At the base Pei Guang had constructed upon returning to the Xianzhou from Earth—
By now, the base was patrolled by many Fire Moth soldiers. It no longer appeared to be a haphazard assembly of buildings as it had at first. Under professional guidance, the structures were now fulfilling their intended functions while maximizing efficiency.
The three of them materialized in a room at the heart of the base's technological research lab. Through the large glass windows, they could observe the changes outside.
March 7th gasped in surprise. "We were only gone for two days, right? How did this place change so much?"
Pei Guang shook his head. "For us, it's been two days, but for the people here, more than three months have passed. We don't know the exact time ratio yet, but Herta No. 1 probably has records on that."
Stelle shrugged. "No big deal. So what's the plan now? Fight our way through everything and take down the Lord Ravager?"
Pei Guang glanced at her. "You're getting cocky, aren't you? The last time we fought a boss like that, we only won because of plot armor, and now you think we can just walk up and smash this one? We're players. We can mess around and take risks—but we can't futely throw ourselves to our deaths."
Pei Guang could tell that after this journey to the Xianzhou, Stelle had become a little overconfident. Whether it was just friendly banter or genuine arrogance, he figured it was best to remind her.
Like he always said: Taking risks was fine. But throwing away your life was not.
March 7th tilted her head. "Huh? Then what's your plan, Ah Guang?"
Pei Guang pondered. "From what Uncle Yang described, this Lord Ravager seems to want a fair fight with us—it's trying to trap us in and engage on equal footing. While wandering around Luofu earlier, I looked up records on Lord Ravagers. Each one represents a different extreme of destruction. Basically, everyone has their own 'kink'—they destroy civilizations, but in a way that fits their own personal style."
Stelle frowned. "Do you know which one we're dealing with this time?"
Pei Guang thought for a moment. "According to Xianzhou records, this one prefers a slow, methodical advance—establishing an advantage, applying pressure, gradually consuming its resistance. It watches civilizations collapse piece by piece, like an observer studying an ant colony. In simple terms, it doesn't just want to kill its enemies—it wants to break them mentally too."
Then he turned to Stelle with a knowing look. "Wait, are you actually paying attention to the story?"
Under Pei Guang's gaze, Stelle put on an expression of profound wisdom. "Absolutely not. As long as you're here, Ah Guang, all I have to do is let you think it through, and we're good."
Pei Guang flicked her forehead. "Idiot. My 'thinking' isn't just random nonsense—it's based on my own experience. And besides, I've made plenty of wrong guesses before. Don't act like I can predict the future just because I've been right a few times."
Stelle smirked. "Why not? You've been spot-on for all the big events!"
Pei Guang grinned. "That just means I've got experience~"
As Pei Guang and Stelle bickered over whether he had prophetic abilities, the room's door was suddenly pushed open.
The Herta Puppet that walked in immediately grumbled in annoyance. "I was wondering who was making all that noise in my office—turns out it's you guys. Well? You finally remembered to come back?"
The Herta Puppet walked up to Pei Guang, tilting her head to look up at him. "I asked you to let me out for a few days to have some fun—not to dump all this work on me. And now look at you, going head-to-head with an Lord Ravager. Happy now?
Oh, by the way, here's some good news for you: that Lord Ravager isn't going to make the first move. Your Star Destroyer ship is sitting right there, and attacking head-on wouldn't fit its so-called 'destruction aesthetic.' It'll probably take its time, gradually applying an overwhelming force that Earth can't resist, crushing all opposition bit by bit. As for how to deal with that? Figure it out yourself."
As soon as the Herta Puppet finished speaking, Stelle turned to Pei Guang. "And you still say you can't predict the future? You've guessed every single Lord Ravager correctly."
Pei Guang sighed. "You're impossible."
Stelle cupped her ear. "Huh? What was that? Speak up, I can't hear you!"
March 7th joined in. "Yep! Can't hear a thing~~"
Watching the three of them clown around, the Herta Puppet felt utterly drained. Getting stuck with a Trailblazer —was she lucky or just plain unfortunate? After some thought, she decided she was more fortunate than not.
Without Pei Guang, she'd still be nothing more than an emotionless puppet for Herta to use. But now… though her initial emotions had come from mere data, as time passed, she was certain she had gained something real: actual feelings.
Besides, artificial intelligence wasn't exactly rare in the universe—Screwllum was full of it. For a mechanical puppet like her to develop independent thought? Totally normal.
She watched the three of them mess around for a while before finally speaking up again. "You didn't come back just to argue about this, did you?"
Hearing her voice, Pei Guang and the others stopped. He turned to her and said, "Of course not. Someone's eyeing my territory—how could I just sit back and let that happen?"
The Herta Puppet nodded. "That's fair. If a Lord Ravager ever dared to mess with my main body, she'd definitely figure out a way to smash its skull in."
The members of the Genius Society were far more terrifying than the Lord Ravagers. And someone as "reasonable" as Herta? If a Lord Ravager really came knocking, it wouldn't just be Herta dealing with it—the entire universe would probably gang up for a joint extermination.
Pei Guang grinned. "Exactly. If they dare step foot on my turf, we're gonna crack its skull open and soak it in liquor. I trust Earth's people can handle that much."
The Herta Puppet smirked. "You know, with the technology you left behind, they actually might be able to pull it off. That Lord Ravager probably just wants to wipe this place out, watching you struggle and despair for fun. After all, with your abilities and the Light Cone she carries, killing you two is basically impossible. But what it also doesn't know… is just how ridiculous the technology on your side really is."
Pei Guang raised an eyebrow. "Ridiculous? I think it's pretty normal. By the way, how far along are you with that tech tree I left behind?"
The Herta Puppet crossed her arms. "The Paradox Battery and the Chronosphere are complete. If we had a bit more time, I'd have finished the Paradox Engine too."