While the gacha craze was in full swing at the space station.
At the same time.
A holographic projection was moving through the sectors, completely unnoticed.
"Is the management of this space station really this bad? I've been here for a while, and no one's even interacted with me. How boring," Silver Wolf muttered as she searched for clues about the [Punklorde Mentality] game cartridge.
The last time she visited the space station, she saw many curios, but not the one she was looking for.
So, she left digital graffiti around the space station as backdoor programs to hack into the system, making it easier for her to return and search for the [Punklorde Mentality] after completing Elio's script.
"If it's not in the Curio Collection, it's probably hidden in that [Simulated Universe] by Herta."
Silver Wolf was thinking of a way to confirm this.
After all, the Simulated Universe was designed by several geniuses, and entering it recklessly would be risky.
She didn't want to do unnecessary work.
At that moment, she saw a familiar staff member walking over from a distance.
His name was Leonard, a cybersecurity engineer at [Herta] Space Station.
He was holding some documents and muttering, "Ugh, why do I have to screen network security now?"
"I just pulled [Herta]! I didn't even get to look at her before being assigned work!"
Pulled?
Herta?
Silver Wolf was immediately stunned.
These were familiar words, but combined, they formed a sentence she couldn't understand.
Could this be related to the unusual atmosphere she noticed at the space station?
Was there something new and interesting here?
A slight smirk appeared on her lips.
She first concealed herself.
Then headed toward the main control sector, where the most people were gathered.
Soon.
She saw a large screen surrounded by staff, all watching something.
It was… a livestream.
A game livestream.
The streamer was playing a game she had never seen before.
Looking closely, the setting seemed somewhat familiar!
"Everyone! It seems that after the Antimatter Legion's invasion, the space station staff aren't in the best shape."
"Probably need some time to recover!"
"Next, let's go report to Asta!"
The game streamer said.
Meanwhile, she was controlling a character named Himeko, running through the map.
Silver Wolf's eyes narrowed slightly.
The game's style seemed to align with reality.
This map.
It was clearly the space station's map!
And what did she just say?
Antimatter Legion invasion?
Wasn't that what happened not long ago?
"Could this game be based on real events?"
However.
What happened next shocked Silver Wolf even more.
As the streamer approached Asta, a cutscene triggered!
On the screen in front of Asta, numerous red danger signs suddenly appeared.
Startling everyone.
Then.
A metallic claw descended from the sky.
It was breaking through the space station's protective shield at an incredible speed.
"You take the train and leave. I'll stay behind," Asta said decisively.
The onlookers gasped.
"Wow! It's really here!"
"I knew this monster would show up! It brings back the fear from that day."
"Station Manager Asta is really responsible."
"This time, we'll get to see how the Trailblazers deal with this Doomsday Beast!"
Meanwhile, Silver Wolf, hidden in the shadows, was inwardly shocked!
What kind of game is this?
How could it recreate this Legion monster so accurately?
She was very familiar with that Doomsday Beast.
When she infiltrated the space station with Kafka, she specifically directed the Legion's forces in this direction.
Among them was this Doomsday Beast!
It was meant to stall the Astral Express crew.
Could this game's story be a recreation of the space station's experience at that time?
As the Astral Express members arrived at the support sector's platform, the Doomsday Beast also arrived as expected.
It landed on the platform, causing a powerful shockwave.
But then!
Instead of the free combat scenario Silver Wolf expected.
The screen shattered.
Both sides took their positions, facing each other in a turn-based setup!
"Is this… turn-based?"
Silver Wolf's eyes flickered with surprise, then she shook her head slightly.
"Turn-based games were popular a few Amber Eras ago."
"Usually, turn-based gameplay struggles to capture the tension of life-and-death battles."
"What a shame. I thought this was a great concept."
Soon.
The battle reached its climax.
The Doomsday Beast's attacks were wide and powerful, each time dealing massive damage to characters without shields.
The team's survival relied entirely on March 7th's shields.
Under constant attacks, the energy of two characters had filled up.
"Life and death, reality and illusion, all in a single thought."
Dan Heng's ultimate activated.
"Illusory Realm, A Dream Within a Dream."
The ink-wash painting background appeared.
Dan Heng opened his eyes.
And thrust his spear forward with all his might!
"Break!"
[Left Hand of Dawn] was shattered.
Next was the Trailblazer—Stelle's ultimate.
"Rules are meant to be broken."
"Victory Strike!"
After these two ultimates, Silver Wolf's eyes lit up.
She exclaimed, "So these are the Astral Express crew's ultimate skills? Not bad!"
"I admit I underestimated this earlier!"
Then.
She began paying closer attention to the turn-based combat mechanics.
Soon, she discovered.
Each character had different functions and attributes.
The Doomsday Beast's body was divided into three parts, each with weaknesses to different attributes.
And each character had different speeds, affecting their turn order. They could also activate their ultimate skills at any point, creating an "interrupt" effect.
This game was definitely not a simple back-and-forth combat system.
Even the mechanics she had discovered so far were enough to create various scenarios.
Silver Wolf stared at the game screen, gradually becoming fully immersed.
She even muttered to herself, unnoticed, "In this battle, the timing of ultimate skills is crucial."
"Ultimate skills can quickly break the Doomsday Beast's weaknesses. You have to use them to interrupt its charged attacks and prevent it from unleashing that devastating move."
"But with the current team, it seems a bit tough to handle?"
"All three parts of the Doomsday Beast have Fire weaknesses. Himeko is key!"
"If Himeko's ultimate is a powerful AoE attack, this would be much easier."
At that moment.
Dan Heng's health was almost depleted.
Xiao Guizi had wanted to use a shield to protect Dan Heng, but the Doomsday Beast's sweeping attack stunned March 7th.
She couldn't use her skill!
The next attack came as expected.
Dan Heng fell.
The other characters' health was also in critical condition.
Xiao Guizi started to panic.
She wasn't sure what to do next.
"Everyone! This battle is harder than I expected!"
"Dan Heng's down! Miss Himeko is about to fall too!"
The viewers sent comments.
...
[Chat]
"Xiao Guizi, why are you so nervous? You're sweating over a turn-based game?"
"Wipe your sweat, Xiao Guizi. It's okay, it's just a battle in the game. If you lose, you can try again."
"Maybe retreat for now, level up your characters and Light Cones first."
...
Xiao Guizi looked like she was about to cry.
She replied unwillingly, "But the opponent is the Antimatter Legion's Doomsday Beast! I really don't want to lose to them!"
"Not even once!"
"No, I'll keep fighting. Even if only one character is left, I won't give up!"
Xiao Guizi's fighting spirit reignited.
Paired with the intense background music, it created a "heroic last stand" atmosphere.
At that moment.
A line of glowing blue text appeared in the chat.
The text had special particle effects, making it impossible to miss!
"Streamer, can you activate Himeko's ultimate? If it's a powerful AoE attack, there might still be a chance."
To be continued…