bioinnovel Chapter 32 The Spirit of Punk Lord
Chapter 32 The Spirit of Punk Lord
(Gui Naifen's live stream.)
The atmosphere became lively as several tasks for the same group began.
At this moment, Gui Naifen is playing the companion quest "Punk Lord Spirit" which is related to another character in this gacha pool.
The incident started rather suddenly: Alan, the head of the defense department of the Black Tower space station, suddenly sent a sincere invitation message to the protagonist star.
He stated that, in order to formally express his gratitude to the train crew for their timely assistance when the space station was attacked, he hoped to thank them in person and invited the protagonist to visit the space station.
Quest notification: [Quest accepted - The Spirit of Punk Lord]
The scene shifts to the familiar yet somewhat different Black Tower Space Station - Base Module.
As soon as Gui Naifen piloted the star to the vicinity of the agreed location, she noticed something was amiss—the main passageway and elevator entrance of the base module were surrounded by a large number of staff members dressed in space station uniforms.
They chatted in small groups, their eyes glancing in the same direction every now and then. A subtle atmosphere, a mixture of curiosity, tension, and a hint of anticipation, filled the air.
Gui Naifen manipulated the star to quietly approach the corner and eavesdrop on the chatter of two space station crew members.
"What's going on today? Why are there so many people all of a sudden? Don't we have to go to work?"
"I'm not sure... I heard that an 'important guest' has arrived, and Station Master Estella personally arranged the reception."
"Tsk tsk, such a grand welcome? This isn't like our space station at all. Even the accident investigation team sent by the Interstellar Peace Corporation didn't have this kind of spectacle."
The viewers in the live chat immediately guessed:
"The mission is with Silver Wolf, could it be Silver Wolf himself?!"
"Wolf Baby dares to come again? Last time she was lucky, as Ms. Black Tower happened to be away. This time, Ms. Black Tower might be having tea in her office! Coming here would be like walking into a trap!"
"Could it be a big shot in the company?"
"Could it be a guest of Lady Black Tower?"
……
With a head full of questions, Xing found Alan, who was busily moving through the crowd, coordinating and making arrangements.
Xing waved and greeted them in a relaxed tone, "Alan—! I'm here! I'm not late, am I?"
Alan, who was intently staring at the data board in his hand and assigning personnel, was startled by the voice. He looked up and saw Xing, and the tense expression on his face relaxed slightly, revealing a hint of apology: "...Ah, it's Xing. Welcome."
Xing blinked, reminding him, "Didn't you call me over?"
Alan apologized again, looking somewhat embarrassed: "I'm sorry... I originally planned to finish all this before you arrived, but the busier I got, the more chaotic things became, and it's been dragging on until now without being completely resolved."
As he spoke, he carefully took out a well-packaged lunchbox from a constant-temperature insulated container he carried with him and handed it to Xing.
"Here, this is what I prepared for you."
Xing took the lunchbox, somewhat surprised, then a mischievous smile appeared on her face as she teased, "Oh~ This was made especially for me? Then Estella should get one too, right?"
Alan's face flushed slightly, and he quickly shook his head and waved his hands, "No, no, no! Miss... her breakfast today is pudding. This... is something I prepared especially for you."
He explained earnestly, "I thought for a long time about what to give to express my gratitude. In the end, I felt that giving something I made myself would be the most sincere. Miss usually likes my fried rice, so... I hope you like it too."
He glanced at the noisy surroundings and once again wore an apologetic expression: "I'm so sorry... It's so noisy and messy around here, not formal enough. I was hoping to find a quieter place so I could properly invite you to try it and hear your feedback..."
Xing didn't mind at all, naturally accepting the lunchbox and smiling, "No need to be so formal! I'm happy as long as I can eat delicious food!"
Alan sighed, glancing at the orderly crowd gathering not far away, and explained, "Miss Estella said that gratitude must be sincere."
"Unfortunately... plans can't keep up with changes." He lowered his voice, "Today the space station suddenly received a notification that a 'big shot' has requested to come and visit."
"Because the notification was sudden, everyone was a bit flustered, afraid that they might not be able to provide adequate hospitality and affect Ms. Black Tower's image..."
