Chapter 108: Universal Locust Plague and Pizza

Stelle was woken up early by the notification sounds on her phone.

Drowsy and bleary-eyed, she opened her phone to check the messages.

- **Herta**: "Simulated Universe is updated, come test it."

- **Herta**: "Come now."

- **Herta**: "Come test it!"

"Ugh…" Stelle sighed as she crawled out from under her blanket.

...

...

---

Stelle walked into Herta's office.

"Faster than I expected, is the update already done?" Stelle asked while yawning.

Herta stood with her hands on her hips: "Of course! Who do you think I am? Though I accidentally crashed the Simulated Universe once in the process, but it's no big deal."

"No, no, no, that sounds like a huge problem! Are you sure everything is okay?" Stelle suddenly felt wide awake and quickly asked.

"Relax, Gu Tang already fixed it," Herta waved dismissively.

Stelle blinked: "Uh… can I ask how he fixed it?"

"Added a ton of pizza," Herta said with a straight face.

Stelle wondered how she managed to keep a straight face while saying that.

"Ahem, anyway… We added something new to the Simulated Universe, a brand-new expansion device," Herta clumsily changed the topic. "But Stephen Lloyd thought this would be a big project and insisted on opening a separate project branch called 'Simulated Universe: Universal Locust Plague.'"

"Sounds interesting, but why did you geniuses suddenly come up with this idea?" Stelle asked curiously.

"There's too much redundant data in the Simulated Universe. You've traveled so far and only encountered a few Aeons—it's pathetic, and you barely even had a chance to talk to them!" Herta's tone was filled with dissatisfaction and frustration. "So, I decided to fix the universe's time to a specific historical segment, shrinking the scope to better study a specific Aeon."

"Which Aeon?" Stelle continued to ask.

Herta crossed her arms: "Ruan Mei had some ideas of her own, so she anchored the space-time to the period before the fall of **Tayzzyronth**, the Insect Queen."

Stelle frowned: "Insects… that sounds gross…"

"Alright, enough chit-chat. Get in there quickly," Herta urged.

---

Reality receded from Stelle's consciousness.

She found herself once again entering the simulated data world.

I'm getting used to this feeling… Stelle thought to herself.

She opened her eyes to see a desolate world before her.

A dim yellow sun hung high in the sky, the ground was cracked and dry. As far as she could see, there was no sign of life—only massive rocks and mountains stood, silently enduring the sun and sandstorms.

Then, a light purple round bird appeared next to Stelle.

The bird had a purple flower tucked into its feathers, holding a pen and a notebook, surrounded by a bunch of floating virtual screens.

"Good, the data is running smoothly. This is the first plane of the Universal Locust Plague," the bird spoke in Herta's voice.

Stelle circled around the bird and took a good look: "Your digital avatar… is pretty cute."

Herta's round bird lifted its head proudly: "Of course, this is my own design."

Then, she seemed to remember something and said, "I can't be the only one busy here. I need to bring Ruan Mei and Screwllum in to make them do some real work. Stelle, you're about to meet some big shots."

"I can join in, but honestly, I don't think Stephen's input is going to be much help in researching Aeons." A cold, fresh voice chimed in.

Then, a new round bird appeared.

Its body was a beautiful light cyan color, with a white flower on its head, and its overall decorations had a strong Xianzhou style.

"I haven't even introduced you yet. How did you get in?" Herta wiggled her little hand. "This is Ruan Mei, #81 of the Genius Society, a genius in the field of biology. We've collaborated a few times before."

Ruan Mei looked at Stelle with interest: "A girl with a Stellarion sealed inside her body… very interesting research material…"

"You geniuses, do you all like treating people as test subjects?" Stelle pointed at Ruan Mei and asked Herta.

Herta shrugged: "Who knows? There's barely any contact between the members of the Genius Society, so I don't know what the others are like either… But since you're talking like that, let's bring in someone who respects others. I invite the great mechanical noble, Screwllum, to join this conversation."

A mechanical voice filled with a regal tone chimed in: "Query: If the 'Universal Locust Plague' is still at its beginning, could it be proven that the birth period of the Aeon of Reproduction belongs to the first plane?"

A new round bird appeared, exuding a metallic sheen, wearing a monocle, and holding a magnifying glass.

Although it was a round bird, it still gave off a refined and scholarly vibe.

"It's an honor to meet you, Mr. Screwllum." Stelle smiled and nodded politely.

"I am pleased to hear that," Screwllum said with a smile. "Your arrival is like a missing butterfly added to a painting, completing the picture and bringing the Simulated Universe to life. I look forward to this journey with you."

"Why do you respect Screwllum so much, but not me?" Herta looked at their conversation, puzzled.

Stelle shrugged: "Maybe because you're a pervert who sneaks up on people at night."

"What are you talking about? The Space Station is my property, so the people on the Space Station are also my property. I can use them however I want!" Herta retorted indignantly.

Ruan Mei seemed a bit lost: "What are you guys talking about? What do you mean by 'use'?"

"Trust me, you don't want to know the details, Ms. Ruan Mei," Screwllum steered the conversation back. "Let's talk about the Universal Locust Plague. Ms. Stelle, you are now in the first plane, where the swarm is just beginning to stir."

Herta also got down to business: "The Universal Locust Plague is divided into three planes, each corresponding to a different historical period. The first plane is the earliest phase."

"Alright, let me see…" Stelle took out a baseball bat, slung it over her shoulder, and started walking forward.

...

...

Stelle had been walking for a while.

No matter which direction she went, the scenery remained unchanged. Only rocks, earth, and withered grass could be seen.

The scorching sun continued to burn her body, making Stelle almost nostalgic for the cold winds and snow of Jarilo-VI.

"So where's the locust plague? I haven't even seen an insect egg, let alone any bugs." Stelle wiped the sweat off her forehead.

"Don't get too cocky. There aren't many bugs in the first plane, but in the next plane, when the swarm starts to spread, you'll have to fend for yourself." Herta let out an evil laugh. "But don't worry, we'll be watching."

Just then, an abandoned village appeared ahead.

Stelle ran inside, and what she saw made her frown.

The corpses of livestock were scattered everywhere, gnawed down to the bones and emitting a foul stench.

Grains, hay, wood… everything that could be chewed by the swarm had been cleared out, leaving disgusting black slime behind.

The surroundings were deathly silent.

"Gross…" Stelle muttered.

"Reproduction requires energy and nutrition, so they are driven by instinct to endlessly plunder," Ruan Mei said blandly.

At this moment, Stelle heard a sound.

*Thud, thud, thud… thud, thud, thud…*

It was the sound of insect wings flapping.

Judging from the sound, they were about the size of a person.

A swarm!

Stelle cautiously gripped her bat.

"They're coming! Stelle, fight them hard and gather more data," Herta said excitedly.

Then, a dozen large bugs appeared in front of Stelle, fluttering in the air.

"...Huh?" Stelle's eyes widened at the sight of the bugs.

Several slices of pizza were flying in mid-air, covered with cheese and sauce, along with toppings like bacon, ham, and various other ingredients.

Some of the toppings differed—tuna, mushrooms, zucchini, bell peppers—the variety was quite rich.

By the way, these pizzas were all pre-cut into triangles.

Based on their flight patterns, the pointed ends were their heads, and the thick pizza crust was their tails.

As for the flapping sound earlier, it was coming from the cheese stretching on their bodies.

"So, that's what the bugs looked like back in the day, huh? I've learned something new…" Stelle remarked.

"What the heck?!" Herta couldn't help but shout, throwing her pen to the ground.