Starry Sky Railway: Opening Performance - Taixu Sword God

"No other details at the moment."

"Silver Branch?!" Yan Huan narrowed her eyes:

"How did that guy get in?!"

Chapter 579 There really are bugs!

Yan Huan stopped worrying and continued forward.

He went to the elevator at the other end, sat down, and headed down to the underground.

It was still quite dark here. Yan Huan paced around in the empty space and finally found a place that resembled a breeding base.

"This must be the territory where Ruan Mei used to stay, right?"

Yan Huan went inside and started checking on the terminal.

A video was playing on the terminal.

The person inside was Ruan Mei, who was staring at the terminal, pondering:

"The spark of the Phase Flame was very interesting, but unfortunately it disappeared before the research was completed; I started a new attempt."

"The two samples this time are growing well. I added my personal taste preferences to the [concept], but I'm not sure about the results of doing so."

"They simultaneously exhibit two emotional traits: cute, weak, sensitive, and prone to crying; fierce, instigating, domineering, and confident."

"Interestingly, they also possess a tendency to yearn for their creator, to have strange [emotions] toward him that are as natural as those between an infant and its mother, between life and its food, between people."

Upon seeing this record, Yan Huan pondered:

"So Ruan Mei knew that the shumai had feelings."

"Huh? What's that outside the door?"

Hearing the noise outside the door, Yan Huan went out.

Around the corner, a creature that looked like a snack was lying there.

"Meow~~"

"???" Yan Huan narrowed her eyes:

"Is this the big trouble Ruan Mei was talking about?"

This creature looks like a cat hidden inside a plum blossom cake.

"Meow……"

Yan Huan activated the synesthetic beacon that the previous science staff member had given him, and understood what the cat was saying.

He said... he was red bean paste with a grayish hue flavor.

"?" Yan Huan narrowed her eyes:

"You are Red Bean Paste Ash."

"Meow... Waaaaaah~~ (This isn't a work that Ruan Mei approves of... Waaaaah... Too much negativity, I don't like negativity, waaaah...)"

“Friend, in a sense, you are also talented,” Yan Huan said with a smile.

"Meow~ (Waaaaah... Ruan Mei... Waaaaah...)"

"..."

Just like the previous large shumai [cheese lava], this cat-shaped cake is also full of longing for Ruan Mei.

"Meow... (Why...am I...a failure?)"

Yan Huan examined the cat-shaped cake, which seemed to still be sadly waiting for Ruan Mei to come and pick it up.

At the same time, strange noises came from nearby.

"What the hell is this?"

Yan Huan picked up the cat-shaped cake and walked towards the direction from which the sound came.

After feeling Yan Huan's body temperature, the cat even started singing:

(The creatures of Ruan Mei held hands and formed a circle.)

"(Ruan Mei mixed all her happiness and sadness together.)"

"Stop singing, it's creepy," Yan Huan said disdainfully.

Red Bean Paste Ash: "..."

With the cat cake in hand, Yan Huan arrived at a dimly lit corridor where electric currents were constantly flashing overhead.

It looks like it's malfunctioning.

"Why isn't this place being repaired?" Yan Huan asked curiously.

It must have been quite a while since the last antimatter legion invasion, so it shouldn't still be under repair by now.

Unless... this section doesn't need repair.

"What the heck?"

Yan Huan carried the cat cake as she walked down the dimly lit corridor.

A sudden ripple appeared in the air ahead.

whoosh-

Two true hibernating insects instantly appeared in front of Yan Huan and launched an attack.

"???"

After a breath, Yan Huan stared blankly at the two remains of real worms on the ground:

"Damn it... I've already returned to the space station, why is the real stinging insect still chasing me?"

"Could this be something left over from the train that ended up here?"

"..."

Suddenly, Yan Huan seemed to remember something, recalling what Yin Zhi had said before.

He said... he had found real stinging insects, and there were many more.

Moreover, Yan Huan also obtained Yin Zhi's access records from the little robot.

"That guy... he really climbed up here."

Yan Huan knew better than anyone whether this was the stomach of the giant true worm.

In other words, these true stinging insects shouldn't have come from the remnants on the train, but rather...

It was already here.

At the same time, the cat-shaped cake in my hand started singing again.

"(Ruan Mei, Ruan Mei, why don't you turn around and look at us?)"

"(Nguyen Mai, Nguyen Mai, where does your path lead?)"

"(Aren't we there...?)"

"..."

As Yan Huan listened to the cat's whimpering, he made his way through the dangerous corridor, though it wasn't really dangerous for him.

Finally, he reached the end and opened the hatch.

As soon as he opened the door, he saw four cat-shaped cakes, just like the ones in his hand.

"How come there are still some...?"

These cats, each a different color, were all huddled together in fear, trembling.

(A strange sound...)

"(How scary...)"

Yan Huan threw the cat-shaped cake in her hand into that pile as well, and then began to examine the space.

This place looks like a real life cultivation base, with computer instruments everywhere, as well as space plants and petri dishes.

Yan Huan arrived at a terminal and began to check the records.

The image is transmitted from the terminal.

That was Ruan Mei standing in front of the green plants, taking notes:

"#23 Acha's last years in the Mechanical City inspired me, and even a life as long as hers will come to an end."

"I can now confirm that the result of this breeding is: unqualified."

"Life takes thousands of forms, which proves that form itself has no meaning."

“These lives have gone so far in their own concepts that they can even trigger a chain reaction of synesthesia… but that’s not what I want.”

"I'm starting to feel lost."

"[The essence of life] Is there no answer to this question? #1 Zandal, have you ever felt this confused...and desperate?"

Looking at these records, Yan Huan was increasingly confused about what Ruan Mei was trying to do.

Perhaps this is the difference between him and a genius, but he still pondered:

"Since it's about nurturing life, and these cat treats are all substandard... then what kind of things would be considered acceptable?"

"Is the trouble I need to solve just these cat treats, or the real stinging insects in the hallway outside?"

"No... I should look for Silver Branch first."

It seems that Yinzhi arrived here before me and is very likely still inside.

Immediately, Yan Huan operated the terminal for a while, attempting to access the monitoring data of the confined compartment.

But somehow, those past video recordings resurfaced, as if there was something they wanted him to see.

"?"