Chapter 557

Chainsaw Man.

Given the instruction to translate faithfully, we should translate meaning unless it's a name. Since we don't have evidence it's a name, we translate: "Chainsaw Man." But we need to decide.

Chainsaw Man

We'll follow rule: If it's a nickname habitually used as that person's name, we keep pinyin. Not sure it's habitual. So we translate.

Is this…… the 【Equilibrium】 Star God?

In the simulated universe, the time when 【Balance】 appears mutually is not long; from start to finish it's only a few seconds, but at the moment he glanced at Him, Hayakawa Aki still uncontrollably broke out in cold sweat all over.

Although he had seen many star gods before, at that moment his gaze was involuntarily drawn to the one blue and one yellow nebula on His chest, as if his whole self were to be drawn into that eternal, joyless, sorrowless Balance.

Fortunately, it was a simulated universe; after taking a few deep breaths, his emotions gradually calmed.

"So, what exactly does the Balance Star God do?" Denki asked while chewing on potato chips.

"As the name suggests, through His subtle regulation to ensure the balance of all things in the universe."

"Then why does the universe still produce extremely wealthy people like Fleming and Dongfang the Liyue the Liyue the Liyue the Liyue Qixing? Balance has spawned two wealth monsters, while many poor people on the fringe stars are still suppressed…… Is He really doing His job properly?"

"This……"

Hayakawa Aki also found it hard to understand why this situation would arise for a moment; without a doubt, since the 【Balance】 Star God exists, it means Balance has been in effect from beginning to end—so where is the problem? Surely it can't be that Fleming and Dongfang the Liyue the Liyue the Liyue the Liyue Qixing are unaffected by their fate paths?

——

"【Balance】 mutually disappeared, replaced by a pitch-black darkness before one's eyes; I don't know how long passed…… The sound rang again in Xing's ears."

""Xing, how are you…… are you still okay?""

"A weak young voice, slightly lacking in breath; it must be Stephen, as mentioned by the Black Tower."

""How's your head? Does it hurt? Is it within an acceptable range? I've enhanced your 【Cognitive Expansion】, so you can perceive more……""

""Cognitive Expansion? Like that de Veyen?" Xing felt a bit curious; from just now, she indeed sensed changes in her brain, wisdom transforming into a kingdom of fire trees and silver flowers exploding in her mind, she felt she could "cognize" everything! An unprecedented curiosity began to well up inside her, feeling very wonderful."

""Yes, but this is a simulated universe, so it's safer." The Black Tower said, "We only need to modify some data parameters in the backend to raise or lower your cognition. The higher your cognition, the more incredible things you can see in this simulated universe; of course…… too high isn't necessarily good either.""

""Also, what do you see now?""

""I saw……""

Cognition was like being forcibly hooked up to a higher-bandwidth line; Xing's "field of view" suddenly became extraordinarily clear, even surpassing the realm of sight. The universe was no longer specks of Starlight on a black curtain, but turned into a surging data torrent…… Everything was deconstructed and quantified, rushing in her consciousness in its most essential form.

Then, she "saw" Him.

"... The King of Ten Thousand Machines, 【Learned Venerable】."

He floated silently in the universe, His immense, unmatched mechanical structure surpassing conventional form; His surface shimmered with the splendor of circuits and indicator lights, the interwoven conduits and computing units flashing with piercing red light…… together they constituted an icy, sacred, awe-inspiring existence.

Then, His red light flashed once.

Just once.

Countless gunshots rang out across the universe! Wails fell silent amid weeping blood and pain. Everything in the universe unfolded according to His calculation; at this moment it "happened".

And Xing…… hadn't even had time to pose a question to Him before already "dying".

——

Black Robe Riot Squad.

"FU**! What the hell is this again!?"

"Wasn't 【Balance】 just shown a moment ago? How come another one appears!?"

Inside a luxurious villa in New York, Shenhai abruptly sat up from the big bed, his chest rising and falling violently. The air was filled with the ocean's saltiness, expensive cologne, and a hint…… of an indescribable, special aura belonging to cephalopods.

Since just now, two star gods have appeared in succession…… and it just had to be this moment!

He glanced down at the octopus lying on the bed——his girlfriend; Shenhai was about to have a friendly chat about marine life with it, but unfortunately the consecutive appearance of two star gods completely extinguished the desire he had barely managed to raise.

After all, under the gaze of that omniscient star god in the heavens, even if his enthusiasm were high…… under the piercing red light he could not continue.

"Sorry, honey…… I really don't feel like it today; I guess the Motherland people will be contacting me soon."

"Oh… Kevin, it's fine; just now your tongue was like an outboard motor, really surprising me." The octopus's tentacles gently wrapped around his neck, the suckers lightly adhering to his skin, bringing a cool, tingling sensation. Her big round eyes gazed at him affectionately, emitting a series of soft cooing sounds.

"Really? As long as you like it."

Shenhai put on his pants and used his shirt to cover the two rows of gills on his sides; at this moment his octopus girlfriend suddenly asked: "When the star gods appeared earlier, did the Motherland people also summon you for a meeting?"

"Yeah, but you don't need to know the specifics." Shenhai glanced at the octopus on the bed, losing interest, and said: "——Anyway, it's just some boring meetings—whatever fate paths, star gods, this time the Learned Venerable appears; I don't know what he'll think of…… Meh, anyway I'm not interested……"

Although the Motherland people attach great importance to star gods and fate paths, after all, any related content he ultimately ties to his approval rating in some incredible way——after all, this is one of the few things he cares about.

——

When consciousness returned to the mercenary's body, Xing found that his whole self had been torn apart.

Around her was a chorus of gunfire and artillery; she crawled, lying on the ground, moving forward, picking up the two mechanical eyeballs that had been squeezed out by the heavy pressure.

Suddenly, everything fell silent; all the cannon fire vanished at this moment, replaced by Stephen's voice.

""Uh… I'm very sorry, I paused the simulated universe. I checked the data; this is the 【Fringe Star Trade War】 recorded in the files of the Interstellar Peace Company.""

Stephen's tone carried an apology, kindly explaining to Xing. At the same time, he fondled the eyeball in Xing's hand, treating it like a ball to play with, "I'm trying to find a way to avoid the death【time】 of genius and Xing. Uh… I'm really sorry, cramming something that doesn't exist in this era in is so troublesome. Perhaps we shouldn't have ventured into such a distant region… this doesn't conform to the game rules."