Xingtetsu: You are not included in Elio's script!

Heita didn't speak immediately.

Her puppet body turned to the main console, her fingertips quickly moved across the table, and she pulled up the surveillance records from the laboratory.

She didn't look at the screen, but directly retrieved the audio stream, accurately locating the time when Ruan Mei "wall-banged" Lin Yu in the corner.

The high-definition audio acquisition system clearly reproduces the whispers of the two people.

Black Tower quickly browsed, or more accurately, "analyzed" the audio data stream, with light flashing rapidly in his eyes.

When she heard the words "watcher" and "higher level punishment", her fingers paused slightly.

"Snapped!"

She closed the dataslate, the sound ringing loud and clear in the silent lab.

She turned around, her eyes as sharp as a knife, fixed firmly on Lin Yu, as if she wanted to scan him thoroughly from inside out.

"Alright." Heita's voice was oppressive. "Now, Lin Yu, tell me the full version. The abridged version that Ruan Mei heard obviously omitted key details."

"Who is this entity you mentioned as having crossed paths with? And what is that observer?"

Lin Yu was startled by Heita's sudden question, then he saw the data tablet in Heita's hand and the surveillance in the corner, and sighed.

He walked to a lounge chair nearby, sat down, and rubbed his eyebrows.

"It's Aha." He said the name directly.

The air in the laboratory seemed to freeze instantly.

"Aha?" Heita's pupils dilated instantly, and her voice was filled with incredible surprise.

"Star God of Joy, aha? The little girl we met?"

Lin Yu nodded heavily: "It's her."

"Impossible!" Heita blurted out, even taking a small step forward. Her tone was filled with stubbornness and questioning. "Star Gods are the embodiment of philosophical concepts, beings walking at the pinnacle of destiny! Their power comes from destiny itself. Unless destiny is destroyed, it is almost impossible for a Star God to be harmed, let alone punished or stagnated!"

"You said Aha was in crisis? What kind of crisis? Where's the evidence?"

Lin Yu organized his words, trying to describe it in a way that Black Tower could understand and verify. "It's not a physical injury, but more like a...conceptual confinement."

"In my perception, one of her projections was pierced by a dagger composed of pure 'paradox' and 'negation' energy. The projection became completely static, losing all activity."

"Aha told me through the remaining connection that this was the backlash caused by her reversal of time and intervention in a major cause and effect. It could have come from fate itself, or it could have come from... those watchers who dwell deeper within the Imaginary Tree and the Quantum Sea that she warned me about before?"

"Reverse time...Watcher..." The Black Tower repeated these two key words, quickly cross-checking all relevant theoretical models and observational data in its own database, and the data flow in its eyes was refreshed frantically.

"Aha does possess the ability to interfere with time, but the cost of this behavior has always been a theoretical taboo, with no observational evidence."

"As for the Watchers... In some of the most confidential and unconfirmed conjectures within the Genius Club, some members have indeed proposed that above or beyond the Star Gods, there might be more ancient, more fundamental observers or administrators who maintain some kind of underlying rules of the universe... But this is just conjecture!"

Her tone gradually changed from initial shock and doubt to extreme excitement and focus as she faced an unprecedented challenge.

For her, a phenomenon that cannot be explained by existing models is far more attractive than certain bad news.

"Lin Yu, describe all the details you perceived as detailed as possible! That dagger? The specific manifestation of the stagnant state? Is there anything abnormal in the space around Aha's projection? Also, what feeling does the viewer's gaze give you? Cold? Indifferent? Purposeful?" Heita asked questions like a machine gun and instantly entered the research state.

It was as if what they were facing was not a crisis that could endanger all of them, but a unique experimental sample.

Lin Yu tried his best to describe it as he was told, mobilizing the power of his memory to recall every detail.

"Interesting... so interesting!" Heita's eyes flickered with an almost fanatical glint as he gazed at the preliminary data. "If your perception is accurate, this means we may have touched upon the boundaries of the Star Gods' existence, perhaps even touching upon the mechanisms governing the execution of cosmic rules! This is countless times more valuable than the data provided by those shadows in the simulated universe!"

