Steam Rhapsody: Gear Queen's Mechanical Heart and Xiao Yan's Leather Outfit Hot Dance

The Gear Fortress of the steampunk universe floated amidst an endless expanse of mechanical clouds. The entire city was constructed from countless gears, pistons, and steam pipes, with the air thick with the scent of machine oil and rust. No sooner had the Xiao Family Ship landed than it was surrounded by a group of mechanics wearing goggles, who brandished wrenches and shouted, "The savior has finally arrived! Please, save Her Majesty the Queen!"

"Wait, we aren't—" Before Xiao Feng could finish his sentence, the mechanics shoved him into an ornate mechanical palanquin. Meanwhile, Xiao Yan was pinned to a makeup chair by a group of mechanical maids, who forcibly squeezed him into a sequined leather bodysuit and jammed a gear-encrusted pointed hat onto his head.

"Let me go!" Xiao Yan struggled. "My brother is the savior!"

The mechanical maids shook their heads. "The prophecy states that the savior will descend wearing the 'Shining Metal Garment'—look, how dazzling this leather suit is!"

Xiao Feng pressed a hand to his forehead inside the palanquin and spoke to Xiao Yan via a communication device: "When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Perhaps we can take this opportunity to find the source of the virus."

Xiao Yan gritted his teeth. "Once this is over, I'm going to rewrite every steampunk novel to feature a male lead wearing an apron and grilling skewers!"

Inside the throne room of the Gear Fortress, the Gear Queen sat upon a throne made of heart-shaped gears. Her originally stern mechanical face had been painted with pink blush, and she was using a mechanical arm to apply lipstick in a mirror. "My dear Domineering CEO Mechanical Heart, when will you come to marry me~"

Medusa frowned, her mechanical snake tail lashing out to emit a laser scan. "Her core program has been tampered with. The original 'Way of the Machine' has been replaced by a 'Love-Brain Protocol'."

Xun Er's mutated plants coiled around the gears of the throne, and she suddenly exclaimed, "There are template virus spores inside these gears! They are devouring the creative power of this mechanical civilization!"

Gu Ling had already hacked into the Queen's System Terminal; the screen was filled with cascading pink code. "It's the virus from the 'Domineering CEO Mechanical Heart' novel! The 'Please Subscribe, Please Vote' pop-ups at the end of every chapter are releasing a brainwashing program!"

Yun Yun gripped the Chain of Justice, the links coated in steampunk-style copper rust. "I will go seal the city's steam pipes to prevent the virus from spreading."

Medusa raised her mechanical arm, aiming her cannon at the heart-shaped throne. "Big Brother Xiao, do you permit me to blast this disgusting throne to pieces?"

Before Xiao Feng could speak, the throne suddenly split into countless small gears, each one emitting cloying declarations of love. Xiao Yan seized the opportunity to unleash the Flame of Roast, the flames strangely mixed with the scent of cumin. "Begone, love-brain! Machines should be focused on their careers!"

Ding! Xiao Yan triggered a Barbecue Critical Hit; the virus spores lost their viability amidst the scent of cumin!

Medusa activated Mechanical Aesthetic Crush, using hydraulic pliers to reshape the heart-shaped gears into a combat form!

Xun Er released Plant-Mechanical Symbiosis, combining vines with gears to create a filter capable of purifying the virus!

The Gear Queen suddenly clutched her head and screamed. The pink blush on her mechanical face peeled away, revealing the silver armor beneath. "I... how could I have become like this?"

Gu Ling handed over the restored core program. "You were infected by a template virus, but you are fine now."

The Queen stroked her restored, stern mechanical arm and suddenly grasped Medusa's hand. "Thank you for saving the Way of the Machine—as a reward, I can help you upgrade your mechanical prosthetic."

Medusa raised an eyebrow. "That suits me perfectly. I want a function that can deploy a barbecue grill."

"What?"

"Nothing. First, take a look at this—" Medusa revealed a hidden compartment in her mechanical arm, which actually contained Xiao Feng's barbecue recipes. "The Way of the Machine and the Way of Gourmet Food are not in conflict."

