"They're fighting?"
Su Chen turned the volume to maximum, pressing the speaker to his ear.
He could indeed hear a series of "clatter-bang" noises.
Faintly mixed in was Silver Wolf's voice shouting, "Take this!"
"Tsk..."
Su Chen sucked in a sharp breath.
Damn!
It's that intense?
Last time they met, Herta and Silver Wolf didn't seem to have any beef!
Did Herta ban Silver Wolf's 76 gaming accounts?
Wasn't that just an in-game storyline?
But then again, maybe not.
Herta was an undisputed genius.
She completed the standard 12-year compulsory education by age 6.
Wasn't that basically a "loophole exploit"?
By 15, she'd graduated university and was already working on her doctorate.
Currently, she was researching the future development of the universe.
It was precisely because of this that Herta had caught the attention of Asta's family elders.
They even gifted her a large plot of land to secure their interests.
Su Chen patted his cheeks.
Why was he getting sidetracked?
If he didn't intervene soon, what if they actually started fighting?
At this moment, Su Chen demonstrated his excellent physical stamina, sprinting toward the Base Zone of the space station—
the first location the system had given him.
Though the areas were adjacent,
the scenes were 1:1 replicas,
and the layout was labyrinthine.
Without a map, navigating was a nightmare.
It took Su Chen several minutes to finally arrive.
He pricked up his ears, pinpointing the room they were in.
That's the one!
But the next second—
Su Chen pushed open the door, and his brain nearly short-circuited.
He saw Herta and Silver Wolf sitting at an arcade machine,
both intensely focused on the screen,
completely oblivious to his arrival.
Su Chen leaned toward Firefly.
"Boss—no! Firefly! This is what you meant by 'fighting'?"
Firefly put on a solemn expression. "Yes! Look how seriously they're fighting!"
Su Chen exhaled deeply. "Well, at least they're not actually fighting!"
Then, Firefly pulled out a tissue and wiped the sweat from Su Chen's forehead.
"Boss, did you run here?
Are you tired?
Did I say something wrong?"
"Of course not."
Meanwhile—
Herta and Silver Wolf were playing Street Fighter 6.
Herta was controlling Juri Han, while Silver Wolf played Chun-Li.
They were in the final round,
both with slivers of health left, the clock ticking down.
The two were locked in a tense standoff.
Finally—
the moment an opening appeared, they struck simultaneously.
"K.O."
The result was unexpected—a draw?
"This can happen?" Herta was clearly dissatisfied with the outcome.
Silver Wolf shook out her wrist, ready for another round.
"Want a rematch? It's been ages since I had such a tough opponent."
"No need. I was just killing time anyway.
I didn't expect you to hold your own against a genius like me.
Seems you weren't lying about facing Screwllum before."
"You're not bad either. For a first-timer,
you kept up with a veteran like me?"
"You didn't use your main either. We started on equal footing."
Su Chen stared at this harmonious scene, wondering if he'd time-traveled again.
Wait—had he traveled again?!
Herta and Silver Wolf getting along peacefully?
Huh???
Why?
What kind of dream was this?!
Still, it was better than an actual fight.
Herta glanced back belatedly and finally noticed Su Chen. "Oh! You're here!"
Su Chen studied Herta carefully—dressed in black, undeniably cute.
But her smile felt deliberate, almost artificial.
Su Chen returned the polite smile.
From their previous negotiations, he'd learned Herta was ruthlessly logical.
Just like her in-game counterpart.
But everything had two sides.
It all depended on how he used it.
The system hadn't just provided scripts—it had compiled even obscure game lore.
Including the Simulated Universe's mechanics.
The Simulated Universe was essentially a game dungeon, completely unrelated to web series.
But having this resource and not using it felt wasteful.
So Su Chen pitched the "Simulated Universe" concept directly to Herta.
His offer:
If she granted him location access
and appeared in his series,
he'd hand over all Simulated Universe research.
As expected, Herta was instantly hooked.
Cold logic won out—she agreed unconditionally.
"Hey, Su Chen—no, should I call you Boss? Is that okay?"
Su Chen smiled awkwardly.
A landlord calling her tenant "Boss"?
"Whatever makes you happy."
"I've reviewed all the 'Simulated Universe' lore in your script.
While I can't recreate the free-roaming world you described,
building a program shouldn't be hard.
But... commuting is a hassle.
Arrange lodging for me. I'm moving in!
I've already packed."
Outwardly calm, Su Chen internally gave a thumbs-up.
Classic Herta—efficient as always.
She could actually build the Simulated Universe?
Even as a program, that was insane!
If it succeeded, it'd be a huge asset later.
"No problem, Herta. I've prepared an office in another location.
You can stay there. Plus, I've got more Simulated Universe ideas
I'll share as I develop them."
"Boss, don't think I don't see your angle!
As long as it interests me, I don't mind.
But can we start filming now?
Time is the most valuable currency."
Before she finished speaking, Kafka, March 7th, Dan Heng, Asta, Arlan,
and a group of extras provided by Asta arrived.
Su Chen's gaze swept over every face—
except one notable absence.
But it didn't matter. That character wasn't in the first two episodes anyway.
With no time to waste, Su Chen distributed the props and costumes
he'd bought with his remaining points.
However.
The most shocking item was a mech suit—
modeled after the Antimatter Legion!
Firefly: "Boss, is this a costume? It's so cool!"
March 7th: "Oh my gosh! I'm not into mechs, but this is amazing!"
Su Chen smiled. "These are the early antagonists—the Antimatter Legion.
This specific unit is called 'Voidranger: Trampler.'
Honestly, I'm not a fan of overusing CGI.
If we can film practically, we should."
Silver Wolf walked up to the Trampler and poked it.
"Boss, I want one! Please! Or I'll throw a tantrum!"
"Uh, it's a prop!"
Kafka approached Su Chen. "Did you build this too?
The texture, appearance—it's identical to the concept art.
Flawless in every way.
It feels like we've stepped into the world of Honkai: Star Rail.
Even the enemies are real."
"Like it?" Su Chen pointed outside. "Eventually, I'll build the entire Star Rail universe."
"But I have a question—why is this thing moving?" Herta's interjection cut him off.
"Remote control. It can perform any action you want.
Even flying isn't a problem!"