His face showed a mixture of reverence and curiosity: "Miss Estelle said... this visitor seems to be Lady Black Tower's academic 'partner'... to be able to communicate with her on an equal footing, he must be a very important figure throughout the entire galaxy..."
The comments section immediately launched into a series of humorous associations based on the phrase "loud and clear":
"Loud, ding-dong? How loud? Like a jingling sound?"
"An academic partner...that basically confirms they're a member of the 'Genius Club'!"
"Yes, yes, yes! Besides the Black Tower, the original developers of the simulated universe also included 'Screw Goom,' 'Ruan Mei,' and... 'Stephen'?"
"By the way, how many members does the Genius Club still have? It seems quite mysterious."
"There seem to be related exhibits in the public areas of the Black Tower Space Station? There are also some records in the Train Think Tank."
"To receive such a grand reception from the space station, it must be someone of considerable importance!"
……
The story continues.
Xing, whose curiosity was piqued, decided to join the crowd waiting to greet them, intending to see for herself who this important person was.
Plot development:
Station Master Estelle walked with elegant and efficient steps, leading Alan quickly to the best spot in front of the elevator entrance. She slightly raised her hand to signal, and the surrounding whispers gradually subsided.
Xing also took the opportunity to move to the front row and quietly asked a senior-looking staff member next to her, "Excuse me, who is here today...?"
"Get ready! Here we come!" Estella's clear, slightly nervous voice rang out at the right moment, interrupting Hoshi's question and drawing everyone's attention.
The next second—
The elevator's operating indicator light came on, and then, with a soft "ding," the heavy alloy doors slowly slid open to both sides.
The moment the door opened, a translucent butterfly, emitting a soft, firefly-like glow and seemingly made of pure energy, gracefully flew out from inside, tracing a beautiful arc in the air.
Finally, it slowly landed on the fingertips of a tall, impeccably groomed android gentleman who had been waiting in front of the elevator.
At the same time, a special background music full of classical charm and precise logic, as if woven from countless tiny gears and orchestral instruments, began to play at just the right moment.
Screw Gum glanced down at the "butterfly" resting on his fingertip, gently gathered it into his palm, and the butterfly turned into specks of light and dust and disappeared.
He raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the welcoming crowd before finally settling on Estádio, who was at the head of the group.
His voice was elegant and gentle, with a unique mechanical resonance.
"If we assume that thought precedes language, then no words can define this joy."
Estelle almost immediately curtsied slightly with impeccable manners, combining elegance and respect: "Welcome, Mr. Screws Goom."
Xing was still staring blankly at the extraordinary android gentleman when Alan, who was next to her, quickly and subtly nudged her, signaling with his eyes: Quickly bow!
Xing then realized what was happening and, following suit, bowed slightly, placed her hands in front of her, and closed her eyes reverently.
Screw's gaze fell gently on Estelle, and he nodded slightly.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Estádio."
The comments section was instantly captivated by the stylish entrance and the character's aura:
"Xing looks so cute standing here, lost in thought!"
"It has to be our Miss Estelle! Her manners and poise are impeccable! No wonder she's seen it all!"
"As expected of one of the four giants of the simulated universe! Such a classy entrance!"
"Is this how geniuses greet each other...with such philosophical and poetic flair?"
"This Mr. Screwgoom... although he's an intelligent life form, he has such an elegant and gentle demeanor! He doesn't have that cold, mechanical feel at all; instead, he makes you feel very comfortable!"
"科普：Screwgoom, a monarch from the planet Screwgoom, a mechanical nobleman, and also the 76th seat of the 'Genius Club'!"
"Mechanical aristocracy! Elegance never goes out of style!"
"Question: Who is the visitor? Logic: Academic partner of the Black Tower, omnipotent, elegant. Conclusion: Screwgum."
……
With the arrival of Screw Goom, the tense atmosphere on the space station seemed to be eased by his calm and unhurried aura, and the background music switched to the soothing daily tunes of the Black Tower space station.
Screw Gum spoke again, his tone carrying a precise apology: "I'm sorry, we're 4 minutes and 13 seconds earlier than agreed. I hope it didn't cause you any trouble."
