"Strange, it should be around here... Could it be hidden in Lady Herta's portrait?"
A researcher muttered to himself, then glanced up at Stelle.
"Do you need something? If so, go to the front desk."
Stelle ignored him, staring obsessively at Herta's holographic portrait. "She's so beautiful."
The researcher gave her a strange look. "Oh, are you a fan of Lady Herta?"
Now that the conversation had started, the researcher opened up.
"I'm Leonard, a cybersecurity engineer. While repairing equipment, I discovered traces of a third-party intrusion."
"The Stellaron Hunters?"
Leonard nodded in agreement. "Who else could it be? They're all dangerous. And one of them is a super hacker I recently fell victim to her. Luckily, Lady Herta didn't blame me and even let me continue investigating."
"Sounds like she's setting you up for failure."
Leonard laughed awkwardly. "N-No way, it's not that serious. Who am I to deserve Lady Herta's attention?"
Determined to redeem himself, Leonard pulled out a decryption program and aimed it at the wall.
The next moment, a "glittering bead of sweat" appeared on the surface, making it look as if Herta were sweating.
"Uh... what is this?" Leonard turned to Stelle, as if asking her to confirm whether he was seeing things.
However—
Stelle remained entranced. "She's so beautiful!"
"That's not what I meant hey!!!"
[Hahaha, classic Stelle! Truly unpredictable. Now I get why everyone calls her Lord Stelle.]
[The web series' main story is similar, but the side quests are completely different. She's totally unrestrained here.]
[Heh, she's so beautiful!]
[I also think Herta's gorgeous.]
[Oh no, the Trailblazer's absurdity is spreading like a virus.]
—
Leonard shook his head, forcing himself to stay calm. "Hold on, let me analyze this."
Afterward, he explained the situation clearly to Stelle.
The "glittering bead of sweat" was digital graffiti—
a calling card left behind by hackers from Punklorde whenever they infiltrated a system.
This time was no exception.
So,
Leonard invited Stelle to join the investigation, hoping to trace Silver Wolf's movements.
Stelle didn't refuse. She immediately grabbed the decryption program and began analyzing the "glittering bead of sweat."
The next moment,
blue patterns flickered as space itself seemed to collapse inward sound and color were sucked into the anomaly.
A Voidranger slowly materialized before them.
Leonard lost his balance, falling to the ground in panic.
The camera focused on Stelle's face as she grinned and pulled out her bat.
One Voidranger wasn't nearly enough it was swiftly obliterated within seconds.
A shaken Leonard slowly got up, catching his breath before piecing everything together.
By decrypting Silver Wolf's clues, they could track her step by step.
Moreover, Silver Wolf's abilities were terrifying she could edit "reality" like a program.
Following the trail,
Stelle and Leonard scanned each clue Silver Wolf had left,
eventually finding a new lead at the reception desk.
A projection of Silver Wolf appeared before them. "Go ahead. The fake IDs are already logged."
Leonard nodded thoughtfully. "I see. Infiltrate first, then let your allies walk right in classic hacker tactics.
Let me check... the login name: 'Caliver Leonard'?!
Stelle immediately took two steps back. "You're the mole!"
"Please don't joke about that!" Leonard looked utterly exasperated. "She stole my identity!
During routine checks, I didn't notice anything wrong with this record I just skipped past my own name. So sneaky!"
Stelle adopted the expression of a certain livestream salesman.
"Have you considered that it might be a skill issue?"
Leonard forced a laugh. "Nice one, nice one! Even the best slip up sometimes who'd expect the problem to be themselves?"
After the banter, the two continued their pursuit.
Along the way, Leonard explained more about "Punklorde"
how its hackers treated life like a game, seeking challenges and victories for fun.
Their investigation eventually led them to the place where Stelle had first awakened.
There,
Stelle unconsciously murmured "Kafka's" name.
The trail ended here, but Leonard deduced Silver Wolf's goal.
They confirmed her target:
the "Spirit of Punklorde" game cartridge a prized artifact in Herta Space Station.
Yet Leonard found it all bizarre.
"She had the chance to take it but didn't?
I'm lost. What was she even here for?
Don't tell me these graffiti marks were just to mess with us... No way, right?"
Silver Wolf's infiltration path ultimately pointed to Herta's office.
After some deliberation, Stelle and Leonard decided to deliver the bad news in person.
Soon,
they arrived at Herta's office, only to find Screwllum still conversing with her though the atmosphere seemed tense.
"Over my dead body!" Herta glared at Screwllum. Though her expression was as neutral as ever, her tone radiated fury.
"Let me make this clear, I don't care what nonsense Ruan Mei whispered in your ear. Shutting down the Simulated Universe? Not happening!"
Screwllum shook his head. "This is my decision, Herta. Question: After all the resources we poured into the Simulated Universe, what have we gained?
Now, it strays further and further from our original vision."
"The Simulated Universe needs errors you said that yourself. It perfectly aligns with reality, so why are you dissatisfied now?"
"I admire the flow of knowledge, but I cannot accept the Simulated Universe remaining just another item on a to-do list.
Think about it. How many surprises has it brought? And how many disappointments?"
Herta's brow furrowed. "The Simulated Universe has never disappointed me. You have, Screwllum.
Do you think you're so impressive?
Right now, you sound like... like..."
Her gaze flickered away momentarily before she finally spoke.
"A member of the Nitwit Society."