But she quickly calmed down, her rational thinking taking over again. "However, if the Watcher truly exists and can influence the Star God, then its threat level will be unprecedented."

"Aha was put in stasis simply for reversing time to save you. So, by discussing it here and even trying to study it, wouldn't that have attracted its attention?"

This question plunged the laboratory into silence again.

The risks are obvious, but Heita's character means she will not back down from the risks.

"Heita, you've talked too much. Don't you care about Lin Yu? He is being targeted." Ruan Mei was a little angry.

The air seemed to freeze for a few seconds.

The excitement on Heita's face quickly subsided, replaced by a deep calm. She did not immediately refute, nor did she show any offense. She just narrowed her eyes slightly and re-examined the two people in front of her - especially Lin Yu.

"Care?" Heita's voice had returned to its usual calm, but with a subtle hint of solemnity. "Ruan Mei, why do you think I organized the simulated universe experiment and spent countless resources to build these security protocols? Is it just to collect interesting data?"

Her eyes swept across Lin Yu's slightly pale face, and finally returned to Ruan Mei.

"If I didn't care, I would force Lin Yu to conduct a deeper and more dangerous resonance test right now instead of analyzing the risks here."

"It's precisely because I care that I have to find out what he's gotten himself into. What exactly is that Watcher? How does it work? And what's the threat level?"

She took a small step forward and looked at Ruan Mei sharply, as if saying to Lin Yu, "Blind fear or blind protection will not solve any problems."

"Aha's current situation is the best example. Even the Star God will fall into crisis because of touching the unknown rules. If we choose to ignore it out of fear, or just hide Lin Yu, then that will be the real danger!"

"If that watcher is really as powerful as described, and it has already noticed Lin Yu, do you think it will automatically leave if we pretend nothing happened?"

These words hit Ruan Mei's heart like a heavy hammer, and also shocked Lin Yu's mind.

Heita was right. Escape would not solve the problem, especially when facing a threat of this level.

Ruan Mei pursed her lips, and the anger in her eyes was gradually replaced by a deeper worry.

Of course she understood Heita's logic, but her concern made her confused. She could not completely detach herself from her emotions like Heita and look at the danger Lin Yu faced from a purely rational perspective.

"But..." Ruan Mei's voice lowered, "We can't take any risks with him. Any test must be based on his safety as the absolute premise."

"Of course." Black Tower's tone left no room for doubt. "The security perimeter must be redrawn, and it must be more conservative than ever before."

"Lin Yu, from now on, without the joint evaluation and approval of Ruan Mei and I, you are not allowed to attempt to deeply resonate with Joyful Destiny or any power that may attract the Watcher. We need to develop a careful plan."

"First, I need to thoroughly analyze all the residual data from your simulated universe experiment, especially the background noise you perceived. This will help us make a preliminary assessment of the observer's interference method and energy characteristics."

"Secondly, Ruan Mei, you need to use the life resonance characteristics of the Star Seed to build a stronger mental barrier for Lin Yu, focusing on preventing the erosion and stagnation effects at the conceptual level."

"The seeds can absorb a variety of destiny energies, and perhaps they can simulate a certain resistance."

"Finally." Heita's eyes became extremely serious. "Information about Aha and the Watcher must be classified as top secret."

"Until we have sufficient self-protection capabilities or find a way to deal with it, we must not let the news leak out, so as not to attract unnecessary trouble or... worse attention."

She looked at Lin Yu and said, "Lin Yu, you are both the core of the problem and may also be the key to solving it. You need to gain a deeper grasp of the power of destiny you already have, especially protection, memory, and mystery. They may help you stabilize yourself and better understand what we are facing."

"This will take time and focus. Are you ready?"

Lin Yu met the gazes of Heita and Ruan Mei and nodded heavily.

The fear still exists, but there is more of a ignited determination.

He couldn't back down, for himself and for those who cared about him.

"I understand. I will cooperate with everything necessary." He paused and looked at Ruan Mei. "Don't worry, Heita is right. We must face it. Besides, I am not alone."