Estelle quickly shook her head, a sincere smile on her face: "How could that be? Mr. Screwgoom, welcome to the Black Tower Space Station."
Screwgoom gently shook his head, raising his mechanically beautiful hand slightly: "No need to be so formal, Estella. Just call me 'you'."
He glanced around at the surrounding space station environment, his voice gentle and clear:
"The 'Black Tower' is a place where knowledge converges, and here, we celebrate the equality of thought."
Estelle's smile relaxed slightly, and she stepped aside to guide the way: "Ms. Black Tower should be in her office. Please come this way, I'll lead the way."
"Thank you for your trouble." Screw Gum nodded slightly.
Just as he was about to follow Estelle and his gaze swept across the crowd, he met Hoshino's eyes, who was curiously looking at him.
Screwgoom paused slightly, his mechanical eyes, radiating a gentle light, blinked, seemingly with a hint of inquisitive interest:
"Who is this...?"
Faced with this obviously high-ranking and extraordinary "big shot," Xing's answer was, as always,...unique.
A smug, slightly disdainful smile played on her lips as she retorted:
"you guess?"
Alan, who was standing nearby, almost choked on his breath and quickly whispered to stop him, "Hey! Xing!" (facepalm.jpg)
Estella also showed a helpless expression, as if she couldn't help but laugh.
However, Screw Gum did not show any displeasure. Instead, he made a sound that was like a mixture of mechanical laughter: "Haha, such an unexpected reaction. You must be the person that Black Tower has been talking about lately."
The live chat erupted in laughter, with many expressing high praise for Xing's behavior.
"Pfft—hahahaha! 'Guess!' As expected of you, Xing! That answer is so 'star-like'!"
"Indeed! That 'smug' and slightly provocative 'despicable' feeling, if it were Qiong, it might have a completely different flavor!"
"Estella: facepalm.jpg, Alan: sweating profusely. Surrounding staff: trying not to laugh.jpg"
"Xing's crooked smile, and the way he even glanced at me after Alan pointed it out, hahaha, so unique!"
……
(Reality: Black Tower Space Station.)
As Aster watched this scene unfold in the live stream, she tilted her head in confusion: "Alan, I don't remember... this little incident when Mr. Screws came to visit? Could it be that Lin Lin later... 'embellished' it?"
Alan thought carefully for a moment and nodded firmly: "Miss, there really wasn't one at the time."
"However," he added, "Miss Xing isn't a formal member of the space station, and her behavior is rather...unique. Perhaps this adaptation better reflects her personality?"
Estelle nodded, but then another question popped into her head: "Wait, isn't this the Silver Wolf's companion quest? Where is the protagonist now?"
Just then, a slightly indifferent voice, tinged with amusement, came from the side:
"What's the rush? Just keep watching. The real show... is yet to come."
Estelle and Alan turned their heads and saw that Lady Black Tower had silently appeared beside them, arms crossed, with a cold smile that seemed to say, "I have it all under control."
"That brat, he thinks he can make me look like a fool in front of the entire universe with that kind of low-class redemption code name?"
Black Tower recalled the ridiculous redemption code name from the preview livestream and snorted coldly, "This mission... is the real 'public execution'! I'll let her taste what 'social death' truly means!"
……
(Star Train.)
Watching the live stream, March 7th couldn't help but cover her face when Xing said "Guess!" She then reached out and ruffled Xing's soft cheeks, complaining, "You! What nonsense are you spouting?! That's a distinguished guest of Lady Black Tower! A member of the Genius Club! Can't you at least greet her properly?!"
Xing struggled to break free from March 7's clutches, then, looking aggrieved, rushed to Kafka, who was sitting leisurely beside her, burying her face in her chest and muttering, "Lin Lin slandered me! I was perfectly polite! I never said anything like that!"
Kafka readily opened her arms to catch her, gently patting her back like she was soothing a child, her voice so tender it could melt your heart: "Okay, okay, we all know Xing is the best girl. Next time we won't play with Lin Lin, okay? He always scribbles nonsense."
Lin Lin, who was accused of being the source of the "scribbling," was drinking water and looked at Xing speechlessly: "Hey! Are you a three-year-old? Why are you always 'running to your mom' to complain?"
