Chapter Summaries

Argenti reunited with Stelle and learned that Jiang Yu’s Little Fish came from a Fragment of Beauty before explaining how a crimson night had altered the stars and caused his ship to collide with the Astral Express. As Argenti proposed observing the strange phenomenon, Welt sent the crew to check on the frightened Velite.

• Stelle told Argenti that her Little Fish was made from a Fragment of Beauty, and Argenti realized Jiang Yu was connected to Idrila.
• Argenti explained that he had rescued the IPC employee Velite and brought him aboard the Astral Express.
• Argenti said a crimson night had shrouded the stars and apparently shifted their trajectories before his ship collided with the Astral Express.
• Argenti urged the crew to savor the present so he could detect and strike down the crimson night’s discordant notes.
• Welt told the Astral Express crew to check on Velite, who was resting in one of the carriages and appeared badly frightened.

Jiang Yu and Stelle spoke with Velite about his coerced oath to Idrila and his abandoned childhood dream of exploring space. Velite declined to join the Astral Express, but saw Argenti as a possible path to making enough money to travel on his own.

• Jiang Yu and Stelle found Velite in the carriage, and Jiang Yu and Cirrus judged him physically healthy and emotionally within normal limits.
• Velite explained that Argenti had made him swear that Idrila possessed unmatched beauty before rescuing him from a hole.
• Velite described how he had given up his childhood dream of becoming a pilot to pursue a corporate career, and Stelle pointed out that Jiang Yu had achieved the life Velite once wanted.
• Jiang Yu invited Velite to join the Astral Express, but Velite declined because its adventures seemed too dangerous and his enthusiasm had faded.
• Velite said he had pitched a plan to market Argenti and Beauty, hoping to make a fortune and eventually travel in his own spaceship.

Velite became entranced by Jiang Yu’s beauty, then snapped out of it when a loud rumble and Pom-Pom’s scream shook the Astral Express. Cirrus hinted that Jiang Yu should use subtler methods, leaving him confused about what she meant.

• Velite described his plan to make Argenti a company spokesperson, and Jiang Yu said Argenti would rely on his looks rather than his acting skills.
• Cirrus called Jiang Yu an incarnation of a Fragment of Beauty and teased Velite about being the ugliest person aboard the Astral Express.
• Velite looked at Jiang Yu and fell into a daze, briefly understanding Argenti’s devotion to Beauty.
• Jiang Yu rejected Velite’s unfinished request for endorsements and commercials, and Velite slumped into despair.
• A thunderous rumble and Pom-Pom’s scream startled Velite back to attention.
• Cirrus suggested Jiang Yu relied too much on forceful, sweeping methods, while Jiang Yu wondered whether she meant he should use his greatsword differently.

March 7th encountered a sinister duplicate in her room, but Jiang Yu pulled the creature behind the illusion out by its horn and brought it to the others. The group learned that the strange disturbance aboard the Express had been caused by a giant bug.

• After hearing a strange noise, Pom-Pom, Himeko, Dan Heng, March 7th, Stelle, and Jiang Yu split up to search the Express.
• March 7th found a composed, sinister version of herself that claimed to know her forgotten memories.
• Himeko called March 7th, but a small hand grabbed the duplicate and yanked it away before March could respond.
• Jiang Yu entered the Observation Car holding a giant bug by one horn, while March 7th followed him back.
• March 7th and Himeko realized Jiang Yu had pulled the bug out of March's room, revealing the source of the strange disturbance.

Jiang Yu caught a True Sting aboard the Astral Express, and the group learned its wing dust caused hallucinations while Jiang Yu remained unaffected. As Pom-Pom searched the train for more bugs, Argenti encountered another True Sting and mistook it for a Wubbaboo.

• Jiang Yu caught a True Sting, and Argenti recognized it as one of the bugs that had chased Velite.
• Dan Heng explained that True Sting wing dust caused hallucinations, while Cirrus said Jiang Yu resisted it because his body was forged from a Fragment of Beauty.
• Dan Heng warned that more True Stings might be hiding aboard the Astral Express, and Jiang Yu proposed using Black Cleave to animate and reshape the train to flush them out.
• The group went to consult Pom-Pom, who had already begun searching for hidden bugs with a mobile train-cleaning machine.
• Argenti wandered into the archive room, where he mistook a True Sting for a Wubbaboo and praised its charm.

