Herta stared at the screen, utterly speechless.
This was the same trio that had defeated doomsday beasts, resolved stellar crises, and even faced off against Lord Ravagers. Just earlier, they had nearly brought simulated Aeons and data entities into reality, risking catastrophic consequences.
And now? They were bullying a plant?!
This trio, capable of altering the fate of entire galaxies, was now gleefully tormenting one of the space station's quirky plant artifacts.
Herta didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
The plant in question was familiar to her. It was mostly harmless, capable of basic communication, and occasionally spat out junk items. Beyond that? It wasn't particularly useful.
And yet, after acquiring a star system from Asta and reaping immense profits during their journey through the Xianzhou, Pei Guang, Stelle, and March 7th—who were far from lacking resources—were now bullying a single plant for the sake of its "garbage."
At this point, she decided to turn off the monitor. She couldn't keep watching: another second of this, and she felt her own logic might start derailing thanks to those three. Judging by their behavior, they'd probably return to her office after finishing up their antics with the poor plant.
As for Pei Guang and the group? They had completely leaned into their unorthodox behavior. After repeatedly squeezing the strange plant for anything it could give and coming up empty-handed, Pei Guang finally pulled out a bottle of mineral water and poured it into the plant's pot.
At that moment, the plant was so moved it almost cried—if only it had the organs to do so. It used its voice and thoughts instead to express its overwhelming gratitude.
The plant, in all its existence, had never encountered someone as utterly shameless as Pei Guang. And yet, as the water trickled into the soil, Pei Guang, Stelle, and March 7th puffed out their chests with pride.
At that moment, they truly felt they had ascended to the peak of moral excellence. It was as though the universe itself wanted to give them a standing ovation for their so-called virtuous actions.
Few beings in this universe could bully a plant to such an extent and still consider themselves paragons of virtue.
But these three had pulled it off!
After leaving the strange plant hydrated and thoroughly exploited, the trio gleefully prepared to head to Herta's office. Stelle carried a stash of materials and credits squeezed out of the plant, humming a cheerful tune. "Jackpot~ Jackpot~"
Although the items weren't particularly valuable, she couldn't help but feel an odd sense of accomplishment in having wrung so much out of a mere plant.
Pei Guang mused aloud, "Who would've thought? Even the plants on this space station are loaded!"
March 7th chimed in, "What if we did a sweep of all the plants on the station? Bet we'd get a nice haul~"
Pei Guang nodded thoughtfully. "Might be worth trying later. But for now, let's see Herta, grab our rewards, and maybe test the Simulated Universe again. That thing's just too fun."
Though he knew they might not have access to consoles, cheats, or mods for the next run, Pei Guang's confidence as a seasoned gamer remained unshaken.
However, when the trio arrived at Herta's office and Pei Guang expressed his intent to dive back into the Simulated Universe, Herta flatly refused.
"No, you can't run it again."
Pei Guang frowned. "Why not? Did it blow up?"
Herta sighed and nodded. "It did. You three blew up my Simulated Universe. But it's fine—I've gathered a ton of useful data. And don't worry, your rewards are ready. That's why I called you here."
With that, she handed over the rewards.
Thanks to the data extracted from the Simulated Universe, she had created several planar ornaments. Additionally, she had crafted a few Light Cones based on the gathered information.
While Pei Guang found the ornaments visually appealing, their effects—minor boosts to attack, defense, or health—didn't particularly excite him. They reminded him of the bonuses offered by the Abundance Deer set but without the focus on maximum HP. Still, they looked nice.
Taking the items, Pei Guang sighed. "The stats are decent, but I was hoping for another round in the Simulated Universe. Oh well. Let us know when it's ready again—we're always up for testing!"
Herta nodded. "Of course. Next time, I'll make sure you can test it to your heart's content."
Pei Guang grinned. "Great! If there's nothing else, we'll get going?"
Herta nodded, gesturing dismissively. "Alright, off you go! If you're interested, you can also stick around and help out with a few things. Some of my researchers have minor issues that could use an extra hand. Feel free to check with them if you're bored."