Xing poked half her head out from Kafka's arms, made a childish face at Lin Lin, and then quickly shrank back.
I have a mother, you don't! That's my reason for being willful!
Slightly!
That smug little look made Lin Lin's temple throb, and he decided not to lower himself to the level of this "newborn".
March 7th's attention was quickly drawn back to the elegant Screwball. She turned to Lin Lin, her eyes sparkling: "Lin Lin! Will this Mr. Screwball... be added to the gacha pool later? He looks so classy!"
That blend of mechanical precision and aristocratic elegance, coupled with a gentle and wise manner of speaking, makes it hard not to feel a sense of goodwill towards her.
Lin Lin nodded affirmatively.
Such a unique character, it would be such a waste not to add her to the gacha pool!
However, Silver Wolf, who was sitting to the side secretly playing something on his personal terminal, couldn't laugh at all at this moment, and his expression even became a little stiff.
As a "core victim" and firsthand witness to the latter half of this mission, she knew all too well where the story was headed.
To sum up her feelings in one sentence: She was looking for fun and ended up hurting herself, and then... her defenses completely collapsed!
……
The game's storyline continues to unfold.
Estella led Screwgoom to the Black Tower's office.
After Alan apologized to Xing again, he was called away to handle other reception matters and hurriedly followed.
Just as Xing was about to find a place to try Alan's lovingly fried rice, the camera keenly focused on the holographic portrait of Lady Black Tower hanging on the wall next to the main passage.
In front of the portrait stood a space station clerk who looked somewhat worried, constantly tapping on a portable terminal.
As Xing passed by, Leonard happened to look up and saw her standing in front of him, looking around. Thinking she was lost, he said in a slightly tired but still patient tone, "Hmm? Is there something you need? If you're looking for the front desk, just walk straight out the door..."
However, Xing did not follow the usual procedure to ask questions. Her gaze went straight past Leonard and landed on the huge black tower portrait behind him.
Then, very naturally, as if from the bottom of her heart, she exclaimed:
"She's so beautiful."
Leonard was visibly taken aback for a moment, then suddenly realized and nodded: "Oh? Another fan of Ms. Black Tower? Okay, feel free to admire it, but this portrait will be put away soon."
The live chat was instantly amused by Xing's sudden, direct compliment:
"She's So Pretty"—Hoshi's straightforward aesthetic: simple, pure, and effective!
"Indeed! The army of Heta Lady dolls is beautiful; there's bound to be one that catches your eye!"
"I am Lady Black Tower's dog!"
"666, as expected of you!"
……
Leonard then took a closer look at Xing's face, and as if remembering something, his expression turned somewhat surprised and a hint of barely perceptible excitement: "Wait...you wouldn't happen to be...the legendary 'Trailblazer'? The 'rising star' that Lady Black Tower is paying special attention to?"
The comments section immediately picked up on the joke:
"Hahaha! A true 'rising star'! No doubt about it!"
"It is indeed quite new, just 'born' not long ago, and is still skillfully rummaging through the trash can."
"Leonard: Wild protagonist spotted! Issue a mission immediately!"
……
Leonard then began to explain to Star why he looked so worried.
As a cybersecurity engineer on the space station, he discovered during a system security check of the previous antimatter legion intrusion incident that a third party outside the legion had infiltrated the station during the period when the main control system was paralyzed.
As Xing listened, an image of purple hair flashed through her mind, and she cautiously asked, "Was it... a woman wearing sunglasses?"
Leonard shook his head, his expression serious: "I don't know the other party's specific appearance or identity features. We are still investigating."
"But our initial suspicion is... it might be the 'Star Core Hunter,' and most likely the super hacker from 'Punk Lord.'"
He sighed, a hint of shame on his face: "It's really embarrassing to admit... I've actually already been taken advantage of by her once."
"Just recently, when I was screening the monitoring logs and abnormal data streams after the space station was repaired, I finally managed to catch a trace that might be her."
"I thought I could follow the clues and find the real source, but..."
Leonard's expression twisted, as if he were recalling some unpleasant experience:
"She directly hacked into my device! She sent an anonymous spam message to almost everyone on the space station's internal communication network!"
