Chapter 297: The Crown of the Ordinary and the Divine (5)

Weiwei An suddenly felt her throat tighten. She hurriedly grabbed the sunflower at hand to cover half her face, and a muffled voice came from behind the petals: "Do you think… calling someone you've just met 'dear' would be too frivolous?"

Ling blinked, then leaned in close enough to see her eyelashes: "Weiwei An, want to try it?"

"Wh—" The sunflower in her hand "snap!" fell to the ground, and Weiwei An felt blood rush to her cheeks, her face growing hotter…

Ling, as if nothing happened, squatted, picked up the flower, and gently handed it to the still‑dazed girl: "Just like this—" She suddenly showed a sly smile, "'Dear' Weiwei An, your flower fell~"

"Lord Phaethon—"

Weiwei An felt her head start to spin, her heart as if turning into a blue bird ready to take flight, thumping wildly in her chest, leaving her flustered.

"…That's really cheating!"

——

""It seems I overthought it; Black Tower was just a whim… very in line with her style." Ruan Mei let out a sigh, "Luckily it was only a false alarm. But meetings are my biggest headache… looks like it'll be hard to get out, I'll have to stay here for a while.""

"She saw Xing had already retrieved the lifeform from the main control compartment, but there are things she needs to explain to Xing in advance: her lifeform retrieval wasn't just that one; there are others, stored in a sealed compartment."

"Because of the legion's invasion, that place is no longer open to the outside. Now, it houses her Big Trouble."

"'Black Tower authorized you to use it?'"

"Ruan Mei nodded: 'Hmm, she gave me permission and didn't ask further. But I can reveal some info: that place also receives non‑humanoid visitors, with shuttle vehicles that connect to outer space.'"

"Ruan Mei handed her command card to Xing; after recording her fingerprint data, she granted her free access rights."

"'Dear, stay safe. If you encounter danger you truly can't resolve, send a signal, and I'll disregard the consequences and intervene personally.'"

"'Remember, in the center of the compartment there's a huge… culture dish. That's where my Big Trouble is stored.'"

【7】 ——

——

Jujutsu Kaisen.

"Big Trouble? How troublesome could it be? More troublesome than a Doomsday Beast? Or more than Cocolia?"

Juan Suo twiddled his fingers, "She wouldn't be unaware of Xing's strength, would she? She's even beaten a Destroyer's Herald, after all. Could Ruan Mei possibly breed a Herald‑level creature?"

"With that ability, my own skill is already on par with a Herald, right?"

"'Humans are always keen on creating dangerous beings, then slashing each other… it's kind of interesting.'"

Two‑faced Sukuna lounged lazily against the headboard, his robe open, chest brazenly exposed to the air, the black markings on him stained with a hint of blood.

He held a piece of vivid meat, pale pink tinged with red, speckled with ice shards, looking like a fresh, juicy bite.

These sorcerer meats were captured by Li Mei just now and slaughtered immediately; Sukuna used to relish this flavor, but after the locust plague, he lost interest.

—Not that he's become interested in insects, but after feeling Xing's divine power up close, the faint lingering cursed energy in human flesh can no longer satisfy his 'appetite.'

"…No appetite?" Juan Suo chuckled, resting his chin.

"Hmm, wait a bit, let me kill Wu Tiao Wu; maybe that'll satisfy this hunger."

Juan Suo licked his lips, "Then when that happens, could you give me one of its eyes?"

"As you wish."

——

"Upon reaching the sealed compartment, darkness spread over like viscous tar."

"Xing swallowed a mouthful of saliva, their boot soles striking the metal floor, echoing lonely. With each step, it seemed unseen things in the darkness stared at them."

"Suddenly, their steps faltered, and not far away a fried‑rice robot floated."

"And just a few steps away from the robot—"

"'Clack.'"

"The robot suddenly turned, its mechanical joints screeching with a teeth‑grating friction. Then its eye‑display screen flashed a blinding red light, the mechanical arm convulsed wildly, startling them into a scream, stumbling backward a few steps and crashing into the cold compartment wall."

"After scaring them, the compartment lights flickered on, everything aligning as if haunted."

"The runaway little robot was just nearby; Xing learned through it that this is one of the space station's few 'high‑risk alert zones,' housing not only Ruan Mei's creations but also Black Tower's dangerous oddities."

"Xing took the elevator to a deeper room, and on the computer there, they discovered a prior experimental log concerning Ruan Mei."

"'The seed of Phase Spirit Fire is fascinating, but the research wasn't finished and it vanished; I've started a new trial.'"

"'These two experimental specimens are growing well; they each exhibit two sets of emotional traits: cute, weak, sensitive, prone to crying; fierce, inciting, domineering, confident.'"

"'Interestingly, they also have a tendency: longing for their creator, feeling a natural, infant‑to‑mother, life‑to‑food, human‑to‑human, strange affection.'"

"Just as Xing was about to continue reading, a strange noise came from the lab doorway. Stepping out, they saw a cat‑cake curled on the floor, emitting an adorable 'meow meow.'"

"'…So this is the Big Trouble Ruan Mei mentioned?'"

——

Red‑Crimson Eye.

"How can this be called Big Trouble? It's clearly a little cutie~"

Accompanied by the repeated "meow meow," Ma Yin felt herself melt, her pink eyes sparkling like stars: "Ms. Ruan Mei truly is a genius! To create such an adorable creature! Na Jieta! I want to raise one too!"

"But we don't have such small animals here; if you want to keep a cat, that's possible…" Na Jieta warned, "but you must take full responsibility for your own pet!"

"But this little thing has nothing to do with the Big Trouble, right? Could the trouble be elsewhere?"

La Beike shrugged: "I once read a novel where such a seemingly small animal turned out to be a demonic monster. Maybe this cake‑like cat is just cutely disguised, and when Xing turns around it'll suddenly grow huge and swallow Xing whole!"

As La Beike was getting excited, the cat‑cake in the sky dome let out a soft, lingering "meow~," prompting Xing to scoop it up and suck it.

This is the proper way to interact with Ruan Mei's creations!