Create a game called "Collapse Iron," where the entire universe is the player.

The Starry Sky Train features soft lighting in its observation carriages.

There was still a little while before the evening preview live broadcast began, but the atmosphere in the observation car was already lively.

Himeko was elegantly brewing coffee, Walter was adjusting the holographic projection equipment, Danheng was quietly browsing through think tank materials in the corner, and March Seven was excitedly running around, arranging snacks and drinks.

However, there was a somewhat subtle atmosphere at the door of one person's room.

Xing was trying hard to suppress her laughter, her body trembling slightly as she tried to hold it in.

She raised her hand and knocked on Silver Wolf's door, calling out in a deliberately serious tone with a rising lilt at the end, "Hey! 'Legendary Hacker'? 'Galaxy Adventurer'? Aren't you really coming out to watch the preview livestream? Games are meant to be played with a laugh! Those memes and stuff online, just laugh them off!"

Kafka leaned gracefully against the wall by the door, holding a steaming cup of coffee in her hand. Hearing this, she spoke gently, "Honey, aren't you really going to come out and get something to eat? They've prepared fried chicken and sparkling water, your favorite kind."

Inside Silver Wolf's room: "…………"

There was complete silence; not even the sound of typing on a keyboard or using a game controller could be heard. It was unusually quiet.

Kafka waited a few seconds, then sighed softly, a helpless smile on her beautiful face saying, "There's just no way to deal with a child throwing a tantrum."

She reached out and gently pulled Xing's arm, who still wanted to continue "provoking" her, and shook her head.

"Let's go, let her have some peace and quiet for a few days. After being 'publicly executed' so thoroughly, she needs some time to recover her mindset."

Kafka's voice carried understanding, but also a barely perceptible hint of... the pleasure of watching the spectacle?

The two left the doorway of Silver Wolf's house.

After walking a few steps away, Xing finally couldn't help but burst out laughing, then quickly covered her mouth, her shoulders shaking.

Kafka, her eyes crinkling with a smile, sipped her coffee.

……

inside the room.

Silver Wolf curled up into a ball, sinking into the soft bed.

He wrapped himself up tightly in a small blanket covered with pictures of his game characters, leaving only a pair of eyes gleaming with resentment as he stared at his phone.

On the screen, trending topics from StarNet and real-time updates from major gaming communities and video websites are scrolling rapidly.

The titles vary widely, but the core message remains highly consistent:

Shocking! Legendary hacker Silver Wolf breaks down in tears after his account is deleted! (with blurry audio clips)

"Punk Lord Spirit? No, it's the Spirit of Breaking Down Defenses! Silver Wolf Emoji Collection is Here!"

"Black Tower Space Station Achieves a Great Victory, Silver Wolf's 76 Accounts Suspended: A Detailed and Entertaining Analysis"

"On How Genius Clubs Can Elegantly Educate Unruly Children—Taking Screws and Black Tower as Examples"

The number of views, likes, and comments for each related video or post is ridiculously high, and the chain of reposts spreads like wildfire.

It's obvious to anyone with a brain that there's some "vengeful genius" behind this—Black Tower—using her influence and resources to fan the flames.

The goal was to maximize the effect of Silver Wolf's "public execution," making her "socially dead" in front of netizens across the universe even more thoroughly.

"That wretched old hag... so petty! Such a vengeful monster!" Silver Wolf muttered through gritted teeth, biting the corner of the blanket. "Just you wait... you'll definitely have a 'part' in tonight's preview livestream, right? I'll use my newly created alt account to give you a rundown of your 'dark history' online!"

She angrily switched pages and opened the official website and live stream room of "Collapse Iron". Although the live stream had not started yet, the barrage of comments in the black screen live stream room was already surging like a tide, and the number of online viewers was an astronomical number.

She logged into her game account, lay low, and waited for the live stream to begin.

Time ticked by, and only a few minutes remained before the preview livestream began.

Just as viewers were eagerly anticipating and speculating about what new content would be available this time, the official account finally made a move – the character illustrations for version 1.2, "The Crown of Mediocrity and Gods," were officially released!

On the left is "Doctor Truth" Veritas Ladio, holding a book, his gaze sharp as a scalpel, against an abstract space filled with geometric lines and symbols of knowledge, the overall tone leaning towards rationality.

On the right is Genius Club's Nguyen Mai, dressed in an elegant long dress, holding a Ruan Xian (an ancient musical instrument similar to the pipa), with a calm and otherworldly expression. Behind her, there are faint, soft bio-haloes and delicate patterns, while the background is the shadow of the Black Tower Space Station's "Confined Module," with a soft and mysterious color scheme.

Thanks to the game's near-realistic nature and its extremely limited production team (Lin Lin + Silver Wolf, the latter currently in a semi-down state).

So-called "insider leaks" are practically nonexistent here. What players know in advance depends entirely on when and in what form Lin Lin releases the information.

Sure enough, the moment the character art was released, the official website and major social media platforms were bombarded with comments, reposts, and likes, which skyrocketed!

The top comments quickly rose to the top:

"‘Mediocrity and the Crown of Gods’! This version's title sounds very impressive!"

"Preview live stream, I've finally waited for you, and I'm so glad I didn't give up! ♫"

"Ruan Mei! It's Ruan Mei! The gentle and mysterious Ruan Mei from the simulated universe! She's really in the gacha pool?! Much faster than expected!"

"If I pull Ruan Mei, will it unlock the hidden feature '100% trigger rate of Ruan Mei events in the simulated universe'? I've been playing for so long and haven't encountered a single special event featuring Ruan Mei! I'm such an unlucky player!"

"Who's that handsome, somewhat rational-looking guy on the left? He has such a unique style! Can anyone tell me?"

"Professor Latio?! My God!"

"This person is a legend from First Pravda University! This leap... isn't it a bit too big?"

"Science popularizer is here! Veritas Latio, First Truth University, has two vacancies for Amber Period First Class Honours Degree recipients!"

"He holds doctoral degrees in at least eight different fields and can teach 52 highly challenging courses in a single semester. His completion rate is said to be shockingly low (rumored to be no more than 3%), but every student who passes his courses goes on to become a leader in their respective field."

In short: a top-tier expert, an authority among authorities, and an academic giant who is (possibly) sharp-tongued and (certainly) rigorous.

……

First Truth University, an office filled with books and plaster sculptures.

Since successfully outsourcing the troublesome tasks, Sand Gold felt much more relaxed.

At this moment, he was dressed in a magnificent outfit that resembled a peacock spreading its tail feathers. He sat unceremoniously in the guest chair opposite Professor Ladio's desk, crossed his legs, and looked at the official character illustration with a playful smile on his handsome face.

"Oh my, I didn't expect our esteemed Professor Latio to make his dazzling debut in the world 'over there' so soon? I thought we'd have to wait until the story of that bustling place, 'Pinocchio', at least." Sand Gold's tone was light, with his usual unpredictable teasing.

Latio's expression was obscured by his plaster-coated hair, but his voice betrayed undisguised annoyance: "Don't you have any important things to do? Are the elites of the company's strategic investment department really that idle?"

Sand Gold blinked his striking heterochromatic eyes, his smile unchanged, even brightening slightly: "How could I not have something important to say? I just... came here specifically to express my 'gratitude' to you, didn't I?"

Lin Lin asked Sand Gold to arrange Latio's appearance, and the other side agreed out of respect for Sand Gold.

Ladio: "..."

He felt that the gold miners weren't there to "thank you," but rather to "repay kindness with enmity" and "have fun."