It was common knowledge across the cosmos that the Genius Society had never concerned itself with good or evil.
Among its members were infamous villains whose names echoed throughout the universe—such as the Primordial Doctor.
There were also geniuses of pure intellect, like Herta herself.
And then there were people like Ruan Mei—figures who appeared neutral on the surface, yet whose every action carried an unsettling undercurrent.
Ruan Mei.
A foremost expert in life and genetic research.
One of the members of the Genius Society.
Seat #81.
She had achieved remarkable accomplishments in the field of life sciences. Yet due to her low-profile nature and detached attitude, the Interastral Peace Corporation classified her as a reclusive genius.
At this moment—
On the holographic communicator before Herta, this genius revealed her cold, classical Eastern beauty.
She was like a plum blossom standing proudly in a snowfield—aloof, elegant, and unyielding.
"Mm."
"I finally managed to collect it," Ruan Mei said calmly.
"My guess is that it's an organ sample belonging to a Swarm Overlord-class insect."
"And on my way back… I found something else rather interesting."
"A Swarm Overlord?"
"Emissary-level?" Herta raised an eyebrow. "No wonder you told me to prepare in advance."
Although Ruan Mei held Seat #81 in the Genius Society, she was not an Emissary.
Ironically, it was Herta—who joined later—who had become an Emissary of the Path of Erudition.
"That's right," Ruan Mei replied.
"I intend to revive this Overlord."
"So I'll need you personally stationed at the Space Station."
Emissary versus Emissary.
While there were differences in strength, this Swarm Overlord had already fallen—it was merely being reconstructed from organ samples. It posed no real threat to Herta.
After all, Herta had personally audience-met Nous on multiple occasions. She was practically Nous's favorite Emissary.
And besides, the Aeon of Propagation, Tayzzyronth, was already dead.
Researching a Swarm Overlord would be immensely valuable for future iterations of the Simulated Universe.
"Alright~"
"I'm curious too," Herta nodded.
"Just how powerful were the Swarm Overlords during the cosmic locust catastrophe?"
"Studying the power of the Propagation Aeon could be an entirely new research topic."
But just as she finished speaking, Herta suddenly felt a chill down her spine.
Ruan Mei's cold, piercing gaze locked onto her—
as if she were already being dissected on an operating table.
"Ruan Mei," Herta said warily, "why are you looking at me like that?"
"You're not having… evil thoughts about me, are you?"
"We're research partners!"
"But you're an Emissary," Ruan Mei replied evenly.
"You're the only living Emissary I can directly observe."
"For the sake of research… would you be willing to offer yourself?"
"Absolutely not!"
"Stop right there with that terrifying idea!"
"Bring your materials back first before you say anything else!"
Herta immediately terminated the call.
Cold sweat trickled down her forehead.
She was an Emissary, for crying out loud—
and she'd actually been frightened by Ruan Mei?!
Unacceptable!
Just wait until you get here—
I'm definitely squeezing some value out of you then!
That wicked Ruan Mei!
But then again…
Was Ruan Mei really the evil one here?
Herta herself had an entire Space Station filled with her own puppets—
all modeled after her appearance from different points in her memory.
Every single Herta puppet possessed its own independent consciousness.
It was eerily similar to a certain world, and a certain detestable researcher, who specialized in human segmentation experiments.
Of course, Herta and Ruan Mei's relationship was ultimately one of mutual teasing.
Compared to Screwllum, that mechanical lifeform who calculated everything before speaking, chatting with Ruan Mei—the mad scientist type—was far more relaxing.
It was just a pity that Yu Qingtu hadn't shown up in so long.
Otherwise, inviting her into this project would have been an excellent choice.
Yu Qingtu.
Genius Society Seat #55.
An eccentric individual—a bartender who adored music.
Somewhere in the vast cosmos, within an unknown star sector—
A strangely shaped starship streaked through space.
Its pilot—no, passenger—
was none other than Ruan Mei, member of the Genius Society and expert in life research.
The ship was fully autonomous, with excellent efficiency.
It had originally been purchased from the Corporation, then personally modified by Herta. Its speed was exceptional.
After ending the call with Herta, Ruan Mei turned her gaze toward a life-support pod inside the cabin.
Within it lay a fox-eared young woman, quietly unconscious.
Ruan Mei had encountered this foxian girl midway through her sample-collection journey.
The girl's starship had been attacked.
All of its guards had perished—
she alone had survived, barely clinging to life.
But to Ruan Mei, even a severed head would have been enough to "make something work."
Nearby the pod stood a MAX-level security storage vault.
A chamber that could only be opened with Ruan Mei's own DNA.
Inside it rested a single object—
a fang-like structure, resembling the mandible of some massive parasitic insect.
At that moment—
[Acknowledged.]
[You have been granted Genius Society Seat #85.]
[Notification sent to all Genius Society members.]
[We look forward to your wisdom illuminating the cosmos.]
[Beep—!]
[Congratulations to the Genius Society on welcoming Seat #85!]
In an instant—
Ruan Mei froze.
And far away, in the Azure Star Sector, Herta's eyes went wide.
Especially Herta.
As one of the most recent members, she'd always been mocked as "the youngest" in the Society—
And now?!
The Genius Society had just gained another living member?!
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