"Tell everyone on the space station that some idiot named Leonard has caused a huge disaster..."
The live chat erupted in laughter, flooded with various memes and jokes:
"Hey? Sounds like this engineer Leonard...'s pretty brave, huh? (Leans back)"
"That's impressive, actually managing to find traces of a legendary hacker. (doge.jpg)"
"Poor Tom was completely manipulated." (Image)
"Hoshi only remembers Kafka, and has no recollection of Silver Wolf at all."
"Which celestial deity's theme does Punk Lord belong to?"
"Judging from the background story, it seems like this is a place where people with a 'nihilistic' or 'joyful' destiny tend to gather?"
……
After a conversation, Leonard asked Star to investigate the matter with him.
Leonard handed Xing a camera, saying it was a coding program he had designed.
Through it, you can see some hidden traces.
"Like this...!"
He turned around and pointed the "camera" lens at the small blank wall behind the holographic portrait of the Black Tower lady next to him.
With a "click" of the shutter, a tiny beam of scanning light swept across the wall.
Immediately afterwards, a teardrop-shaped interactive marker, emitting a faint blue light and seemingly composed of flowing code, suddenly appeared on the previously empty wall!
However, from Xing and Leonard's perspective, the "droplet" mark is positioned... exactly "hanging" next to the forehead of the Black Tower lady's holographic portrait... coupled with the Black Tower's classic "expressionless" expression on the portrait...
The combined effect is quite striking—
Sweating Black Tower.jpg
Leonard: "Uh... this position..."
Xing once again exclaimed sincerely, her gaze fixed intently on the portrait of the Black Tower: "She's so beautiful."
Leonard facepalmed, speechless: "I didn't tell you to show this!"
The comments section completely erupted:
"Hahahaha! Help! This position! This angle! Absolutely amazing!"
"Sweating Black Tower! So talented!"
"It's hard to say it wasn't intentional! It's just a perfect match."
"She's So Pretty x2!"
"You're such a broken record!"
……
Leonard recovered from his embarrassment and began to analyze: "This drop of 'sweat' is actually an 'electronic graffiti' that has been processed by an automatic encryption algorithm."
"This behavior of deliberately leaving 'signatures' or 'provocative marks' after a hack... fits the image of a hacker very well."
"They seem to treat this as a kind of... 'art' or 'game'."
Xing took the "encoding camera" handed to her by Leonard and curiously scanned and focused on the "water droplet" mark on the wall again.
Suddenly, the mark began to collapse violently inward!
The surrounding colors and sounds seemed to be pulled and drawn into that tiny singularity by an invisible force!
Something in the air seems to be being forcibly summoned and is about to break through the "wall"!
The next second—
"Bang!"
The image shattered like glass!
The familiar battle interface appears!
What appeared before Xing and Leonard was an ordinary antimatter pawn.
The battle ended easily and without any suspense.
The appearance of this little monster instantly sparked a connection in the comments:
"Could this be the same mob that ambushed Kafka at the start but was taken down by Silver Wolf?"
"Goodness! The foreshadowing has been resolved!"
"Did anyone see the band-aid on Wolf Baby's back?"
"She's So Pretty!"
……
After deciphering the graffiti's encryption, the two spotted the Silver Wolf.
This is a teleportation beacon. The two of them just accidentally activated it, which sent the enemy that Silver Wolf had thrown away back to them.
After successfully clearing up the accident, the Silver Wolf holographic projection briefly appeared at the location marked by the "water droplet," accompanied by a stream of messy code.
Leonard watched this scene with an expression of amazement: "Point-to-point precision beacon transmission... without the need for an energy source, relying entirely on the hacker's own algorithms... the computational complexity and understanding of the underlying protocols..."
He gasped, exclaiming, "Terrifying!"
Xing, listening from the side, was completely confused. She blinked and asked a simple question: "Is this technology... really that amazing?"
Leonard turned around abruptly, looking at Xing with an expression that said, "You have no idea how awesome this is," and said excitedly, "Amazing?! This is simply... this is simply..."