Ruan Mei looked at the renewed fighting spirit in Lin Yu's eyes, and then looked at the black tower that had entered a state of high alert and strategic planning, and the anxiety in her heart subsided a little.

She nodded slightly, regaining her usual composure.

Just as Lin Yu finished speaking and turned to walk towards Ruan Mei to discuss the details further, Heita suddenly stepped forward, stretched out his arms, and hugged him gently but unyieldingly.

Lin Yu's body stiffened slightly, and he looked down at the black tower buried in his chest in some surprise.

Her actions formed a huge contrast with her serious image just now.

What was even more unexpected to him and Ruan Mei was that Heita immediately stood on tiptoe and quickly kissed him on the cheek with a crisp "bo" sound.

A visible blush appeared on her cheeks, but her eyes were deliberately full of righteous provocation. She turned her head to look at Ruan Mei, who was stunned for a moment.

"You..?" Ruan Mei obviously didn't expect this. A trace of surprise flashed across her cold face and her brows furrowed.

"What for?" Heita immediately retorted, his chin slightly raised, his tone carrying a deliberate and arrogant tone as if declaring sovereignty.

"I...I'm trying to comfort Lin Yu! Can't you see? He was under so much pressure just now. As his girlfriend, what's wrong with me cheering him up in this way?"

She deliberately emphasized the word "girlfriend" and stared at Ruan Mei with burning eyes, "Are you jealous?"

Without waiting for Ruan Mei's response, she continued to speak like a machine gun, with a complex tone of emotion, a bit of unwillingness and a sense of giving up.

"Yes, I know! You have Lin Yu's child, and Lin Ruan is so old! Even if I want a child right now, it can't compare to the weight of you and your daughter in his heart, okay?"

She took a deep breath, as if to release some pent-up emotions.

"But I'm also Lin Yu's legitimate girlfriend! I care about him, and I want to comfort him in my own way. What's wrong with that? I'm just being daring and taking responsibility. I kiss whenever I want! Unlike some people, who clearly care terribly but always hide it, playing that game of silently guarding and staring into each other's eyes affectionately, aren't they tiring?"

These words were like a stone thrown into a calm lake, making the originally serious and tense atmosphere in the laboratory instantly become subtle and complicated.

Heita's sudden direct attack exposed her feelings for Lin Yu and the subtle jealousy she had towards Ruan Mei's "coming from behind", especially in terms of children.

Ruan Mei was stunned by these blunt words, and her cheeks couldn't help but turn red.

She opened her mouth, as if she wanted to refute Heita's statement about "sneaking around", but looking at Heita's expression of "I'm like this, what can you do to me", and Lin Yu's embarrassed and helpless look next to him, she finally just turned her face away, but her ears became even redder.

She muttered under her breath, "That's unreasonable. Is now the time to discuss this?"

Lin Yu was caught in the middle, feeling the remaining warm touch on his face. He looked at one blushing and self-righteous, while the other blushed but pretended to be calm, and his head felt even bigger.

He sighed helplessly, reached out and patted the back of Heita who was still holding him, and gave Ruan Mei a soothing look.

"Okay, Heita..." He tried to lighten the mood, "I received your 'comfort'. It's very...special."

"But now, shouldn't we focus on the important matter at hand?" He skillfully brought the topic back to the crisis of Aha and the Watcher.

Heita snorted and let go of Lin Yu, but he still glared at Ruan Mei, as if to say, "I won this round."

However, she also knew what was important and after venting her emotions, she quickly regained her composure and turned to walk towards the main console.

"Got it! Ruan Mei, start adjusting your parameters. Lin Yu, come with me. I need to recalibrate the safety threshold of the simulated universe and tailor a training plan for you."

Her tone returned to working order, but the hint of pride in the corners of her eyes and the satisfaction of having just declared her sovereignty would not completely disappear for a while.

Ruan Mei also took a deep breath, suppressed the waves in her heart, walked to another terminal and started working, but her fingers operating the instrument were a little stronger than usual.

...