Herta: "What the heck is going on? A Preservation Emanator popped up just now, and now what's this? This power… an Arbiter of Equilibrium? No, that's not it—damn it!"
Herta was shouting curses, but she was clearly thrilled. Her real body even considered showing up in person to witness sothing that normally shouldn't even be possible.
She never imagined that her space station would host a trial of Equilibrium, and it looked like a high-level one at that!
She quickly began scanning the conditions within the station, but before she could act, an imnse wave of Propagation Path power erupted from the lower decks. Herta imdiately turned serious: trials of Equilibrium were so rare they were almost mythical across the entire universe.
Very few had ever experienced a trial of Equilibrium. To witness one unfolding like this, Herta felt like she had struck gold.
But then again, if the trial failed… the space station might be dood.
Pei Guang had made arrangents in advance so the people on the station could be evacuated, but Herta had no intention of leaving. Not just her: even Screwllum and Ruan i weren't planning to run.
A Propagation Emanator was troubleso, sure, but it was nothing Herta couldn't handle. And with Screwllum and Ruan i also here, though the three didn't exactly get along, each of them was absolutely eager to research this unexpected Propagation Emanator.
Herta also recalled Pei Guang's unusual nature.
Though his individual strength wasn't high, that strange ability of his—scaling in strength depending on the enemy—and the sudden appearance of Preservation Path power earlier… maybe he really could take this giant bug down.
Screwllum, for his part, was staying calm and serious, treasuring this extrely rare occurrence across the entire cosmos.
Compared to him and Herta, Ruan i looked like she'd been emotionally struck: her face showing an uncharacteristic trace of grievance.
She had cultivated that Propagation Emanator herself, so she naturally knew its condition. It may have been designed to replicate an Emanator, but tests and calculations showed it fell far short of true Emanator-level power.
Its peak strength existed only the mont it was born, and even then it wasn't close.
Worse still, it could only survive for fifty-six seconds. If no one stalled it, it could potentially blow up the station; if soone stalled, the station would be fine.
But now, the reaction from below was unmistakably that of a real Propagation Emanator. Rembering what Pei Guang had said to her before leaving, she was now certain this Emanator was transford by his influence.
At this point, she started doubting who was the real biologist, her or him? Why could he casually produce actual Emanators while she spent imnse effort creating sothing that wasn't even close and only lasted fifty-six seconds, not even a full minute?!
If the difference between a genius and an ordinary person was like that between a human and a dog, then Pei Guang made her feel like a human compared to a paracium. If she could, she no longer wanted to research Emanators: she wanted to research Pei Guang!
Herta: "This is getting interesting! I need to find a way to get a look inside. Let's see what kind of trial Equilibrium is actually giving. Fascinating, I can't believe Pei Guang attracted a trial on this scale."
Because of this, she now really wanted Pei Guang to survive. If she could even get so samples from this Propagation Emanator… all the better.
While the geniuses here were brimming with theories about the Propagation Emanator, things on the space station were growing chaotic.
On the bridge of the space station's command module, Asta had imdiately triggered the alarm after receiving a warning from Hiko.
Though the staff didn't understand the situation, the prior Antimatter Legion invasion had made them quick to follow Asta's evacuation instructions and head to the bridge.
Still, many researchers started complaining as they retreated.
"What's going on? Are we under attack again? What are the admins even doing?!"
"Exactly! If you're that incompetent, you shouldn't be in charge!"
"If you ask , the station's clearly not under attack. I an, we've got three mbers of the Genius Society here: who'd be crazy enough to cause trouble now?"
So of the station staff took a skeptical view of the danger, since they hadn't seen the enemy and didn't feel anything abnormal. Plus, with the previous Legion invasion still fresh in their minds, they had a lot of pent-up frustration toward managent.
When the alarms went off, their discontent only grew louder.
But the mont the lower level of the station transford into the Equilibrium trial site, and the Propagation Emanator unleashed its terrifying power, all those who were dismissive suddenly went weak in the knees.
"H-Help! Sobody help!!"
Unlike others who might suppress their power, the Propagation Emanator had no such restraint.
A bug that had power used that power, and its overwhelming might sent everyone from annoyance to fear, then to outright panic.
The orderly evacuation broke down completely the mont the Equilibrium force enveloped the station, plunging order into chaos.
Back on the command bridge, Hiko also felt the terror in that power. "Ah Guang and the others… just what kind of enemy are they facing?"
If Pei Guang hadn't told her beforehand that they had a way to handle this and didn't need backup, she would've already been leading a support team down there.
But Hiko now realized this was more serious than she had imagined. "Asta! How's the staff gathering going?"
Inside the control room, countless machines were sounding alarms.
The assembled staff, gripped by fear from the Emanator's power, were either crying or trembling. The security division was doing better, since they were professionally trained and the energy wasn't specifically targeting them: they could hold their ground.
But due to so staff ignoring the broadcast, a few were still en route.
Asta: "There are still so researchers on the way. It's dangerous. Hiko, you take a group and evacuate first, I'll stay behind…"
At that mont, Asta made her decision. Just like when facing the Doomsday Beast, she didn't have much individual power: her equipnt was only good for bullying small Fragntum monsters.
But in the face of real danger, she had the courage to stand her ground.
Hiko: "Understood. I'll have Welt, Dan Heng, and March take a group and start evacuating. I'll stay here until you're all clear—unless things turn completely out of control."
Asta: "Thank you…"
Hiko: "Don't ntion it. Besides, this ti, the situation…"
According to the intel Hiko received, what's happening below might not have been caused by Pei Guang directly, but if it got this serious, it definitely has sothing to do with him.
Although so of the researchers usually held grievances against Asta, believing she only got her position through connections, at a mont of crisis like this, the first person they thought to turn to for help was Asta, because she was the station's lead.
Compared to the panicked researchers, the now-awake Veritas didn't quite understand how that sloppy imitation of an Emanator had turned into a real one. But after overhearing the conversation between Hiko and Asta, he quietly started doing what he could.
Looking at the space station, Veritas sneered, "Looks like this place was dood with or without your involvent…"
There were two major hidden threats Veritas had discovered on the station.
The first was the fake Emanator cultivated by Ruan i. If it had just remained a fake one, the kind that could only last fifty-six seconds, he could've easily stalled until it disappeared.
But now that it had beco real? He knew he probably couldn't even last a second against it. Since the Trailblazers from the Astral Express were willing to help get people out, of course he would gather the panic-stricken and bring them to safety.
"In tis of crisis, there will always be those who abandon reason and run around in fear. It's laughable."
Though he spoke mockingly, he himself was moving at top speed.
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