Argenti fought off a True Sting’s hallucination and learned its final warning about an unseen overlord, which Dan Heng suspected was a gigantic insect that had swallowed the Express. As the group considered that they might be inside the creature, Jiang Yu decided he wanted to capture and make use of it.

• Argenti mistook a True Sting’s hallucination for a Wubbaboo, then caught the insect’s horn and killed it with his lance.
• Argenti apologized to Jiang Yu for being deceived, and Dan Heng explained that the wing scales shaped hallucinations from people’s memories and feelings.
• Argenti repeated the True Sting’s dying warning that the group would never perceive the overlord’s existence.
• Dan Heng connected the warning to the enormous Giant True Sting described in the Data Bank, and Argenti concluded that they might already be inside its stomach.
• Jiang Yu recalled that the creature might be even larger than Dan Heng’s description and resolved to capture it for its materials and as a mount.

After discovering that a Giant True Sting had swallowed the Express, Jiang Yu and Argenti set out to break through its stomach wall and save the train. They charged into the scarlet expanse beyond the Express, with Argenti declaring his devotion to Idrila and asking her to witness his life if he fell.

• Dan Heng connected the Express's disappearance and Argenti and Velite's earlier cavern experience to a Giant True Sting, just as a thunderous rumble shook the car.
• Dan Heng told Welt what they had learned, and Welt proposed overloading the Express's engine and using Jiang Yu's Black Cleave to shield it as it rammed through the creature's stomach wall.
• Jiang Yu volunteered to make the charge himself, saying he wanted to catch the bug and could rely on Aha if danger arose.
• Argenti insisted on accompanying Jiang Yu, declaring that standing beside those he protected was his duty as a Knight of Beauty.
• Jiang Yu and Argenti left the Express and traveled through the creature's vast, blood-red interior, where Argenti asked Idrila to witness his faithfulness if he perished.

Jiang Yu protected Argenti and threw the True Sting into the flesh wall of a colossal creature, then emerged with Argenti and discovered the creature was far larger than the Giant True Sting. Jiang Yu planned to speak with the enormous beast while Argenti dealt with the Giant True Sting.

• Argenti charged at the giant insect, but Jiang Yu pulled him back and asked him to watch while Jiang Yu handled it.
• Jiang Yu hurled the True Sting into the creature’s flesh wall, causing it to convulse and open a path out.
• The Astral Express crew emerged into space and saw a star-spanning creature far larger than expected.
• Jiang Yu and Argenti realized the enormous creature was not the Giant True Sting when the actual Giant True Sting crawled out from between its teeth.
• Jiang Yu planned to try speaking with the colossal creature and sent Argenti to deal with the Giant True Sting.

Jiang Yu connected with the enormous camouflaged beast and ordered it to shrink, threatening to kill it if it refused. The beast surrendered, and its body began to change.

• Jiang Yu left Argenti to fight the Giant True Sting and approached the colossal creature to try communicating with it.
• Jiang Yu used his mental connection technique to perceive the beast's true form, which stretched across nearly two galaxies and resembled a giant skeletal fish.
• The beast spoke to Jiang Yu and explained that it stayed huge so it could eat its fill and sleep for a long time.
• Jiang Yu demanded that the beast shrink and threatened to kill it if it disobeyed.
• The beast judged Jiang Yu's threat to be real and surrendered, causing the scene to shake as its body began changing.

Jiang Yu befriended the newly revealed Universe Goldfish, named him Little Dragon, and sent him to help Argenti fight the Giant True Sting. Little Dragon killed the already battered insect with one headbutt, and it crashed into an uninhabited planet, leaving Argenti surprised that their fight had ended so soon.

• The Universe Goldfish revealed his enormous, colorful form, while March 7th and Old Yang watched the aurora from the Astral Express and worried about Jiang Yu and Argenti.
• The Universe Goldfish shrank to the size of a Starskiff and told Jiang Yu about his abilities and appetite.
• Jiang Yu named the creature Little Dragon and ordered him to help Argenti kill the Giant True Sting, allowing him to eat what remained afterward.
• Argenti continued fighting the Giant True Sting and used the battle to test his growing strength.
• Little Dragon rammed the Giant True Sting, killing it and sending its body crashing into an uninhabited planet; Argenti realized he had not meant to finish the fight yet.

Jiang Yu and Argenti salvaged materials from the Giant True Sting, then Argenti departed with Little Dragon to pursue his own plans. Back aboard the Astral Express, Jiang Yu explained what had happened and revealed that Argenti was researching the market for bug materials on his behalf.

