In the end, the pastry incident concluded with Herta inside Little Black Room getting her fill, while Herta and the Herta Puppet smashed past their limit and had the time of their lives.
After the ordeal, Bai Luan needed several days to recover.
The moment he staggered out of Little Black Room—fresh from being tormented by Herta inside—he still had to endure the pastry's debuff while facing Herta and the Herta Puppet in the real world.
Who could possibly withstand that?
Ever since, every Herta he looked at carried a flicker of grievance.
They'd played far too hard—so hard that Bai Luan resolved never to recall that day for a long, long time.
Not that he could even if he wanted; his brain had blue-screened more than once that night.
Besides shooting wounded glances at the overzealous Hertas, he aimed the same look at Ruan Mei.
If Herta was MVP, then Ruan Mei deserved a gold medal for support—no contest.
Potent items, swift and silent strikes—every move precise and ruthless.
Within the Simulated Universe Project Team, only Stephen was quieter than Ruan Mei.
Who could've guessed she'd quietly set up something this spectacular?
Ruan Mei had clearly foreseen Bai Luan's resentful stare.
She messaged him again; when he arrived, she simply handed him another pastry.
Bai Luan stared at the dessert, momentarily speechless.
Not even pretending anymore?
Surely no fish would bite such an obvious hook?
"Again? Where's she hiding this time?"
He scanned the area for Herta—unsuccessfully.
Because she hadn't shown up at all.
Watching him search, Ruan Mei explained:
"You've misunderstood. That was a one-time deal between her and me; it ended that night. This pastry isn't for you, nor is it meant to be eaten by you."
She paused, then added:
"Its effect is specially tuned against Herta. In other words, it's for you to 'use against' her."
Curious, Bai Luan picked it up and examined it.
The pastry that had zeroed his Herta resistance—maybe even pushed it negative—what would it do to Herta? Drop her Bai Luan resistance to zero?
Er… does Herta even possess such a thing?
He couldn't help muttering.
Thinking back, Herta had always looked unshakable; he'd never seen her broken past her limit.
If she did have a resistance to him, it'd probably be sky-high.
And who compensates someone with a mysterious item meant to be used against themselves?
What kind of kinky game have I been playing with you people…? He lifted his gaze to Ruan Mei.
"Does she know about this?"
"Yes. Giving you this pastry was her idea—part of our deal."
"You mean Herta told you to hand me a pastry that's super-effective against her?"
Ruan Mei nodded. "Exactly."
"Why would she do that?"
"She anticipated your reaction and knew she'd overdo it, so she planned ahead."
She pointed at the pastry. "What you're holding is her way of making amends."
Ruan Mei continued unhurriedly:
"You can feed it to her anytime for 'revenge'. She'll eat it willingly, and she won't restrict what you do—she has only one request."
"Which is?"
"That you be the one to feed her."
"…"
So Herta's compensation for going overboard was giving him a chance to strike while she was vulnerable?
So very… her style.
But even with the item, could he actually break Herta?
Going to her with this pastry felt like delivering a sheep to a tiger.
Refuse, and the pastry goes to waste.
Accept, and he'd probably be counter-killed instead.
Wasn't this, via Ruan Mei's hand, just another of Herta's open schemes?
Herta's level was too high; let her unravel her own stratagem.
Bai Luan took the pastry into Little Black Room.
Herta inside laughed when she heard the story.
"She wants to eat her cake and have it too? One round wasn't enough, so she baited you for another?"
She toyed with the pastry, intrigued. "You're telling me this tiny thing put you in that state the other day?"
Realizing they both saw it as a scheme, Bai Luan relaxed.
"As expected, Bai Luan resistance is nonexistent."
"Of course it exists—This Genius isn't stone, just good at pretending."
Without hesitation, Herta inside sold out her real-world self.
Bai Luan blinked. "You mean I've had one or two chances to break past your limit?"
"Mm…"
The corner of her mouth curling, she pondered, then looked at him.
"Not just one or two."
That many? He hadn't noticed at all.
So Herta wasn't just a genius—she was a genius at playing dumb.
Reading his thoughts, she remarked:
"It's not a compliment, so quit praising her. When it comes to being honest about feelings, even that special Herta Puppet is more straightforward."
"She probably kept the puppet around as an excuse to indulge herself. At this rate, the puppet's odds of devouring you are higher than hers—how pitiful."
Once more, she delivered a scathing review of her real-world counterpart.
Bai Luan asked, amazed, "Why are you so blunt?"
"Because I've already had my fill. My mindset isn't the same as theirs anymore—just a bunch of Hertas who couldn't seal the deal. I'm winning by a mile."
"…Let's get back to this pastry."
"So, what's your plan?"
"Using it now probably still won't break Herta. I'll save it for later…"
"Pastries don't stay tasty forever. Tell you what—I'll teach you a few moves to use on her."
Bai Luan scratched his head and nodded.
She'd coached him like this before.
"What are you going to teach me?"
"We'll need a bed."
"?"
Realizing her intention, he asked, "Isn't that intensity a bit much for her?"
"She handed you the chance for revenge herself; if she can't take it, who's to blame? Besides…"
Imagining the real Herta stunned by Bai Luan's sudden spike in aggression, she couldn't help smirking.
"It's about time she faced some real heat."
Then she ate the anti-Herta pastry and looked at Bai Luan.
"Let's start practice."
…