Chapter 53

Black Tower Lady's fingertips unconsciously tapped the sofa armrest as she pondered how to break Na Ke Xia's stubborn barrier that blended philosophy and violence; the communicator she had casually set aside, wrapped in a dark purple skull phone case, suddenly lit its screen and emitted a vibration.

Her long lashes fluttered slightly, and her violet-black eyes glanced over.

The sender was the Star Core Hunter·K contact she had just parted with not long ago.

(Kafuka? Contacting at this time… is it a follow‑up on the Star Core, or…?)

She opened the message with a hint of doubt.

The content was brief, yet it made Heimu raise her eyebrows slightly.

Kafuka: Black Tower Lady, sorry to disturb. There's a small matter you might want to note. Concerning those… little gifts of yours that have ended up out there.

Following closely was a brief text explanation and several pictures.

The pictures showed, unmistakably, a data doll modeled after her own likeness, wearing a witch hat, placed on what looked like a hotel room's bedside table.

The text briefly explained the cause: that restless Star had snapped photos of the doll and sent them straight to Black Tower for a bit of "friendly" teasing.

Heimu's mouth corner twitched almost imperceptibly.

(This Star… really knows how to find me a "surprise".)

She immediately understood why Kafuka knew and had specifically warned her.

The Star Core Hunter's surveillance of the train, especially its focus on the crucial node "Star", has likely never relaxed.

And the doll's abnormality clearly could not escape the Star Core Hunter's eyes.

"System," Heimu murmured inwardly, "retrieve the abnormal dissemination records of Beloberg's data dolls, and… Black Tower's current location."

【Earlier·Beloberg Goethe Inn】

Star, San Yue Qi, and Dan Heng entered the guest room prepared for them by the Great Guardian, not expecting to encounter an "uninvited guest".

"Wow!"

San Yue Qi's keen eyes spotted first the small doll perched on Star's bedside table.

It wore an exquisite black‑purple witch hat, a matching petite Lolita dress, and even had miniaturized skull‑head ornaments on its neck via micro‑tech, making it a chibi version of Black Tower Lady—though San Yue Qi and the others didn't know who the original was.

"This… this isn't that… doll that looks especially like Black Tower's… whose doll is it? I feel like I've seen pictures of it somewhere!"

Star stepped forward, curiously lifted the doll and examined it; its feel was unexpectedly soft.

"It really is similar. But why is it here?"

The usually silent Dan Heng also approached, not touching the doll, just observing it closely.

"The material is ordinary," he calmly analyzed. "Is it a local popular handicraft, or… did someone deliberately place it?"

The three discussed and proposed several possibilities:

Perhaps it's an influence left by Black Tower Lady's past visit, or perhaps just a coincidental resemblance.

After all, the universe is vast—nothing is impossible.

In the end they reached no definite conclusion, treating it as just a small episode among Beloberg's many unsolved mysteries.

However, our Star Core Essence—Star—clearly has her own unique way of handling things.

She found the doll cute, possessing a unique charm akin to a "villain".

So she did something big:

She pulled out her phone, took several photos of the doll from various angles with "click‑click" sounds, then swiftly operated her fingers to send them to the Genius Club member far away on Black Tower Space Station—Black Tower.

The accompanying message fully reflected Star's style:

"Look! I found your 'sister' in the ice and snow! 【Picture】, 【Picture】—isn't the vibe nailed even better than yours? (laugh)"

Black Tower was idly processing the space station's routine data; upon receiving Star's message, she merely glanced at it casually.

"Boring."

She let out a soft hum; she had long been immune to Star's teasing of this level.

The doll's likeness to her was indeed noticeable, but she didn't dwell on it, since imitating Star Gods or powerful beings in dolls and statues is not uncommon in the universe; she even felt inclined to remark: "However… the aesthetic isn't too bad."

The matter should have ended there.

However, coincidences keep coming one after another.

A little later, Black Tower encountered Aisida in the core area.