Meanwhile, Xiao Yan was ushered by the mechanics onto a stage in the plaza, which was packed with mechanical citizens holding light boards that read "The Savior is the Coolest." The host held a steam-powered megaphone and shouted, "Let us welcome the savior to perform the 'Mechanical Wild Dance' from the prophecy!"

Xiao Yan felt like crying but had to bite the bullet, performing a mechanical dance to a steampunk version of Love Circulation. Suddenly, a stifled laugh came from the crowd. He looked up to see Xiao Feng hiding behind a mechanical clock tower, using Emperor Flame to create firework effects like a magician.

"Third Brother!" Xiao Yan transmitted his voice. "You did this on purpose!"

Xiao Feng chuckled. "How else would the readers on Earth see your 'unique charm'? Don't worry, Gu Ling has already recorded your dance and is preparing to post it on Douyin—the title is 'Shocking! The Mechanical Savior is Actually a Barbecue Stall Owner'."

After the virus crisis was resolved, the Gear Queen gifted the "Codex of the Way of the Machine" to Xiao Feng. The front page of the codex read: "A true mechanical heart should be as precise as a gear, and as free as steam." Medusa's mechanical prosthetic was upgraded to a Multi-functional Combat Barbecue Arm, Xun Er used her mutated plants to establish an ecological filtration system for the Gear Fortress, and Yun Yun assisted the Queen in drafting the "Anti-Love-Brain Act."

Before they left, the mechanical craftsmen gave Xiao Yan a gift—a mechanical arm that could automatically flip skewers. He touched the gear patterns on the arm and sighed to Xiao Feng, "Next time there's a 'savior' mission like this, you should do it."

Xiao Feng patted his shoulder. "Stop complaining. Your Douyin followers have already broken a million—besides, Long Ao says your mechanical dance has a very 'wicked and arrogant' vibe."

Xiao Yan covered his face. "What does he know about mechanical aesthetics!"

The system notification rang with a teasing tone:

Ding! Completed the steampunk universe mission, obtained the title "Mechanical Dance King"!

Reward: "Gear Barbecue Grill" blueprint, "Anti-Love-Brain Badge"!

As the starship set sail again, Gu Ling suddenly pointed at the navigation screen and exclaimed, "Big Brother Xiao! Ahead is the 'Harem Anime Universe'. According to intelligence from the Code Girl, the heroines there are collectively rebelling against the setting that 'the male lead must have a harem'!"

Xiao Feng gripped the Ancient Emperor Jade, the Emperor Scale patterns resonating with the steam gears. "It seems our next stop... will be quite lively."

Medusa spun her new mechanical barbecue arm. "Do you need me to prepare a 'True Love Barbecue Feast'? I hear the male leads of harem anime have never tasted real barbecue."

Xun Er's vines brought over a copy of Harem Anime Anti-Tropes Guide. "I have already studied it. What they need is not more heroines, but to learn to respect the choices of every character."

Yun Yun organized the new interstellar legal documents. "I will draft a 'Declaration of Character Human Rights' to ensure the heroines have the right to reject the male lead."

Gu Ling tapped on her keyboard. "I have already hacked into their 'Romance System'. Now, a 'Get Lost' option will appear in every heroine's dialogue box~"

Xiao Yan looked at the pink nebula outside the porthole and suddenly revealed a cunning smile. "Third Brother, let me be the protagonist this time—I want them to know that the correct way to open a harem anime is for the heroines to focus on their careers, while the male lead is responsible for cheering them on!"

Xiao Feng chuckled. "Fine, I'll listen to you this time—but if you run into trouble, remember to call your brother."

The moment the starship broke through the pink clouds, the system notification rang again, filled with eager excitement:

Ding! Harem Anime Universe side-quest initiated, triggered the "Heroine Uprising" event!

Warning: The "Male Lead Halo" of this universe is exceptionally strong. It is recommended to carry both "Flame of Roast" and "True Fragrance Barbecue" weapons!