When Stelle woke up, she found herself sitting in a metal chair.
Her head was still heavy, and opening her eyes took more effort than she expected. Asta's clear voice soon reached her ears. She seemed to be talking with another Genius currently staying on the space station.
"Mr. Screwllum, this was a planned attack..."
"Conclusion: The enemy's target was the space station. As for the method... we still don't know."
Stelle finally raised her head and, as expected, saw two familiar figures.
Screwllum's mechanical face showed no expression. As a Genius, he could probably stay calm no matter the situation. Asta, on the other hand, looked worried.
"..."
Asta seemed about to say something, but before she could, another somewhat familiar male voice interrupted her.
"That's right. That's exactly why we need him."
Following the voice, Stelle turned her head. The light in her view dimmed as a man dressed in blue and white clothes that mixed modern and Greek styles slowly walked over.
He looked very well-built. The muscles on his arms were clearly defined, looking a whole size thicker than Brother Argenti.
His dark blue hair, naturally a little curly, swayed gently. His face carried a trace of pride, and his eyes were just as arrogant. Those slightly narrow eyes made his gaze look sharp and aggressive.
"The last person to see Herta's puppet before it was attacked... was her."
As the man walked up to her, Stelle listened to his familiar voice and saw that familiar looking-down-on-others posture. As her foggy mind gradually cleared, a blurry but familiar figure slowly appeared in her memory.
"You're...?"
Watching him stroll over, Stelle stood up from the chair and asked hesitantly.
Asta cleared her throat, gave Stelle a helpless look, and introduced him.
"This is the IPC's academic representative, Mr. Ratio of the Intelligentsia Guild."
Hearing Asta's introduction, Stelle frowned slightly.
'That name sounds familiar... I've heard it somewhere...'
'Ah, right. After solving Belobog's crisis, I heard that name on the Astral Express broadcast...'
'He's... he's...'
'That guy who talked so harshly during the livestream!'
'But...'
'I don't even know him. So that's what that guy looks like?'
'Still... what does that have to do with what's happening now?'
Seeing the look of sudden realization followed by complete confusion on Stelle's face, Professor Ratio said calmly, "He has only just regained consciousness. His mind is still unclear. He needs... a few reminders."
As he spoke, he put a beautiful plaster head over his face. At the same time, rays of light like Argenti's descended, and a hymn-like chorus echoed from the sky.
The moment Stelle saw the plaster head, she instantly woke up.
It's that guy from the Seclusion Zone that day! The one who refused to explain anything no matter what, and just like Argenti, came with his own holy light and background music!
"We meet again. Do you remember me? If not, it doesn't matter. I never expec..."
Before Ratio could finish speaking, Stelle cried out,
"You're that poor guy with no friends! What are you doing here?"
The room instantly fell silent.
Asta looked at Stelle, then at the silent Professor Ratio.
If this were a comic, this would probably be the moment when cracks appeared on the plaster head to show the professor's shock and anger.
Beside them, the pale blue light in Screwllum's eyes flickered twice, as if he had thought of something amusing.
The silence lasted another two seconds. Then the mechanical Genius spoke first.
"Miss Stelle, you must have many questions right now. Please be patient. Asta will explain everything."
Asta nodded and looked at Stelle.
"You probably already know what happened before this. There have been all kinds of ridiculous rumors spreading through the employee group chat.
"Ms. Herta's puppet was attacked for an unknown reason. Its whereabouts are unknown, and its signal still can't be located."
"What do the security cameras show?" Stelle asked.
Asta shook her head. "Nothing. The attack happened on an external platform outside the station. It's outside the surveillance area."
At this point, the young lady sighed helplessly.
"Ms. Herta didn't take it seriously. She went out on an inspection tour."
"Before the incident, she received an invitation from the IPC," Screwllum added.
"From the Technology Development Department," Professor Ratio said from the side in his usual harsh tone.
"Ms. Aporia is capable, but the people under her are nothing but amateurs. Full of ambition, full of passion, yet completely lacking brains. Their intelligence can compete with that of primitive humans."
Hearing Doctor Ratio's matter-of-fact criticism, Siberian Duck, who was playing through the mission, twitched the corner of his mouth and laughed awkwardly.
"Ah, haha... He's really aggressive, Godfather."
Just like in Nero's previous life, because of Doctor Ratio's selfless declaration and free character giveaway, players gave him the nickname "The Father of Compulsory Education" in the Honkai: Star Rail universe... in other words, Godfather.
As for Nero, who had previously held that title, he had long since become Boss Jiang.
Players still felt that title suited him better. After all, Nero's character model looked younger, and his personality was naturally cheerful. Calling him Boss sounded more fitting.
[Dan-heart Eternal: Godfather is really good at roasting people. I'd say he's about equal with Nero.]
[Pom-Pom: But Godfather and Nero have different styles when they roast people. Personally, I think Nero is better.]
[Ms. Herta Fan Support Club: That can't be helped. Compared to Ratio, Nero's way of roasting people is more like shamelessly messing with them. It suits him.]
[Sampo Staying Up Late Again: Exactly. Godfather attacks based on what people should be. His starting point is, "What should you do?" But Nero starts from the result he wants. His starting point is, "What do I want?"]
[I Use Pantene: That's also one of Nero's life philosophies. Back when he was catching the Heliobi, he already explained very clearly that his worldview puts himself above the world.]
[I Use Pantene: So, if they argued, Godfather would probably lose. Nero simply doesn't care what you're saying. "I can't be bothered listening to your logic..."]
[Nero's Feet in My Mouth: Hehehe, I just love this kind of forceful Nero. Don't you all think it would be incredibly wonderful if such a forceful Nero kicked you to the ground and stepped on you?]
[Glue Man: Alright, Brother Yellow Pee checking in as usual. If I don't see him posting crazy stuff for a day, I feel uncomfortable all over.]
[In the Same Cage as Brother Yellow Pee: Come on now. Everyone else caught the Nero bug, but you caught the Brother Yellow Pee bug.]