"Is this the new game world Lala created?"
Although his vision had gone black for a moment, when he opened his eyes again, Su Luo saw scenery completely different from the laboratory.
Su Luo confirmed that he was in a forest. It did not seem to be deep within the woods, because he could see wisps of cooking smoke drifting in the distance. He guessed there was probably a village nearby.
After confirming his location, Su Luo turned in a full circle, searching for Akashi. He spotted her beneath a tree not far away.
However, unlike his own sense of novelty, Akashi's expression was somewhat grave.
"Akashi, what's wrong?"
"Commander, don't you feel like something's off, nya?"
"Off? What do you mean? The gameplay? The visual clarity? The smoothness? The realism? Or something else? I think it's all great. It feels like a real world!"
Akashi shook her head and pointed to a spot not far from where Su Luo had just been standing, signaling for him to look.
"Commander, haven't you noticed that you're not wearing the game helmet at all, nya?"
Following the direction of Akashi's finger, Su Luo saw the virtual gaming helmet Lala had just handed him lying not far from where he had been standing.
Su Luo blinked, realizing something. His expression darkened as he looked at Akashi.
Akashi nodded and showed Su Luo what she was holding.
What Akashi held was the Super Game Maker that Lala had brought over to show Su Luo.
And now, Akashi had removed the casing of the Super Game Maker. Inside the machine, there was an emblem of a cat's head...
Clearly, this was the Super Game Maker Akashi had repaired before—the one that had sent Lala and the others across worlds!
At the port, inside Lala's laboratory.
Lala's face was full of confusion as she stared at the recliner, pondering where things had gone wrong.
Momo, who had witnessed what happened, set aside the meal she had brought for her sister and Akashi, then walked over to Lala.
"Big Sister, did the Commander and the others use that previous Super Game Maker?"
"No, Momo. The one I gave the Commander to test was clearly the new game maker I developed. Something like crossing worlds shouldn't have happened!"
Lala shook her head. She had yet to discover where the problem lay, and she looked troubled. However, her own changing robot seemed to have noticed something.
"Lady Lala, could it be that... you took the wrong game maker?"
Pei Kai's cautious voice sounded beside Lala and Momo.
"The wrong one?"
Momo asked in confusion.
"After all, the Super Game Maker II Lady Lala made looks exactly the same as the first-generation Super Game Maker, and the two game makers had been placed together..."
Before Pei Kai had even finished speaking, Lala seemed to remember something. She quickly ran to where she had placed the game makers earlier, looked at the machine sitting there, and immediately began taking it apart.
After removing the casing and seeing that the components inside bore no cat-head emblem, Lala knew that she really had taken the wrong game maker.
"Huh? Really... I really took the wrong one! I should have checked again just now!"
Standing to the side, Momo asked softly.
"Big Sister, that isn't important now. The Commander is the priority! Can you determine where he is now?"
"Mm... I probably can, but I'll need some time!"
"Alright, Big Sister. Start looking for the Commander right away. I'll go notify the secretary ship!"
Before Momo could even leave the laboratory, a huge crash came from the door to Akashi's workshop outside, which Momo had casually shut when she came in. Lala, who was thinking of a solution, and Momo, who was heading out, were both startled. Already able to see the workshop door, Momo instinctively looked over.
The workshop's not particularly sturdy door had come completely out of its frame and smashed straight into the wall opposite the entrance. Momo glanced at the door panel embedded in the wall, then turned her gaze to the blue-haired ship girl walking in through the doorway.
Momo knew this blue-haired ship girl, though she had not interacted with her much before. She was quite familiar with another ship girl who looked very similar and shared the same name.
Watching the blue-haired figure approach to within a short distance of her, Momo silently recited her name—Helena META, the ship girl the Commander called Black Sea Mom.
Momo knew that the port had several beings known as META Ship Girls, and she had met most of them, but she was not close to them. Compared to the other ship girls, most META Ship Girls had an aloof, even irritable air about them, making them seem difficult to approach.
And that was indeed the case. At the port, aside from when facing the Commander, they rarely smiled at anyone else.
"SG can't sense the Commander's presence. This was where the Commander was before he disappeared. Tell me, where is the Commander?"
Helena META entered Lala's laboratory, swept her gaze around, frowned, and questioned Momo and Lala.
Seeing the urgency and unease on Helena META's face—especially after meeting her sharp gaze—Momo understood. This META Ship Girl, whom she did not know well, was unlike the Helena she knew, who was somewhat timid and often melancholy. Helena META's personality... was perhaps more like those ladies from Heavy Sakura!
Thinking of those "special" ship girls in the port, Momo sighed inwardly.
If Big Sister can't find the Commander soon... this place is probably going to get very lively!
"So... Lala took the wrong game maker?"
Su Luo pressed his fingers to his brow, slowly accepting this fact as he tried to calm himself further.
"That's right, nya!"
Akashi put the game maker's casing back on. Looking at the machine as it emitted a series of beeps, she lowered her head and began examining what was displayed on its screen.
"Subjects: Su Luo, Akashi. Total: two."
"Successfully connected to the current world."
Akashi read out the words that appeared on the screen.
"Connected... to the current world?"
"So we really ran into the same situation Lala and the others encountered before?"
Su Luo sighed. It had only been a guess before, but now it was finally confirmed.
Akashi did not say anything. She simply kept fiddling with the game maker in her hands.
"Commander, perhaps we can—"
"Akashi! Watch out."
Before Akashi could finish, Su Luo grabbed her and pulled her away from where she had been standing.
The next instant, a strange humanoid creature, blackish-purple all over, swung its claws through the spot Akashi had just occupied.
Before you continue