He struggled to find a suitable analogy: "Let me put it this way! It's like... she didn't just hack into the system, she could edit reality as freely as a program!"
"I always thought it was just a... uh, bar science, and nobody believed it existed except for the Masked Fool."
The comments section immediately erupted into a discussion about Silver Wolf's skills:
Silver Wolf: Is it that strange? It's just a trivial trick.
"The Masked Fool: This is word-of-mouth!"
"Punklords...sounds like a place full of quirky hackers and code artists!"
……
Next, Star and Leonard began to trace the Silver Wolf's intrusion path inside the space station by following the few data traces exposed by the activated "graffiti beacon".
They arrived at the reception area leading to the "Black Tower Curiosities Collection Room".
Here, another hidden electronic graffiti was activated, revealing the scene at the time of Silver Wolf:
She seemed to be speaking into a communicator: "Let's go... the fake identity information has been entered..."
Leonard suddenly realized, slapping his thigh: "So that's it! The classic 'infiltration + cover' tactic! He uses a technical loophole to infiltrate first, then creates legitimate false identities for his accomplices, allowing them to enter through the front door with impunity, reducing the risk of being discovered!"
He leaned close to the holographic screen displaying the access history at the front desk and quickly swiped to search: "Let me see... what was the name she used when she logged in with a fake identity...?"
His finger stopped on a record, his eyes suddenly widened, and his voice rose sharply, filled with disbelief:
"Kareem Leonard?!"
The comments section erupted in laughter.
"Pfft—hahahahaha! We share the same name! What a coincidence!"
"In the pursuit of a wanted criminal, the mole turned out to be myself!"
"Black Tower: Turn this guy named Leonard into a smart toilet! Put it in the most conspicuous bathroom!"
"Haha, Leonard looks like he's shaking with anger."
……
Xing peeked at the name on the screen, then nodded with a serious and earnest expression, giving her "professional" assessment:
"Hmm...it looks...authentic at first glance!"
Very open!
Leonard was almost speechless: "She...she actually stole my identity information?! And with this kind of...complete copying technology?!"
He continued helplessly, "During the routine check, I didn't even notice anything wrong with this record. I subconsciously skipped it when I saw my own name... They're too cunning!"
Looking at the slightly smug profile of the silver wolf projection in front of him, Xing very "thoughtfully" offered advice in a sincere tone:
"Um...why don't you...reflect on yourself first?"
The comment masters immediately started a classic sentence chain:
Sometimes, it's time to look for the reasons within yourself...
"After being a 'network administrator' for so long, have your technical skills improved? Have you seriously studied hacker thinking?"
"Where's the cunning in it? So many hackers operate this way; don't spout nonsense!"
"Did the person upstairs enter the wrong live stream room? This is Black Tower Space Station, not a beauty live stream room! (laughing and crying)"
……
The story continues.
Leonard was taken aback by Xing's blunt honesty, and awkwardly scratched his head: "...Okay, 'even the best-laid plans can go wrong'... When a normal person sees suspicious access records, their first reaction is to check those they don't recognize... Who would immediately suspect their own name?"
The two continued their investigation, analyzing the next graffiti.
As Leonard operated the equipment, he remarked thoughtfully, "The locations where these graffiti were left... were really carefully chosen."
"I have a feeling... she's not just leaving traces of intrusion, it's more like she's playing a... game with us."
"One point leads to the next point..."
Xing nodded in deep agreement and echoed, "Truly brilliant."
Leonard continued to share his background knowledge with the players: "I've heard that there's a tradition in Punk Lords where hackers like to leave something behind when they break in, waiting to be discovered—like a challenge."
"They call this the punk rock spirit!"
He concluded, "In their minds, the thrill of victory comes from competition; victory and defeat demonstrate the value of technology; and ultimately, all of this is for... 'fun'?"
"Life is a game; having fun is the most important thing."
"Anyway, I don't really understand."
The comments section reacted enthusiastically to this explanation:
"Be confident, Wolfie just wants to play; he didn't have enough fun before..."
"Life is a game??? This concept..."
"Yes, that sounds 'fun'! Aha will definitely love it!"
Question: Will the main storyline of our game take place on the planet "Punklord"? I really want to go see it!