Her pathetic appearance made Herta swallow the reprimand that had been about to leave her mouth.
Just then, Herta suddenly remembered the quietly standing "Herta Puppet" she had seen when she first returned to her office!
Although she had found it strange at the time, she hadn't investigated further... Why hadn't she immediately taken over its authority to read the logs?
Because... she couldn't take control!
The core control of that puppet was fundamentally outside her authorization system!
In other words, that moment was the closest she had ever been to the mastermind hidden behind the scenes!
Right within reach!
But why she hadn't noticed it at the time couldn't be explained away as mere carelessness!
It could only be said that the opponent had deceived the eyes of an Envoy!
Upon realizing this, even Herta couldn't help but feel a surge of immense frustration and regret.
She had actually... been played so thoroughly in her own headquarters, allowing the culprit to slip away right under her nose!
Herta looked at the panicked Asta before her, eventually letting out only a helpless sigh.
She rubbed her forehead.
"Forget it..." Her voice held a rare trace of powerlessness. "Consider this a lesson learned. Losing once is enough. Next time, don't be fooled so easily."
She paused, adding, "Also, bring me that doll."
"Y-yes!"
Asta nodded quickly, as if granted amnesty, and stumbled out of the office.
Silence returned to the office.
Herta leaned back in her chair, closed her eyes, and took several deep breaths, trying to suppress the tumultuous emotions churning inside her.
(Calm down, Herta. You need to calm down.)
(You are Genius Society #83, an Envoy who comprehends the mysteries of the stars. How can you let such a low-level, boring trick completely ignite your rage and make you lose composure?)
(Anger solves nothing; it only gives the enemy in the shadows something to laugh at.)
She admonished herself repeatedly. Her powerful willpower began to take effect, and her frantic emotions were gradually forced into submission, returning her to calm and rationality.
She sat back down in the main control seat, tapped lightly in the air, and prepared to retrieve the Space Station's recent complete surveillance logs to begin the real analysis.
However, when she habitually opened the Space Station's internal network first, wanting to check routine communications—a post with an extremely shocking title, which had already been forwarded and discussed explosively, instantly burst into her view!
The titles were varied and bizarre, and the content was utterly ridiculous:
[Shocking! Ms. Herta's Twin Sister Appears! Sisters fell out years ago due to 'incompatible philosophies' (or competing for an ancient civilization's legacy)!]
[Exclusive Deep Dive! What You Didn't Know About Ms. Herta: Childhood Weight Struggles and the Road to Transformation!]
[Space Station Secrets: The Truth Behind Ms. Herta's Running Away! Her Sister's Years of Silent Protection!]
[Rational Discussion: Which of Ms. Herta and Her Sister Has Traveled Farther on the Path of Erudition?]
[(Attached Image) Analyzing the Comparison Between Ms. Herta's Childhood (AI Simulation) and Current Figure: Discussing the Importance of Confidence!]
The content inside had nothing to do with the original version, having spawned countless even more outrageous and absurd variations!
Every like, share, and comment was like a loud slap across her newly calmed nerves.
"..."
Herta felt the barrier she had just repaired to maintain her composure shatter completely with a crackle, like glass thrown into a star!
Even more thoroughly shattered than before!
Without any hesitation, without even needing to think, Herta's gaze instantly became like a nucleus of absolute zero ice.
Her will, like an invisible storm, instantly swept across every information node in the entire Space Station!
"Everything... locked down!"
A cold command was forcefully issued through her core link with the Space Station!
In that instant—
All public and private communication channels were forcibly silenced!
The internal network forum was instantly cleared and locked down!
All data transmission ports entered the highest level of authorization control!
Almost simultaneously, a piercing alarm blared throughout the entire Space Station!
The lights in all areas instantly turned red, signifying maximum alert!
The researchers, who had been happily gossiping online, found their terminals instantly black-screening, all signals cut off!
At the same time, all Herta Puppets scattered throughout the Space Station, which had been in standby or auxiliary research mode, opened their eyes simultaneously!
Their eyes no longer held their usual lively or dull appearance, but uniformly flashed with violet light, signifying maximum alert and purge instructions!
The Great Purge had begun!
These puppets acted silently and efficiently, like a swarm of bees receiving an absolute command.
They moved through every segment, intervened in every private conversation, and inspected every terminal device.
The involved researchers were briefly detained, receiving the puppets' cold "psychological counseling" and "confidentiality agreement" re-education.
The entire Space Station fell into an unprecedented state of silence and panic.
Only the faint sounds of the puppets moving, and the occasional panicked murmurs from a corner where a researcher, having been "counseled," broke down: "I don't know... I don't know anything! Don't ask me!"
This storm came quickly and left just as fast.
When everything returned to "normal," the Space Station's network was clean as if scrubbed with water, and all public discussion ceased abruptly.
However, the vitality of information dissemination, especially gossip that combined celebrity, privacy, transformation, and family ethics, far exceeded anyone's imagination.
Physical lockdown could clear data, but it could not completely erase memories and private whispers.
Passing merchant ships, visiting Scholars, travelers passing through... scattered bits of information, accompanied by suggestive looks implying "cannot be said," "those who know, know," and "That Great One," quietly spread outward.
Ultimately, although Herta used iron-fisted methods to nearly erase all traces within the Space Station, the cosmos still reserved a place for this absurd rumor, despite her status as the Envoy of Erudition.
A claim that might never be officially acknowledged, but always circulated quietly in certain corners—
"Hey, did you know? Ms. Herta... supposedly has an older sister."
Stellaron Hunters Base · Somewhere
Perspective shift.
Silver Wolf chewed bubblegum, popped a pink bubble, and casually scrolled through a fragmented piece of information that had been encrypted and deleted multiple times.
A playful smile spread across her lips, and she nudged Kafka, who was elegantly sipping red wine beside her, with her elbow.
"Hey, Kafka,"
Silver Wolf's tone was excited, having found new entertainment. "Did you know? I heard that Herta... has a sister."
Kafka swirled her wine glass, the crimson liquid shimmering in the light. She raised her beautiful eyes slightly, glanced at Silver Wolf, and spoke in her usual tone: "Is that so? Why tell me this?"
Silver Wolf shrugged, her attention already back on her game interface, and answered seemingly casually: "Nothing. Just wanted you to know."
(What does this mean?)
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