Leon hit send, distributing the initial build of his ga demo to the Astral Express crew and Silver Wolf's little Stellaron Hunter chat group.
It didn't take long for his phone to start buzzing. Notifications flooded his screen in a relentless, vibrating tide.
[Stelle/Caelus: This is so cool!!! Is that supposed to be ? Too handso! Can you make the skill effects even flashier?] The text was followed by a barrage of over a dozen violently rolling, starry-eyed emojis.
[March 7th: Wow! I look so good! The bow and arrow, the ice flowers... it's perfect! But wait, why are Stelle and Caelus the main characters?!] She made sure to emphasize that last sentence with three angry-face stickers.
[Dan Heng: The character modeling and combat animations are highly precise. Thank you for your hard work.] Classic Dan Heng. Straight to the point.
[Welt Yang:...It certainly brings back a lot of mories.] Leon could practically see the seasoned animator pushing up his glasses with a nostalgic sigh.
[Hiko: The texture rendering on my cup of coffee in the opening cinematic is quite exquisite. You clearly put a lot of thought into the details.]
[Arlan: Thank you, Mr. Leon. I look very reliable in this ga.] Attached was an emoji of a little dog scratching its head honestly.
[Silver Wolf: The modeling is passable, but is it just character rigs and idle animations right now? What genre are we talking about here? Action RPG? Just hand over the beta key the second it's playable.] A typical, demanding critique from a professional gar.
[Kafka: I like it very much. I'll be looking forward to the full release, Leon~]
Even Herta, who rarely bothered with casual chatter, sent a ssage: [My little puppets' movents are quite flexible. Acceptable work. By the way, when Ruan i arrives, rember to co to my office so she can collect your haploid cell samples. She should be docking soon.]
Leon stared at Herta's ssage, the corner of his mouth twitching.
'Wait, Ruan i actually chased all the way here? Are my haploid cells really that irresistible to her?'
"Did Madam Herta say sothing?" Asta asked, tilting her head curiously.
Taking advantage of a rare break in her endless administrative duties, the pink-haired Lead Researcher was currently strolling through the gleaming corridors of the Herta Space Station alongside Leon.
"Herta just ntioned that Ruan i is on her way to the station," Leon replied, a casual smile playing on his lips.
"Ah? You an the Ruan i?" Asta's eyes widened in genuine surprise. "mber 81 of the Genius Society? The absolute authority in the field of life sciences?"
Although Ruan i was notoriously reclusive and kept a strictly low profile, Asta had heard plenty of whispers about the enigmatic genius from Herta herself.
"Madam Herta didn't notify at all..." Asta murmured, her fingers nervously twisting a strand of her pink hair.
According to standard protocol, welcoming a VIP of that magnitude required every single departnt to prepare days in advance. Even if Ruan i despised grand pageantry, Asta should have at least instructed the staff to clear the main halls and maintain a respectful, quiet environnt.
"Herta didn't tell you because Ruan i's purpose for this trip has nothing to do with the space station itself," Leon said, patting Asta's shoulder to soothe her sudden anxiety. "She's coming specifically for . Naturally, you don't need to roll out the red carpet."
Leon knew exactly what was happening. Based on his knowledge of the original tiline, the life science expert had absolutely no business being on the station right now. Her canonical visit was supposed to happen much later—long after the Astral Express crew resolved the Stellaron crisis on Jarilo-VI, perhaps even after the chaotic confrontation with Phantylia the Undying on the Luofu.
Yet here she was, arriving drastically ahead of schedule... entirely because of him. Had she already detected sothing anomalous in his cellular structure? Leon couldn't deny a spark of amusent and curiosity blooming in his chest.
"I've heard Ms. Ruan i is quite fond of traditional pastries," Asta said, her professional composure returning as she pulled out her phone. "I'll have the catering staff prepare so authentic snacks sourced from Jarilo-VI just in case."
Leon's logic was sound. If Herta hadn't issued an official notice, it ant the station was ant to operate as usual. They would treat this as a strictly private, low-profile visit. Still, as the Lead Researcher, Asta couldn't just completely ignore the arrival of a Genius Society mber now that she knew about it.
"Ms. Ruan i is a scholar through and through," Asta continued, her tone carrying a trace of deep admiration. "I once read a report that she took a brief rest on a completely barren desert planet. By the ti she departed, her casual experints had already sparked a miracle, leaving behind a flourishing ecosystem of entirely new local species."
Just as the words left Asta's mouth, a shadow fell over them.
A woman possessing a deep, elegant Eastern charm materialized beside Leon without making a single sound. She wore a high-slit, beautifully modified dress. Before Asta could even process the sudden intrusion, the woman reached out. Her slender, gloved fingertips lightly traced the pulse at the side of Leon's neck, trailing upward to softly lift his chin.