• Jiang Yu and Argenti used Black Cleave to remove the Giant True Sting's horns, fangs, and hardest shell pieces.
• Jiang Yu named the creature Dragonfish Dog, and Little Dragon ate the Giant True Sting's corpse.
• Argenti borrowed Little Dragon and left aboard the Uncanny Valley after telling Jiang Yu he could not stay.
• Jiang Yu returned to the Astral Express with Cirrus and told the crew about Little Dragon and Argenti's departure.
• Jiang Yu explained that Argenti had taken the salvaged materials to find buyers and assess the market for bug products.

Stelle returned to Herta Space Station and learned that Ruan Mei, a reclusive Genius Society scholar, was visiting. After speaking with Herta and Asta, Stelle went to search for Ruan Mei and spotted a Xianzhou-dressed woman at the Platform.

• The Astral Express reached Car Wash Planet, where Pom-Pom was delighted by the exceptionally thorough cleaning and polishing.
• Stelle returned to Herta Space Station with the Express and wondered whether Herta and Screwllum had recovered from their strange behavior during her last visit.
• Stelle found Asta speaking with a Herta Puppet and learned that the station was preparing to welcome Ruan Mei.
• Herta and Asta described Ruan Mei's genius, reclusive habits, and recent experiments to Stelle.
• Stelle went to the Platform to look for Ruan Mei and saw a woman dressed in Xianzhou style standing at its edge.

Stelle met Ruan Mei, who examined her by touch before turning her attention to Jiang Yu. Ruan Mei’s attempt to study Jiang Yu’s body abruptly shook her composure, leaving him wondering what she had discovered.

• Stelle approached Ruan Mei and pointed out the pastry crumbs on her mouth after Ruan Mei touched her chin to study her.
• Ruan Mei explained that touch helped her examine living structures and called Stelle a perfect experimental specimen.
• Jiang Yu arrived while walking Peppy, and Stelle introduced him to Ruan Mei.
• Ruan Mei studied Jiang Yu, then touched his head to examine his body while he stood still.
• Ruan Mei’s expression shifted through panic and excitement before she froze, pulled away, and stared at Jiang Yu in shock.

Ruan Mei examined Jiang Yu and found his body remarkably ordinary, though its unchanging structure made it unlike normal life. After she shared dessert with Jiang Yu and Stelle, a Heliobus revealed that the pastry had made Stelle say things she did not mean, but Jiang Yu was unaffected.

• Ruan Mei examined Jiang Yu and found that his life structure resembled an ordinary, healthy Xianzhou native, yet remained unnaturally unchanging.
• Jiang Yu sampled Ruan Mei's pastry, and Ruan Mei divided the rest among him and Stelle while they looked out over the Blue Planet.
• Ruan Mei asked Stelle about her research, but Stelle unexpectedly said she only liked researching stories about toilets.
• Stelle realized the words were not her own, and Cirrus revealed that the pastry contained something that made her speak against her intentions.
• Cirrus reassured Stelle that Jiang Yu was unaffected because his body could not be subdued by an ordinary human trick.

Stelle confronted Ruan Mei after learning that she had secretly drugged her with Anti-Truth Serum to control what she said. Jiang Yu helped Stelle recover, and Ruan Mei apologized after he challenged her to treat them as equals.

• With Cirrus's help, Stelle asked Ruan Mei what she had drugged her with, and Cirrus revealed that she had tampered with Stelle's speech using Anti-Truth Serum.
• Ruan Mei explained that she had dosed Stelle to prevent her from revealing her true thoughts about Ruan Mei and to protect her research and Stelle's safety.
• Jiang Yu criticized Ruan Mei's lack of trust and patted Stelle's back, restoring her speech and ending the serum's effects.
• Stelle and Jiang Yu began to leave with the dog, but Ruan Mei offered them a reward if they would become her assistants.
• Jiang Yu demanded that Ruan Mei apologize before asking for their help, and Ruan Mei apologized without reservation.

Ruan Mei asked Jiang Yu and Stelle to retrieve escaped life-forms she had cultivated on the Space Station. After agreeing, they sought help from a Department of Ecology staff member, whose bizarre devotion to Jiang Yu and secret photo gatherings distracted Stelle before he led them to the Storage Zone.

