She had wondered why Godzilla had treated her so kindly on Jarilo—turns out, he had his sights set on something else.
One tenth of the energy. One must understand, the Cornerstone contains the power of the Emanator's. Even a tenth of a single Cornerstone, and Godzilla had absorbed that tenth from hers—that quantity, quantified, was astronomical.
"Didn't that burst you!"
Grabbing Numby's two front legs, Topaz feigned ferocity and let out a mock snarl.
"Topaz, Jade." At that moment, a familiar voice came from ahead—it was Aventurine.
His projection stood in front of them, waiting.
-------------------------------------
"Aventurine, is something the matter?"
"Just curious about what you've encountered. Is there anything I can help with? Just say the word."
Seeing the two approaching, Aventurine smiled.
"Don't worry, if there's a place where I can use your help, I definitely won't hold back." Topaz chuckled.
She responded to Aventurine's goodwill.
"It's just that I have some doubts about what methods the IPC will use to deal with this matter." Thinking about what had happened to her, Topaz sighed.
The Cornerstone, as a divine relic from the Amber King, holds great significance for the IPC.
Not just in terms of combat power—each Cornerstone symbolizes faith in the Amber King. If something irreversible really happens to the Cornerstone, the atmosphere between the two top forces in the universe probably won't be very good.
Aventurine smiled faintly.
Just as Diamond only cares about how much value his subordinates can create, and the bustling region oppresses the giant stock.
When facing a top cosmic force like the Xianzhou Alliance, the IPC obviously wouldn't adopt overly tough measures—especially not after confirming that the Cornerstone wasn't damaged.
This universe has never lacked conspirators hiding in the shadows.
...
Simulated Universe.
After some adjustments, Screwllum and Herta began observing the hidden zone according to the set sequence.
"Swarm? Doomsday Beast? He seems very interested in individuals filled with energy."
Screwllum watched as Godzilla's force, as if tearing the sky apart, split the Doomsday Beast in two.
At this moment, standing beside Godzilla, the intense visual impact gave the ruler of the Screwllum race enough shock.
"I understand now why you didn't go to Ruan Mei. Conclusion: Ruan Mei is not suitable for this research."
Screwllum's expression remained calm… but his tone was grave.
They had a good relationship with Ruan Mei, but precisely because of that, they understood what Ruan Mei was capable of.
With such a perfect body, Screwllum could already imagine the kind of lifeform Ruan Mei would create—something that would shock the entire universe.
But aside from those who wish for chaos, no one would want to see such a scene.
"What do you think?"
Exiting the Simulated Universe, Herta spoke toward Screwllum.
"…This simulation also made me feel a strong desire to create a similar mechanical form. In my impression, whether short-lived or long-lived species, they all feel a blood-stirring impulse toward this kind of overwhelming power."
"Heh, men." Herta let out a vague snort at Screwllum's words.
"Too bad we couldn't gather more specific data. The conclusions we've reached with this rough data alone are insufficient for the next phase of the experiment. Question: Can we proceed?"
Screwllum shook his head slightly. If this was all the data Herta could obtain, then the experiment no longer had any meaningful direction.
Because no matter how they proceed, the experiment won't turn out the way they want, just like…
"Just like Godzilla's environmental modification ability—just standing there can influence the ecology of an entire planet. This is undoubtedly a shock to reality and a challenge to most people's understanding."
When he saw the swarm insects, influenced by Godzilla, charge toward the Giant Sting, Screwllum's alertness reached its peak, and he became even more curious.
Why weren't the people of Jarilo-VI affected?
Oh, they hold unwavering faith in Godzilla, so perhaps it's not surprising.
Herta remained noncommittal about Screwllum's remark.
"Let's not talk about this. Like you said, the current data is not enough to support our research. So from now on, we'll have to chase after the experimental data."
"What do you want to do?"
"How about sending the group of Intelligentsia Guild over?"
"…That's not really a good idea, Herta. We've all seen his combat power." Screwllum lowered his head slightly and looked at Black Warm.
"Haha, just kidding." Waving her hand, Herta dismissed it, but Screwllum knew that if he had agreed just now, Herta would've actually gone through with it—perhaps just avoiding fatal injury.
...
"I keep feeling like they're hiding something from me."
In the lab piled with various instruments, the classical beauty named Ruan Mei fell into brief contemplation, her gaze scattered as she stared at the reagent in front of her.
"Hmm, wish I knew."
While thinking, a sudden tickling sensation came from her foot. Looking down, a cat cake was gently rubbing against Ruan Mei's foot, occasionally stepping lightly on it.
Seeing this adorable scene, Ruan Mei's lips curved into a smile.
Her sharp intuition, like that of a recluse, made Ruan Mei aware that Herta was hiding something.
Perhaps Screwllum was involved too?
She hadn't been spying on Herta—nor did she have the ability to. Herta would quickly catch on. But during a conversation about the Simulated Universe, she keenly sensed something was off.
Maybe even Herta herself didn't notice—when talking to Ruan Mei, she seemed distracted, unlike how she used to light up when discussing the Simulated Universe.
Hmm, in their last conversation, Herta's enthusiasm had clearly increased. Perhaps the Simulated Universe had made significant progress?
Ruan Mei didn't know that at this moment, she had entered the lounge, poured herself a cup of tea, took two freshly made plum blossom cakes, cradled a cheese molten cake on her pressed-together thighs, turned on the radio, and the melodious opera music began to flow out, soothing her mind.
...
Completely unaware that her poor social skills had already aroused Ruan Mei's suspicion, Herta was still passionately discussing her ideas with Screwllum.
"Can you make a device that can detect data when someone gets close?" Herta asked.
In this area, Screwllum was more skilled.
"Sorry, such devices can usually only detect ordinary people without any powers, or those who have just embarked on their Path. For a special being like Godzilla, who has an atomic furnace inside, I really don't think it can be done."
"If this doesn't work and that doesn't work, why doesn't that guy have even a shred of dedication to science!"
Herta was completely frustrated.
If the other party were a person, someone still bound to the world, she would have a hundred ways to make them agree. But unfortunately, this one just slept all day, with their only interest being collecting those energy-filled minerals.
And she had already tried that route once—was even tricked by that guy once!
Who takes the benefits and then does nothing!
Even she wouldn't go that far!
"Herta, maybe you can try a different approach," seeing Herta looking troubled, Screwllum offered.
"You're worried about collecting data on Godzilla, but why must you obtain his exact physical data? Aspects of daily life work too. And as for cells, I think anyone aware of their own importance wouldn't easily let their cells leak out—let alone a intelligent being like him."
Hearing Screwllum's words, Herta calmed down.
She had indeed been overwhelmed by Godzilla's uniqueness.
No, not quite—when faced with someone like Godzilla, who showed no interest in her whatsoever, her competitive spirit had been ignited, especially since Godzilla truly was special.
"As long as we gather enough behavioral intelligence and combine it with the powers Godzilla has shown, I think creating a realistic model of him shouldn't be a problem."
Shaking her fingernails, Herta helplessly realized this was the only path left.
"By the way, how's that lady from the Astral Express doing now? The one coexisting with a Stellaron—is she feeling alright?"
"The gray-haired one? She said they've arrived at Luofu, and now they're... uh... somewhere being chased or something."
That said, Herta was also curious about what that person was doing now.
After all, the Stellaron inside her was still one of the great mysteries of the universe, and something Herta very much wanted to study.
"Hm? No reply? Seems like the signal on her end is poor. Heh, is Luofu's infrastructure really that bad?"