Xiao Feng should wear..."
Just then, a piercing scream rang out from the central castle. The voice of Projected Xiao Feng had a mechanical quality to it. "My dears, today's 'heart-flutter vote' is starting! Type 1 if you choose the pink wedding dress, and 2 for the white one..."
Xiao Yan suddenly pointed at the screen. "Look! That heroine holding a 'Xiao Feng Fan Light'—something's off about her eyes!"
Xiao Feng activated "Soul Movement Three Thousand," sending his soul power through the castle. He discovered a gray-clad girl hiding in a corner, her eyes gleaming with a clear-mindedness that didn't belong in the Mary Sue Galaxy. Sewn onto her hem was the emblem of the Anti-Template Alliance.
"I'll leave things to you!" Xiao Feng flung out the Emperor Flame Chain. "I'm going to save that clear-minded heroine!"
Medusa nodded as the mechanical fleet deployed the True Love Shield. "Sisters, follow me and smash that projection!"
Xun'er, Yun Yun, and Gu Ling attacked at the same time. The Seed of Life became a cage of vines, the Wasteland Codex condensed into a Sword of Justice, and a hacker keyboard typed out a virus code that turned the pink bubbles into "so good I can't stop" reaction memes.
Deep in the castle, the gray-clad girl was being chased by a group of "Mary Sue guards." They held signs reading "Love Is Justice" and shrieked, "How dare you question the perfect male lead? Drag her off and dunk her in the Love Acid Pool!"
"Wait!" Xiao Feng arrived just in time, and Emperor Flame became a shield that he raised in front of the girl. "She's with me."
The guards fainted on the spot, still mumbling, "The male lead protecting his wife is so dreamy..."
The gray-clad girl removed her wig, revealing code tattoos beneath her short hair. "Brother Xiao, I'm a spy for Code Girl. The heroines here have all been brainwashed by the 'Perfect Love' program!"
At the same time, Projected Xiao Feng finally spotted the real Xiao Feng. Red light flashed in his pupils, and he split into four male-lead templates with different styles—an aloof, domineering CEO, a gentle sweetheart, a wicked rogue, and a sunny puppy. They surrounded Xiao Feng.
"Cheap knockoff, exit stage left." The aloof CEO projection flung out a "forced kissing scene" script. "According to the Mary Sue rule, the male lead must kiss every heroine at least three times."
Xiao Feng arched a brow. "But I only kiss people I truly love—like them." He raised his hand and summoned Medusa and the others. The four women released their Dou Qi together, forming a True Love Matrix behind him.
Ding! The "True Feelings Break the Template" storyline has been triggered. A vulnerability has appeared in the projected male leads' program!
Medusa activated "Queen's Might," Xun'er unleashed "Vine of Symbiosis," Yun Yun wielded the "Sword of Justice," and Gu Ling initiated "Code Purification"!
All four projections clutched their heads and screamed. The aloof CEO's suit ripped open, revealing cartoon pajamas underneath; the gentle sweetheart's smile turned into a stiff, pixelated twitch; the wicked rogue's eyeliner smeared into a mess; and the sunny puppy suddenly pulled out a baby bottle and burst into tears. The central castle's dome exploded with a crash, revealing the "Love-Brain Mainframe" hidden inside—the core of the template virus planted by the Creation God's second personality.
"So that's how it is." Xiao Feng slashed the mainframe's connections with his sword. "They used fake, perfect love to imprison the heroines, keeping the story trapped in an endless cycle of 'fight for his favor—forgive him—fight for his favor again.'"
The gray-clad girl nodded. "They all have their own dreams. Some want to become space pirates, and some want to be mechanical engineers, but the program forces them to revolve around the male lead."
Xiao Yan suddenly crawled out of an air duct, holding the mainframe's "Love-Brain Chip." "Third Brother, look what I found! This thing even has your 'perfect date plans' stored on it, like 'confess beneath a meteor shower' and 'roast marshmallows with Heavenly Flames'—ugh, that's so cheesy!"
Xiao Feng shook his head helplessly, then turned to the gray-clad girl. "Can you help them regain their free will?"
The girl took out a code injector. "I've been ready for ages! But..." She glanced at the heroines, who were apologizing to one another. "For them to truly awaken, they have to make the choice themselves."
Medusa walked up to a heroine who'd once carried the banner of the "Pink Wedding Dress Cult" and handed her a laser sword. "Want to become a pirate? My fleet needs a first mate."
Xun'er showed the heroine who wanted to be a mechanical engineer a catalog of mutant plants. "Come to my botanical garden. These vines can help you improve your mechs."
Yun Yun showed the heroine who wanted to fight for justice the Wasteland Codex. "The White Cloud Sect is recruiting interstellar judges."
Gu Ling waved to the hacker girl. "Come to my studio. We'll hack into the Creation God's dessert collection together!"
The heroines looked at one another. Suddenly, one of them took the bow off her head, revealing a mechanical hair clip hidden beneath it. "I... I actually want to become the universe's greatest mechanic!"
"I want to pilot a starship through a black hole!"
"I want to write an adventure novel with no male lead!"
The system's alert rang out with the crisp sound of a cocoon breaking open:
Ding! The heroines of the Mary Sue Galaxy have collectively awakened, gaining the "Independent Woman" buff (creativity +300%)! Xiao Feng has gained the title "Liberator," and Xiao Yan has unlocked the "Godly Teammate" achievement!
When the fleet left the Mary Sue Galaxy, castle ships freshly painted silver-gray trailed behind them, their bows flying flags that read "Interstellar Pirate Group," "Mechanical Dawn," and more. The gray-clad girl stood on deck and waved. Her code tattoos had become a star map of the Epic of Freedom.
Xiao Yan looked at the news on the holographic screen. "Look! They've formed the 'Heroine Self-Rescue Alliance.' Their first declaration says, 'Men only slow down the speed of my sword'—Third Brother, you're old news now~"
Xiao Feng chuckled. "Old news? Perfect. Now I can focus on finishing the last mission with all of you." He gazed into the depths of space, where the patterns of his Emperor Scale glimmered alongside Xiao Yan's Flame Emperor Fire Mark. "It's time to settle accounts with the Creation God's second personality."
Medusa's mechanical serpent tail coiled around his arm as she handed him a document. "This is my new 'Interstellar Marriage Treaty.' You need to sign it—with your handprint in Emperor Flame."
Xun'er's vines offered him a starry ring. "It's made from fragments of the Mary Sue Galaxy's Pink Nebula. If you get tired of it, you can always switch to another design."
Yun Yun unfurled a new sect leader's decree. "The White Cloud Sect's interstellar branch has been built. The master bedroom is on the top floor."
Gu Ling held up a redesigned ring box. "Open it and have a look! It's an AI ring that can write love letters automatically, so you never have to worry about forgetting an anniversary again~"
Looking at the four rings, each with its own distinct style, Xiao Feng suddenly remembered his first meeting with them on Douqi Continent. Back then, he'd been fretting over Heavenly Flames and the Soul Clan, never imagining he'd find such genuine love and deep bonds. He put on the rings one by one, then raised a brow at Xiao Yan. "Xiao Yanzi, do you believe now that your big brother's more suited to be the 'Son of Destiny'?"
Xiao Yan rolled his eyes. "Give me a break. You've just got a 'heroine magnet' passive skill that I don't—though..." He looked out at the universe, vibrant with color once more. "This kind of destiny isn't bad after all."
Before you continue