Pei Guang stretched lazily. "Honestly, aside from that talking plant earlier, I don't think there's anything else particularly entertaining here. What about you two?"
March 7th nodded enthusiastically. "Yup! Since we can't play the Simulated Universe, let's head back to Xianzhou! There's so much good food and fun waiting for us there~"
Stelle agreed. "Exactly! This place has gotten kinda boring."
Just as they were about to leave, as though fate had other plans, Stelle's phone buzzed with a notification.
Glancing at the screen, she furrowed her brows. "Ah Guang, looks like we're not leaving yet. I think I just triggered a new mission?"
She showed the message on her phone to Pei Guang and March 7th. The sender was a young researcher named Rocky, though the content suggested it had been sent to the wrong recipient.
Rocky: Lesley, are you alright? Why aren't you replying?
The message made it clear that Rocky intended it for someone named Lesley. Stelle replied to clarify the mistake, explaining she wasn't Lesley, but somehow, the conversation turned into a plea for help. He asked Stelle to assist him in contacting Lesley.
Stelle turned to Pei Guang, her tone uncertain. "So… I think this might be a mission? What do you think?"
Pei Guang studied the message carefully, musing aloud. "Hmm, looks like it could be a mission. And judging by the tone… feels like it's relationship-related."
March 7th's curiosity was piqued instantly. She leaned closer, scrutinizing the screen as though analyzing a puzzle. "Let Detective March 7th take a look! Oh? This tone… hmm, I see it now. I totally get it. It's gotta be this: Rocky upset his girlfriend, and now he's pretending to send a wrong message so we'll step in and help him patch things up!"
Her conclusion was based on countless romance novels she'd read, and her imagination quickly ran wild, conjuring up a variety of dramatic scenarios. Her growing curiosity was evident.
Pei Guang chuckled at her excitement. "Huh, you've got a point there. I was planning to shelve this mission for later, but now that you've hyped it up… it does sound promising. Let's do it now."
March 7th beamed. "Hehe, I'm intrigued! It feels like one of those novels is coming to life. I'm kinda excited!"
Pei Guang nodded. "Alright, we'll take it. Let's see what this mission has to offer. But honestly, I don't know much about this kind of thing, so March, it's all you."
March 7th proudly tapped her chest. "Leave it to me! If I had to guess, it's probably a couple who had a misunderstanding. They both care for each other deeply but are too shy to apologize first. So, Rocky's asking us to mediate and help them get back together beautifully."
Stelle couldn't help but interject with a skeptical tone. "Why do I feel like it's not going to be that simple?"
Pei Guang shrugged. "Who knows? But since it's fallen into our laps, and March's interested, let's see it through. Who knows? She might be right—it could be the classic 'true love blocked by nosy outsiders,' or maybe 'office romance forbidden by policies,' or even 'family opposition.' If they genuinely love each other, you can bet I'll back them up."
Initially, he wasn't particularly invested in the mission. After all, what kind of rewards could a simple relationship quest offer? But after March 7th's enthusiastic analysis, he figured it wouldn't hurt to mix things up and try something different for a change.
He was genuinely excited at the thought. If this mission turned out to be a classic love story, he was absolutely going to step in and help. As long as the person giving the task and their love interest were truly in love and neither was playing games or being a heartbreaker, Pei Guang saw no reason not to lend a hand.
From all the stories and games he'd experienced growing up, tales of love thwarted by fate or circumstances were all too common. Now that he had the opportunity to actively change such a narrative, there was no way he'd let two people miss their chance. If he could help bring them together, he'd count it as a personal victory.
When the time came to reflect on his adventures, he figured he'd treat himself to an extra helping of chicken at dinner, just for being the hero of a love story.
Stelle clapped her hands together enthusiastically. "What are we waiting for? Let's go! Here, I'll send him a reply and tell him we'll help him find his sweetheart. Hehe~"