What caught her eye was that Aisida was holding in her hand a doll almost identical to hers, strikingly similar to her own!

"Aisida," Black Tower called out, pointing at the doll, "where did this come from?"

"Ah, Black Tower Lady!"

Aisida, somewhat surprised, raised the doll: "You mean this one? I don't know either; it just appeared on my desk out of nowhere. The style is quite special—I thought it might have been dropped by some staff member, and I was about to ask around."

"Suddenly appeared?"

The Black Tower Doll repeated it, her tone carrying a scrutinizing nuance.

She had previously thought Star's doll was a Beloberg specialty, but now the same thing appearing on her space station cannot be explained by mere coincidence.

"Give it to me to look at."

The Black Tower Doll took the doll, and the moment her fingertips touched it, her powerful perception delved inside.

At first she detected no abnormality; the structure and materials were utterly ordinary.

(Wrong… too ordinary, as if deliberately disguised.)

She focused greater computational power, like the most precise scanner, and probed the doll's core again.

Just as her consciousness touched a certain node deep within the doll—

"Boom!"

A sound like a balloon bursting.

That tiny doll, in the Black Tower Doll's hand… exploded.

No fire, no shockwave, not even fragments.

Only a small, dense plume of black smoke like ink suddenly burst open, smearing the Black Tower Doll's face precisely and evenly.

When the black smoke cleared, Aisida covered her mouth in terror, while her shoulders trembled uncontrollably.

The Black Tower's doll face, usually flawless and as refined as fine porcelain, now looked as if it had just been dredged from a coal mine, coated with a matte black layer; only its eyes retained their original color, now widened in incredulous surprise, the contrast so stark it was almost comical.

The Black Tower Doll froze in place, and she could "feel" what was happening to her own face.

A nameless fire "Seng" erupted, not because she was hurt (the prank‑like explosion was harmless), but because… this was a bare, extremely petty mockery of her, the great Black Tower!

She said nothing, too lazy to clean the stains from her face, and immediately opened the communication interface with the Star, her fingers tapping so fast that sparks seemed about to fly from the Virtual Keyboard:

"Specific coordinates! Immediately! Right now! I'm coming!" (Ailiou: Huh?)

Between the lines, a stormy aura of impending mountain rain seeped through.

【Now·Secret Carriage】

The system doll simultaneously displayed the retrieved surveillance clip from the Space Station (thanks to Aha's "friendly provision" and the Backdoor left earlier by Silver Wolf) on the Light Screen.

In the footage, the Black Tower, sporting a "Bao Gong face", loomed with fierce momentum, its target fixed on Yaliluo‑VI.

Black Curtain Lady looked at the tiny jet‑black face on the screen, and even she couldn't help but lift her hand to lightly press her forehead, letting out a sigh.

(Now… the fun is really huge.)

She reopened the communication interface with Kafuka, thought for a moment, and replied:

Heimu: Message received, thanks for the heads‑up. A trivial data‑collection method, but I didn't expect it to catch this genius's attention. It seems Beloberg is about to welcome an extraordinary "visitor".

It was almost an instant reply.

Kafuka: You're welcome. However, the Black Tower Lady's involvement could introduce some unexpected Variables into the Script here. For us, who seek stable outcomes, that's not a good thing. Perhaps, when necessary, we need to ensure this little "accident" doesn't interfere with the more important main line… what do you think?:)

Heimu watched the smile emoji at the end of Kafuka's reply, his violet‑black eyes narrowing slightly.

(Indeed… she's never worried about the Doll itself, but about the Black Tower's involvement potentially disrupting the Star Core Hunter project. She wants to use me to curb the Black Tower's actions, ensure their Script proceeds smoothly, and test my depth?)

She lifted the freshly refilled drink from the system doll on the nearby table and gave it a gentle shake.

Heimu: Of course. I also don't want my temporary "habitat" disturbed by excessive clamor. When necessary, I will ensure that genius's attention stays in the "appropriate" place.