• Jiang Yu and Stelle accepted Ruan Mei's apology, and Ruan Mei explained that several life-forms she had cultivated had escaped during a containment breach.
• Ruan Mei asked Jiang Yu and Stelle to retrieve the escaped life-forms without alerting Herta, Asta, or other staff.
• Stelle and Jiang Yu asked a Department of Ecology staff member where specimens could be contained, and he accidentally confessed to secretly selling station property and holding Fish Darling photo appreciation gatherings.
• Jiang Yu forgave the staff member, who explained that little monsters had appeared around the Space Station and offered to show them the Storage Zone.
• The staff member led Stelle and Jiang Yu into a crowded room in the Storage Zone, then hurried back to work after Jiang Yu dismissed him.

Stelle and Jiang Yu visited the Department of Ecology, where Stelle used a life cultivation formula to create a shumai-like creature that became attached to Jiang Yu. A second shumai dog, Cheese Fondue, appeared and demanded an audience, but the station staff promptly dismissed it in favor of Jiang Yu.

• Stelle entered the crowded room with Jiang Yu and tried to keep the staff from noticing him, but an Ecology staff member spotted him and excitedly showed him a reconstructed life cultivation formula.
• Jiang Yu thanked the staff member and asked him not to ignore Stelle, but the man confessed he had only had eyes for Jiang Yu and was rejected.
• Stelle used the formula to create a milk-and-five-nut-flavored shumai creature, which ran to Jiang Yu for affection and seemed to glow when he called it cute.
• Jiang Yu heard staff discussing Cheese Fondue, and Stelle prepared to look for it by making heart-shaped graffiti.
• A smug, creamy-yellow shumai dog appeared on the lab bench and barked as if singing; a staff member announced an audience with Cheese Fondue, then told it that Jiang Yu mattered more.

Stelle and Jiang Yu learned to understand Cheese Fondue, then flushed it and another shumai dog away before Ruan Mei took Stelle to meet Herta and Screwllum. The chapter ended with the three geniuses gathered as a distant cosmic phenomenon unfolded elsewhere.

• A staff member modified Stelle and Jiang Yu's Synesthesia Beacons, allowing them to understand Cheese Fondue's boastful praise of Ruan Mei and suspicion of Ashy Bean Paste.
• Stelle and Jiang Yu turned off the translation function, then followed the Department of Ecology staff member's instructions and flushed Cheese Fondue and the milk-and-five-nut-flavored shumai dog away.
• Ruan Mei told Stelle that Herta had summoned her and Screwllum to discuss important matters, and asked Stelle to attend as her representative; Jiang Yu left Cirrus with Stelle for protection.
• Ruan Mei brought Stelle to Herta's office, where Herta and Screwllum greeted her and Herta welcomed the three geniuses to their meeting.
• A distant burst of brilliant colors spread through the stars, drawing attention across the universe as a few Mirror Holders were killed.

Herta, Ruan Mei, and Screwllum discussed finding a fifth Genius Society collaborator for the Simulated Universe while Stelle learned about Ruan Mei’s creations in a sealed Space Station sector. Stelle and Jiang Yu descended into the Seclusion Zone to deal with the trouble waiting there.

• Herta proposed finding a fifth Simulated Universe collaborator, and the group discussed possible candidates including Polka Kakamond, Dr. Primitive, and Yu Qingtu.
• Ruan Mei asked to escort Stelle out, but Herta showed her a Ruan Mei data slice that Stelle enjoyed encountering in the Simulated Universe, and Ruan Mei agreed to keep the event.
• Ruan Mei called Stelle “darling” as they left, delighting Siberian Duck and the other viewers.
• Ruan Mei told Stelle that a sealed Space Station sector held some of her creations and registered Stelle’s fingerprint on her command card so she could call for help.
• Stelle went to Jiang Yu, and they took the elevator down to the dark Seclusion Zone.

Jiang Yu and Stelle explored the Seclusion Zone, where Jiang Yu calmed a malfunctioning robot by ordering fried rice. They reached Ruan Mei's laboratory and watched a recording about her experiments, ending as they heard a cat meow nearby.

• Jiang Yu and Stelle entered the dark Seclusion Zone, where a twitching robot triggered alarms and the elevator rose on its own.
• Jiang Yu ordered fried rice from the robot, which stopped malfunctioning and brought him a cold serving that he fed to Black Cleave.
• Stelle used Ruan Mei's authorization to check the map and visitor records before she and Jiang Yu descended to the lower level.
• Stelle and Jiang Yu passed a suspended egg and entered a laboratory, where Stelle found a recipe book and a recording of Ruan Mei describing two experimental samples.
• As Stelle and Jiang Yu watched Ruan Mei's recording, they heard a cat meowing nearby.