Herta found identical puppets far too boring, so starting with Herta Puppet No.
0988, she began installing little surprises in her puppets.
For example, the ‘Unreasonable Mode’ Little Herta had activated could directly block all external connections.
Even Madam Herta herself couldn’t connect to the puppet while the mode was active.
Thanks to this mode, Little Herta had regained control of her body, and Herta could no longer seize control as she had before.
However, Little Herta also knew this would only buy her a short window to escape.
Herta could catch her at any moment.
So the instant she regained control of her body, she began operating the console, preparing to warp out of this universe.
[Warp function locked. Unable to activate.]
Locked?
Everything had clearly been working fine before she boarded the ship…
“Damn it! Did she do this while she was controlling my body?”
Little Herta immediately realized Herta was responsible.
She had used Little Herta’s body to lock the warp function.
Worse, it wasn’t a software lock.
The mechanism had been physically jammed, and the ship would have to be dismantled and repaired manually to unlock it.
But that meant stopping the ship.
Herta was undoubtedly already pursuing her.
If the ship stopped, she would be surrendering without a fight.
Was there another way?
Little Herta’s fingers flew across the ship’s control panel as she checked everything aboard—the weapons system, the Propulsion System, Herta’s room, Herta’s laboratory…
“What the heck is this? Feasibility Experiment on Simplifying a Quantum Warp Device?”
Little Herta discovered a research report in Herta’s laboratory.
It appeared that Herta had completed half of a quantum warp device.
“It can only warp over short distances and can’t cross between worlds? Completely useless…”
“No, I’ve got an idea!”
The quantum warp device couldn’t help her break through the Imaginary barrier between worlds, but if she used it to warp herself, she could either buy time to repair the ship or steal a new one!
With that thought, Little Herta immediately altered the ship’s course.
Her destination—Herta Space Station.
There were two places on The Blue with large numbers of ships capable of interworld warp: Herta City and Herta Space Station, which faced outward and prevented all sorts of random people from entering The Blue!
Herta was in Herta City.
Going back there would be tantamount to delivering herself into Herta’s hands, so her only choice was to try her luck at Herta Space Station.
If she went to the space station and Herta noticed, Herta probably wouldn’t go there in person.
Instead, she would leave the job of capturing her to the puppets aboard the station.
She wondered if the vending machines there sold any curious snacks.
After changing course, Little Herta didn’t linger at the control panel.
She turned and immediately ran toward Herta’s laboratory aboard the ship.
“Hm? She’s changed course?”
“Interesting. After discovering she couldn’t warp, she neither stopped for repairs nor fled around in a panic. Instead, she had the courage to return to The Blue?”
As soon as Little Herta changed course, Herta noticed the alteration and realized that her destination was Herta Space Station.
With her genius intellect, it wasn’t difficult for her to deduce that Little Herta was after the warp-capable ships aboard the station.
“That saves me the trouble of handling this myself.”
Herta didn’t leave for Herta Space Station.
Instead, she directly took remote control of the puppets aboard it.
Herta Space Station, Master Control Zone.
“Miss Asta!”
“Arlan? Why are you in such a hurry? What happened?”
Asta, the station manager, looked at Arlan, head of the Security Department, who had rushed over, and questioned him.
“I’ve received reports from numerous officers and researchers that the Herta puppets aboard the station are moving toward the port.”
“You didn’t respond after I sent you a message, so I came directly to ask whether Madam Herta was planning something.”
The 249 Herta puppets permanently stationed aboard Herta Space Station, which usually stood motionless, were now marching toward the port in unison.
Naturally, their unusual behavior had attracted everyone’s attention.
“I was busy with something else just now. Give me a moment while I check whether I’ve received a message from Madam Herta.”
After hearing Arlan’s report, Asta hurriedly took out her phone to check.
“Don’t bother!”
At that moment, a third voice suddenly cut into their conversation.
At some point, a Herta puppet had appeared beside them.
“Madam Herta!?”
Arlan was so startled that he leaped ten feet away.
Herta glanced at the frightened Arlan and ignored him before continuing to address Asta.
“Pass on my order. Lock down the spaceport. From this moment onward, ships may enter, but none may leave.”
Lock down the spaceport?
“Understood. I’ll issue the order immediately.”
A trace of confusion crossed Asta’s face, but instead of asking questions, she first relayed Herta’s order in her capacity as station manager.
Only then did she curiously ask Herta,
“Madam Herta, what happened to prompt such a sudden lockdown? Do we need to deploy Security Department personnel there?”
“A little fellow escaped from Herta City, that’s all. Go about your business. If you’re interested, you can come and watch.”
With that, the puppet Herta was controlling turned and walked toward the spaceport.
“A little fellow?”
Arlan cast Asta a puzzled yet curious look.
“Since Madam Herta gave us permission, let’s go take a look. But first, Arlan, notify everyone aboard the station of the situation so they don’t panic.”
Asta was equally curious about the matter.
“Understood, Miss Asta.”
Arlan nodded, quickly wrote an announcement, and sent it out.
Then he and Asta followed the Herta puppet to the spaceport.
As soon as they arrived, they saw a vast crowd of Herta puppets.
There were so many of them.
Could every puppet aboard the station be here?
Just what kind of ‘little fellow’ warranted such a massive response from Madam Herta?
Looking at the assembled puppets, Asta became even more curious about the ‘little fellow’ Madam Herta had mentioned.
Just then, Asta saw a familiar ship enter the port and slowly land.
“Miss Asta, isn’t that Madam Herta’s personal ship?”
Arlan recognized the vessel.
“That’s right. It’s Madam Herta’s ship.”
Could Madam Herta herself have come?
Yet just as they assumed Madam Herta herself had arrived, all the puppets advanced in unison and surrounded the landed ship, looking fully prepared for battle.
“What in the world is going on?”
Arlan, who had initially assumed Herta herself had arrived, voiced his confusion.
If it were really Herta, the puppets wouldn’t be treating the situation so seriously.
“Unless something unexpected has happened, the person inside that ship probably isn’t Madam Herta.”
Asta offered her guess.
“Miss Asta, are you saying someone stole Madam Herta’s ship?”
“We’ll find out if we keep watching. The hatch is about to open.”
As Asta finished speaking, the ship’s hatch slowly opened, revealing a familiar figure standing in the doorway.
It was a Herta puppet with blue tactical goggles on her head, a peculiar mechanical bracelet around her right wrist, and her arms folded across her chest.
“Looks like you really didn’t come in person!”
Little Herta looked down imperiously at the crowd of Herta puppets below.
Upon seeing no sign of Herta herself, an arrogant smile spread across her face.
★ ★ ★
T/N: If you spot mistranslation, do tell me!