Asta froze. Her jaw practically hit the floor.
'Leon... is being flirted with?! Right in front of ?!'
Leon looked down into the calm, analytical eyes of the woman standing re inches from his chest. He didn't pull away. He didn't even flinch. He naturally recognized her instantly—after all, this was the very Ruan i he and Asta had just been discussing.
In his past life, she had been an absolute staple in his roster. From version 1.6 all the way to 3.6, she had never once left his main team.
Ruan i's dark hair was elegantly swept up, secured by a delicate plum blossom hairpin. The design of her dress left her smooth shoulders bare, with complex tassels swaying gently from the fabric's edge. Her gloved fingers remained resting against Leon's jawline. Her expression was entirely unreadable—a serene mask that blended intense academic curiosity with quiet, clinical investigation.
"Am I being flirted with, Ms. Ruan i?" Leon asked, a slow, teasing smile spreading across his face.
He knew perfectly well that wasn't her intention. This highly intimate, borderline invasive physical examination was a treatnt originally reserved for the Trailblazer in the main storyline. Yet here he was, effortlessly stealing the scene and enjoying it firsthand.
Asta stood paralyzed, her mind short-circuiting.
'Wait... is she Ruan i?!'
The Lead Researcher was beyond shocked. She had never t the legendary biologist in person., based on her conversation with Leon just monts ago, she knew for a fact that Leon had never t Ruan i before today. By all logic, Ruan i shouldn't know him either!
Yet, during their very first encounter, this elusive genius had walked straight up to him, pressed her fingers against his carotid artery, and intimately tilted his face toward hers.
'This... could this be love at first sight?!''I suppose this is what they an when they say geniuses operate on a different wavelength,' Asta thought wildly.'Her decisiveness is absolutely terrifying! She's so much bolder than I am...'
A sudden wave of defeat washed over the wealthy researcher.
However, as she watched the tall, handso Leon looking down at the elegant, composed Ruan i... the scene undeniably looked like sothing straight out of a romance novel. A faint, slightly giddy smile crept back onto Asta's face.
'They actually look really good together...'
As it turned out, Asta wasn't the only spectator enjoying the show.
Leon and Asta had been strolling near the main docking platform. Just a few dozen yards away, parked securely in the station's bay, sat the Astral Express. And behind the polished glass windows of the parlor car, Stelle, Caelus, March 7th, and the rest of the crew had front-row seats to the entire exchange.
"Hey, hey, hey! Look over there!" Stelle was the first to spot them, imdiately slapping her hands against the glass. "Wow—it's Bro! Guys, look! That woman is totally flirting with Bro!"
Her loud shout shattered the quiet atmosphere of the carriage. The crew mbers, who had been leisurely relaxing and sipping their drinks, instantly abandoned their seats and sward the window like gossip-starved tourists.
"Oh my gosh, who is that?" March 7th pressed her face so close to the glass that her breath fogged it up. "Do any of you know her?"
Even from a distance, the pink-haired archer couldn't help but admire the sheer elegance of the stranger's attire. Delicate floral motifs decorated the heels and toes of her shoes. A stunning necklace of rubies and pearls rested against her collarbone, perfectly complenting the white, tassel-fringed shawl draped over her arms.
"Does this an..." Caelus muttered, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Is Bro about to bring ho a sister-in-law?"
"I highly doubt it," March 7th replied, her brow furrowing in concentration.
"That is mber 81 of the Genius Society, Ruan i," a calm voice interjected.
The gentle smile usually present on Hiko's face faded into an expression of serious contemplation. March 7th might not have recognized the reclusive scientist, but the Express's navigator certainly did.
A mber of the Genius Society never acted without purpose. For soone like Ruan i to initiate such direct, intimate physical contact in public... there had to be a deep, underlying reason.
Hiko leaned against the window fra, her amber eyes thoughtfully tracking the two figures on the platform.
Back on the platform, Ruan i finally broke the silence.
"Hello. I hope I didn't startle you..." Her voice was incredibly soft, carrying the gentle, soothing cadence of a spring breeze. "This is simply a work habit of mine. I open my perception through physical touch, allowing the complex details of a lifeform to flood directly into my mind."
Her gloved fingertips still did not leave his skin. If anything, they pressed slightly firr against his pulse. Her dark eyes were entirely devoid of romance, filled instead with a piercing, inquisitive hunger for knowledge.
"This thod helps to more clearly... understand the fundantal nature of your biological structure."
"Oh?" Leon raised a single eyebrow, his teasing smile widening into a confident smirk. He leaned into her touch just a fraction of an inch. "And what is your diagnosis, Doctor? You touched my chin so intimately... surely you plan to take responsibility for it?"
Ruan i: "..."
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